Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Senior Presidential Advisor
The Senior Presidential Advisor to President Akufo-Addo, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has admitted guilt for passing an ‘ethnocentric comment’ that purportedly painted Asantes in bad light.
His apology was contained in a press statement dated July 1. It followed the leakage of excerpts of a conversation he had with his colleagues relating to the roles of various ethnic groups in the pre-independence struggle.
The Senior Presidential Advisor, in a video circulating on social media, was heard saying that the struggle for independence was led by the Akyems, and that the “Asantes were not involved”.
However, the public has responded angrily to the comment on social media.
He said the “comment was never intended to stir up ethnic tensions between Akyems and Asantes”, adding that “ethnic tension is not a thing I want for our country or the NPP.”
“Despite the nature and circumstances of the discussion, I concede that I erred. I, therefore, wish to offer my unqualified and sincere apologies for these comments,” he said.
The Senior Presidential Advisor further explained that for his many years of public service, creating divisions is not a thing he will accentuate for a country that “he loved and spent many decades serving as a public officer.”
He noted that beyond party politics, he would continue to share a common objective and vision for the country, even if the pathway to getting there differs.
“May the Lord continue to bless and keep us as a nation. A unity that our leaders, both past and present, have knitted together through their sweat and toil into what we call Ghana,” he concluded.
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