It has become an annual ritual for Ghanaians to celebrate the country and its values in a very special way during the month of March.

You needn't be told why the 3rd month of the year is exceptional to Ghanaians but just in case you are the only stranger in Jerusalem, it is because Ghana gained independence on the 6th of March 1957.

During this month, citizens make conscious efforts to eat, drink, wear, know and even experience Ghana with media houses leading the charge.

I must confess the delight in seeing different styles of African prints being displayed at workplaces without it being an abomination. How my heart leaps with joy when I see people enjoying my favourite 'banku' and other local cuisines and do not see it as an embarrassment.

That is the excitement the month of March brings when you get to be a Ghanaian with no shame. How I wish it will be like that throughout the year. It can be done but who must lead that campaign? I see celebrities like Okyeame Kwame, whom I love so much, start a ‘made-in-Ghana’ campaign to create awareness on the need to buy, eat, wear, drink, feel and know Ghana. Very well done! Inasmuch as I appreciate the work of this young man, I believe our president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must take charge of that campaign. I mean, he’s the most popular man in Ghana.

Now to my business with President Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo has become a fashion icon for many Ghanaians, especially the men who are gradually buying into his African print steeze. The President, in his day-to-day activities, whether cutting a sod, attending an event or working in the office, is mostly in African print with black trousers, and, of course, his ‘swag’ that cannot be taken away from him. I saw a young man along a roadside in the Ashanti Region buying African prints from a vendor, I overheard this man tell the vendor that he wanted the fabric Nana Akufo-Addo wears. He not only identified the fabric but was able to provide the Akan name of the design as well. For many like this man, following the president’s trend is ‘what’s up’.

Of course, I have every reason to believe that the fabric the man was buying was not original. But I want us not to dwell so much on the originality of the fabric we have on the market, but the goodwill and taste people are gradually developing for African prints due, in part, to the president’s fashion sense. It tells me that if we develop our textile industry such that they are able to produce in large quantities which will ultimately bring down the cost of production and subsequently reduce the cost, people are ever ready to buy.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, during the Kufuor administration, introduced the Friday wear trend. It started rough, as Ghanaians were yet to buy into it. However, years down the line, this has become the order of the day. How I wish we move from just Friday to all the days, but, of course, we must start from somewhere. I believe the Friday Wear has sunk in very well and we can move to Monday, the beginning of the week. Let’s start our week with Africa, Ghana and our culture in mind.

I absolutely love the president’s way of promoting made-in-Ghana goods, especially African print and 'fugu', but I have watched President Akufo-Addo deliver the state of the nation address thrice in parliament since he assumed office wearing a suit instead of a Ghanaian traditional outfit.

I always asked myself why the president wore African print most of the time but wears a suit in parliament? Is it that parliament does not recognise local fabric in the chamber? I don’t think so! I’ve also followed President Akufo- Addo’s activities outside the country and in all the instances, we see him in a suit.

He read a speech at the United Nations Assembly in 2017, on the same platform that the President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump called North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un a ‘Rocketman’. I felt that was the best opportunity to show ‘THE PRINT’ to the world and most likely attract investors. I don’t think there was a dress code for that conference, so, the president, as a fashion icon, I would say, should have consciously made a bold statement with his outfit to lure investors as the world was watching. We saw Mahamadu Buhari on the same platform where he was in his usual attire that represents who he is and where he comes from. I feel President Akufo-Addo could have done the same.

The issue really is not about whether a Ghanaian designed the suit or not, it has to do with the significance and what our culture is. As Ghanaians, a suit is foreign to our culture. My point is: why would the president promote our culture in the country and not showcase it to the world to facilitate investments.

President Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Thursday, March 28, 2019, to begin a nine-day visit to the United States of America and the Republic of Cuba.

His visit to the United States is to honour outstanding invitations extended to him to participate in public engagement programmes.

He will deliver speeches at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, and discuss investment opportunities in Ghana at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. This is a very fine opportunity for the president to showcase Ghana. He should be wearing the 'fugu' and the prints, not the suit and tie. The strategy is to get the investors to Ghana.

I would end my message to President Akufo-Addo with a quote from the bible: ‘Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; nor it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’ – King James Bible, 1611, Matthew, 5:15 and 5:16.

By: Gemma Appiah