Who knows, one day it may well happen – Akufo-Addo on renaming of UG after JB Danquah

Joseph Boakye (JB) Danquah was a Ghanaian politician, academic, lawyer, and statesman in pre- and post-colonial Ghana. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that one day the University of Ghana will be called after him.

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, highlighted the responsibilities that JB Danquah played in the establishment of the University.

After expressing hope that it would be possible one day, Akufo-Addo stated that renaming the University of Ghana after Dr. J.B. Danquah would not be out of place and suggested that it might even happen.

On August 12, 2018, during the University of Ghana's 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service, President Akufo-Addo gave the following speech: "For me, the most poignant of those memories is the inestimable work that Dr. JB Dankqua did to mobilize the Ghanaian people to insist on the building of this university."

It is entirely appropriate and not in the least bit implausible to refer to Joseph Boakye Danquah as the founder of this university. A reality that, on the occasion of the organization's 75th anniversary, should be brought to the forefront of our minds by all of us who have benefited from his efforts in the past and continue to do so today.

"In point of fact, in many other jurisdictions where the political climate is less charged and where there is a stronger devotion to the historical record, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him. Who knows, it could very well occur one day," he continued.

Joseph Boakye Danquah was a Ghanaian politician, academic, lawyer, and statesman. He was born on 18 December 1895 and passed away on 4 February 1965. It is generally agreed that he was a politician in pre- and post-colonial Ghana, which was originally known as the Gold Coast, and that he is the one who is responsible for giving Ghana its current name.

Danquah was instrumental in the formation of the University of Ghana, which is now the country's most prestigious and comprehensive educational institution.

After a British report on higher education in West Africa advised that only one university college, to be placed in Nigeria, in cooperation with the University of London, would be practicable for the entire of West Africa, he successfully lobbied for its construction in 1948. This was after the report recommended that only one university college in West Africa would be feasible.