Ghanaians studying abroad have been urged to return to the country and offer the knowledge and experiences acquired as their contribution towards national development.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who offered the gesture, said it is regrettable that most Ghanaians who go to school abroad most often feel reluctant to return home while those who even return prefer to be in their private space.
President Akufo-Addo made the plea at the 10th-anniversary networking and fundraising dinner of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana (OXCAM) held at the Africa in Accra.
He said it is important for all Ghanaians to recognise that nation-building is the responsibility of all.
The task of developing a country, he said, cannot be the responsibility of the government alone but requires the contributions of corporate entities, individuals and alumnus groups like the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana to ensure the collective development sought.
President Akufo-Addo an alumnus of Oxford University, specifically mentioned his colleagues and those of Cambridge University had returned to use the experience to help solve challenges facing the country.
“Many at times when people school abroad, they are reluctant to return to Ghana to help in nation building but these citizens saw the need to return home and also network to contribute to national development,” he emphasised.
The government, the President indicated, had made education a priority as it is the key to successful national development.
President Akufo-Addo commended the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana and emphasised the importance such alumnus networks bring to Ghana.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who is the patron of OXCAM, urged members of the Society to offer their knowledge acquired through the gates of the two universities in the transformation of Ghana and Africa.
Humanity must be at the centre of everything we do, the former President stated, amidst the troubling times that the world found itself.
The Chairperson of OXCAM, Dr Emefa Takyi Amoako, in her remarks, said Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana among other things, encouraged Ghanaian students to seek higher education in prestigious universities in the UK.
That, she said, would enable them to gain the requisite knowledge and exposure to support the development of Ghana.