GIMPA@65: We Must Cultivate Leaders Who Understand Public Service as Position of Trust – Otumfuo

The King of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on the Ghana Institute of Management and Administration (GIMPA) and other institutions to cultivate leaders who understand public service as a position of trust, not an opportunity for personal advantage.

Speaking at the 65th Anniversary of GIMPA as the distinguished guest on November 11, 2026, he acknowledged the considerable number of highly educated professionals in Ghana.

However, he noted that the quality of the nation’s institutions depends not only on technical competence, but also on the character, integrity and sense of duty of those who lead them.

He said leaders must be formed to understand that public office carries responsibility to the people they serve, and that decisions taken in ministries, assemblies, businesses and professional bodies affect lives far beyond the office holder.

Otumfuo warned that no amount of technological sophistication can compensate for dishonesty, indiscipline, or the misuse of public authority.

“A nation may possess modern infrastructure and highly qualified professionals, yet continue to struggle if corruption and weak accountability undermine its institutions,” he said.

“We must therefore cultivate leaders who understand that public service is a position of trust, who value competence above connections, self above privilege, and national interests above personal advantage. The end of our institutions will ultimately depend not only upon the knowledge of those who manage them, but also upon their integrity and their willingness to place the common good above personal convenience.”

Present were Nananom, Prof. Yaw Agyeman Badu, Chairman of Governing Council; Prof. Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, Rector; Prof. Ebenezer Adaku, Deputy Rector; Prof. Stephen Adei, former Rector; Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo; and Hon. Kan Dapaah, former Defence Minister.

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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