The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said inequality in the Ghanaian society has left farmers the most impoverished group of workers in the country.
This, he said, has become a challenge for successive governments and there was the need to turn around the fortune of farmers.
Delivering the keynote address at a symposium to launch the Baffour Akoto Moot Court Competition at the Ghana School of Law, in Accra, on Thursday, Dr Akoto urged law students to do more advocacy for the marginalised in society.
He said “One may be wondering why students of law would invite the Minister for Food and Agriculture to be the Keynote Speaker at the Launch of a Moot Court Competition. The answer lies in the confluence in the inequality in society. Inequality cuts across all spheres of the society.
“In my field of work, farmers are the poorest group of workers in terms of prestige, incomes, education, etc. This provides a challenge to any government to strive to raise the living standards of farmers to the level of the average Ghanaian”.
Held annually to commence the School’s SRC week, the competition honours the memory of sacrifices made by the late Chief Linguist of the Asantehene in the 1950s, Baffour Akoto who was said to have been incarcerated alongside J. B Danquah for their advocacy.
It on the theme: “Leadership, gender and disabilities; The way forward after legal education.”
In the view of Dr Akoto, the law students are in the position to change the narrative and use their advocacy skills to ensure a level playing field for all Ghanaians.
“The sacrifices that the Baffour Akotos and the Mandelas made to bring equality and justice to society should not be lost on you. You may be sitting in your comfort zone after school pursuing your profession, that should not blind you to the injustices in society.
“A lot has been achieved in past years, but a lot of injustices still remain in our society. It would be your responsibility to uphold the advocacy pursued by our forefathers.
“As trained advocates, it is incumbent upon you to continually uphold the rule of law to address the inequalities in society which Baffour Osei Akoto and others fought for.”
President of the SRC, Wonder Victor Kutor, setting out the modalities said faculties from Nigeria and Sierra Leone would feature in the competition.
Per the structure of the competition, the faculties will battle it among themselves and winners face the GSL in the finals.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
