Mr. Chairman, Executives and members of the Accra Golden Lions Club, invited guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen – it is my utmost pleasure to represent the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), in the person of Professor Alex Dodoo, who is currently on another assignment outside the country and to express his profound regrets at not being physically present at this important event. He bids me to express his greetings and well wishes to the Accra Golden Lions Club on their 30th Anniversary.
The GSA is always ready to join hands in bringing progress to Ghanaians, thus our presence here today.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, service to mankind, is often touted as being an equal service to God and is an ideal that is cherished by many humanitarian organisations and agencies including the Lions Club International (LCI) and its local branches. This service to mankind is significantly reflected by your organisation’s Motto – ‘We Serve’.
In this light, the work of the Lions Clubs cannot be downplayed, especially in the face of the development challenges confronting the world including poverty, disease, war and conflict, which are cutting a swathe of instability in regional, continental and global economies.
Our challenges, in Ghana, are no different and made even more serious by the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic that has killed millions across the world, leaving economies and health systems woefully inadequate, under-resourced, and overstretched, albeit many developing countries appear having been spared the brunt of the pandemic so far.
Mr, Chairman, humanitarian work, such as yours, is mainly voluntary, sacrificial and an emotional investment that can be rewarding and fulfilling some of the time but fatal and traumatic at other times, especially during conflict and war or as in the case of the COVID-19 Pandemic with which the world is still coming to terms. In all instances, however, it takes efforts like yours – stepping up – to support and to give comfort to the many who are fatally impacted by such pandemics, disaster, conflict or war.
The Accra Golden Lions Club, today, celebrates its 30th Anniversary against the backdrop of immense resource inadequacy and donor fatigue across the humanitarian and development communities, even as war rages in Ukraine and further exacerbating the global food and energy crisis. It is therefore commendable that despite these challenges, Lions’ duty of service to mankind and to God is recognised and therefore prioritised by the Accra Golden Lions Club.
As the world struggles towards returning to normalcy, organisations like the Lions and Leos Clubs are some of the cogs that will turn the wheels of hope for communities determined to surmount the recent pandemic by learning to live with it side-by-side learning new ways of doing things – the new normal, so to say.
As a socially responsive and caring organisation, dedicated to working with communities towards finding new and workable solutions to the nation’s development challenges, it is important to have the support of communities and individuals towards your fundraising efforts, which is part of the reason we are here today.
Therefore, we cannot but commend your successes and continuous efforts in keeping hope alive and securing viable prospects for generations, present and future.
Yours is not only a global mission but also a national call of duty in aid of the vulnerable in society and towards attaining a quality of life for all Ghanaians by mobilising resources – human and material – in support of Good Health and Well Being, which falls under Goal 3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development agenda.
It also aligns with the objectives of the Accra Golden Lions Club and its charter project to raise a total of 150,000gh for the refurbishment and acquisition of equipment for the Diabetes Centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the reason we are gathered here this evening.
On my own behalf and of the Director-General of GSA, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to commend the Lions Club at the national level for their leadership in community development projects across the country as partners of government in meeting the aspirations of the people in their various conditions of need.
The GSA, as the standards and compliance body is ready to put its expertise at your disposal in ensuring the delivery of the required quality of service and facilities. We hope to improve our collaboration with the Lions and other humanitarian and development organisations both on the local scene and internationally for mutual benefit.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I conclude by affirming the GSA’s commitment to supporting the developmental work of the Lions and other organisations by ensuring standardisation and compliance with existing regimes.
Long Live the Accra Golden Lions Club!
