President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the fifth president under the Fourth Republic, has honored Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

He did this during the UNGA, or United Nations General Assembly, which began on September 19 and will be the 77th General Assembly in 2022, an annual gathering of world leaders in New York.

In his speech on September 21, Akufo-Addo made a special mention of the Osagyefo while also highlighting the necessity of African unity in the face of current global concerns.

As the first president's birthday was on September 21, he also emphasized the importance of making the announcement on that day.

"Mr President, I am contributing to this debate on a date that has special significance for us in Ghana. 21st September is the date we mark the birth of our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

"He would have been one hundred and thirteen (113) years old today, and it is worth recalling on this day the driving force of his political career, which was to contribute to the birth of a united Africa, i.e., a United States of Africa.

"We recognise today, more than ever before, the importance of the strength in unity of Africa, and we are working to shed that image of a helpless, hapless continent," Akufo-Addo stresed.

The president harped on the increasing need for Africa to embrace industralization and economic integration to drive collective progress.

"There is a renewed commitment towards an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and economic integration and the intensity of the challenges we face today is only matched, like never before, by the immensity of the opportunity before us.

"We, the current leaders of Africa, should be determined not to waste the crisis that confronts us," he added.

Watch Akufo-Addo full address below:

September 21, 2022 observed a national holiday

The Minister of the Interior, Ambrose-Dery, declared the September 21 holiday since it marks the birthday of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Parliament in 2018 passed the new Public Holidays Act, 2018, to amend the Public Holidays Act, 2001.

The Act replaced three public holidays, including September 21 and introduced two new holidays, January 7 (Constitution Day) and August 4 (Founders' Day).

According to the government, the real fight for Ghana's independence started on August 4, 1947 (the day the United Gold Coast Convention, UGCC was formed), which is why it replaced the September 21 holiday.