The President of Namibia, Hage Gottfried Geingob, has offered some heartwarming words about late UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan after he was laid to rest earlier on Thursday.
Find below President Gottfried Geingob full tribute to the late Ghanaian diplomat.
Kofi Atta Annan: An exceptional humanitarian
Accra is the citadel of Pan-Africanism, where the pursuit of African unity and the resistance against colonial oppression gained new impetus. Ghana, through its nonpareil statesman, Kwame Nkrumah, played a fundamental role in exporting the idea of black consciousness and self-determination throughout Africa at a time when many Africans were under the dark cloud of colonialism.
Ghana gained independence in 1957, and the country became an unquenchable torch illuminating the entire continent, igniting the flames of nationalism and signaling Africa’s march towards liberation.
As President Nkrumah said, Freedom is not something that one people can bestow on another as a gift. They claim it as their own and none can keep it from them. Our freedom was not gifted to us. We claimed it as our own and no one could keep it from us.
Ghana has a storied history, not only in terms of Pan-Africanism but also in taking Africa’s influence and intellect to the United Nations. Robert Kweku Atta Gardiner, who served as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1962 to 1975, was one of the first Ghanaian luminaries to cement his legacy at the organization.
In 1964, the year I was appointed as SWAPO Representative to the United Nations and the Americas, I recall vividly, the pride that swelled amongst the people of Africa, when Dr. Alex Quaison-Sackey became the first black African to serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
These outstanding administrators and diplomats helped pave the way for our fine son of Ghana and Africa, Kofi Atta Annan, whom we have come to pay tribute and bid farewell.
Annan’s road towards international diplomatic accomplishment began in 1974, when he became chief civilian personnel officer in the UN Emergency Force in Cairo, Egypt. It was around the same time when I had also joined the United Nations as a Political Affairs Officer, and came to know him. His career continued to flourish under the helm of the then Secretary General of the United Nations, the late Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Following the end of the tenure of Boutros-Ghali, the time for Kofi Annan had arrived. His journey towards cementing a peerless legacy commenced
As the first Sub-Saharan African to lead the United Nations, it is a great honour to recount the exceptional work-ethic and perseverance which allowed Annan to transform the organization. Among his most notable achievements was the introduction of numerous reforms aimed at making the United Nations less bureaucratic and more effective. Today, as Africa continues to demand greater reforms at the United Nations, we pay tribute to Kofi Annan, whose outstanding diplomatic skill enabled him to establish himself as a global diplomatic icon and humanitarian par excellence.
In Namibia, we say that we are Africans before we are Namibians. We say so because Namibia is a child of Pan-African and international solidarity, midwifed by the United Nations. For this reason, we are honoured to pay tribute to this Black Star, who lived an admirable life, defined by a love for humanity, dedication to work and a never say die mentality.
Annan once said, “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”
He chose to live a life of commitment and purpose. He chose well because he knew who he was, what he stood for, where he wanted to go and why he wanted to get there.
Farewell good friend and congratulations for a life well lived.
May the Almighty God grant the soul of Kofi Atta Annan, eternal rest and peace.