Nana Akufo‑Addo Unveils Dr. J.B. Danquah Statue in hometown Adadientem

By Isaac Darko Boamah
Adadientem, Eastern Region — 7 February 2026

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo‑Addo on Saturday unveiled a bronze sculpture of Dr. Joseph Kwame Kyeretwie Boakye Danquah — the “doyen of Gold Coast politics” — in his hometown of Akyem Adadientem in the Eastern Region as part of events marking the 61st anniversary of the statesman’s death.

The ceremony, attended by traditional leaders, politicians and members of the Danquah family, saw the statue formally revealed by Mr. Akufo‑Addo, the Okyenhemaa Nana Adutwumwaa Dokua and Kyebi Abontendomhene Osabarima Marfo Kwabrane, who represented the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin.

In remarks at the unveiling, Mr. Akufo‑Addo praised Dr. Danquah’s contribution to Ghana’s political development and urged an end to “hate speech and name‑calling” directed at the historian and politician. He highlighted Dr. Danquah’s lifetime commitment to the rule of law, calling it “a fundamental guarantee of liberty and individual freedom” and an enduring influence on Ghana’s democratic trajectory.

“A portrait of Dr. Danquah in my office is a daily reminder of the duty public servants and citizens have to uphold democracy,” the former president said. He also launched a compendium of 60 statements chronicling Dr. Danquah’s life and public thought, noting the late leader’s advocacy for political pluralism, human dignity, cultural preservation and freedom.

Local investment and infrastructure

The event also included the unveiling of a 1.2‑kilometre paved road — named Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin Street — which, organisers said, was fully funded by the chief and people of Akyem Adadientem. The street was officially opened by the Okyenhemaa.

Baffour Boamah Darko, Mawerehene of Akyem Adadientem and CEO of REBISA Company Ltd, which constructed the road and the statue’s roundabout, said the community project cost two million Ghana cedis. Osabarima Marfo Kwabrane was honoured at the ceremony for representing the Okyenhene.

Barima Ofori Asante, chief of Akyem Adadientem, used the occasion to note other local ties of national significance, saying Lady Julia Osei‑Tutu, the Asantehene’s wife, also hails from Akyem Adadientem.

Honouring a contested legacy

Dr. Danquah — born on 19 December 1895 — is remembered as a scholar, lawyer, politician and key figure in the movement for self‑government. His family is linked historically with the Ofori‑Atta dynasty; his ancestry and early upbringing in the Eastern Region shaped his scholarship and public life.

Speakers at the ceremony reflected on both Danquah’s intellectual contributions and the controversy surrounding his detention and death. “The circumstances of his untimely death in a condemned cell at Nsawam in 1965 remain an ugly scar on the nation’s conscience,” Mr. Akufo‑Addo said.

Dr. Antoinette Tsibu Darko, Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, described the monument as “a compass for our conscience” and urged Ghanaians to reclaim Dr. Danquah’s ideals of liberty, knowledge and justice. “This monument ensures future generations will learn of a principled hero who loved this land more than his own life,” she said.

Plans for education and commemoration

Organisers used the unveiling to announce several legacy projects intended to anchor Dr. Danquah’s memory in Adadientem:

•   Conversion of the surviving laterite block where he once studied into a museum and library.
•   Construction of a state‑of‑the‑art playground and a 3D Cypher centre for local children.
•   Establishment of the JB Danquah Academy of Leadership Excellence — an intensive one‑year leadership training institute intended to host scholars, former statesmen and leading thinkers from Ghana and abroad.
•   The creation of a GH¢500,000 Kwame Kyeretwie Educational Fund to support promising students in Dr. Danquah’s name.

Organisers said the academy and other projects will be staged progressively and will seek partnerships and funding to realize their ambitions.

The statue unveiling in Adadientem joins a broader effort by the Danquah Institute, traditional authorities and local leaders to enshrine Dr. J.B. Danquah’s place in Ghana’s public memory — even as debates about historical interpretation and the nation’s political past continue.