President Akufo-Addo has charged members of the Songhai Community who trace their roots to the West African State of Mali, to do everything within their power, to assist government in ensuring that negative vices taking place within the West African sub-region are not transported into Ghana to disturb the peace of the country.
Addressing members of the Songhai community in Ghana when they paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo, said with a carefully planed agenda of fostering inter-ethnic and inter-tribal relations among West African nations, negative happenings can be eliminated from the sub-region.
“The problems that there are in our part of the world in West Africa, many of them can be readily and easily addressed if the kind of links that you have established here in Ghana are promoted in the whole of West Africa” President Akufo-Addo said.
“We know the difficulties that are taking place in Mali for instance and we want to make sure that these are the kind of problems that are not transported to us here in Ghana” President Akufo-Addo added.
The President indicated that the way the Songhai community has conducted themselves through our the history of Ghana is certainly the sure way to ensuring that all anti-peace and anti-progress happenings on the African continent are prevented from surfacing in Ghana.
“The way that you conduct yourselves and the way that you bond with us here in Ghana is the best way to ensure that those kinds of developments don’t take place in our country,” the President said.
The Paramount Chief of the Songhai community in Ghana, Chief Amadu Fatahu Alhassan Maiga II, in his address to the President read on his behalf by the Deputy General Secretary of the Songhai Community in Ghana, Swadiq Mohammed Huzaif, described President Akufo Addo as the “Doyen of Ghana’s Human Rights”.
“You used your law firm to champion the rule of law, justice, freedom, and democracy, giving free legal assistance to the poor and fought for the rights and liberties of the Ghanaian people. You were regarded as one of the most brilliant advocates in the history of the Ghana Bar” Chief Alhassan Maiga II said.
The Chief on behalf of his people assured the President that the Songhai Community in Ghana will do all within their power to live peaceably in the country.
“We pledge to continue to respect the laws of Ghana in promoting peace and security and the general well-being of all residents in Ghana. Our mission as a community is to promote education, entrepreneurship, civic culture among our people” Chief Alhassan Maiga stated.
The Songhai Community
The population of Ghana is divided into some 75 ethnic groups, among these
groups are the Songhai. The Songhai Empire was with the Ghana Empire from the (6th -13th Century) and they both had a lot in the past which has made them great
Empires in history.
The Songhai Kingdom or Empire replaced the Mali Empire as the most important state in West Africa and it became bigger than Ghana and Mali combined. The great-grandchildren of this Empire came to Ghana in the 13th Century and settled in areas like the LARABANGA “Land of the Arab.” In the West Gonja District of the Northern region now Savanna region and Nzulezu in the Jomoro District of Western region.