President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has marked this year’s May Day celebrations with the launch of a charter to guide the Ghana Beyond Aid campaign.

The charter is expected to present the meaning, purpose and the calendar of implementation that will allow Ghana to reach the goal of developing the country, not through dependence on aid from development partners, but through available natural resources.

“On behalf of the people of Ghana I wish to thank the Ghana Beyond Aid Committee for the good work done,” the President said, holding up the document to the thousands of workers marking this year’s May Day celebrations at the Black Star Square, Wednesday.

He said “Ghana Beyond Aid is setting our nation on an irreversible pathway of development. With the blessing of the Almighty and our collective effort, we will march boldly from poverty to prosperity so that we can create the Ghana our forefathers envisaged…”

The charter was drawn by a Committee Chaired by Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo.

The Committee was made up of persons from varying sectors of the governance structure, including the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta; Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah; Minister for Planning, Prof. Gyan Baffour; and the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama.

The rest were drawn from the Trades Union Congress, the Private Enterprise Foundation, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, as well as the Association of Ghana industries.

The President promised the creation of the committee during last year’s May Day celebrations in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.

Let’s work pull together

While commending Ghanaian workers’ contribution to Ghana’s development the President also acknowledged the existing challenges.

“I know I state the obvious but I do want to make the point that I do not need to be persuaded about the importance of work the circumstances in which we work. I also want to reiterate that the fact that we are all in it together whether it is in management or government or on the shop floor the project of our existence succeeds if we work together and pull together.

“Our nation Ghana at 62 remains very much a work in progress.  A lot of things remain to be done to improve upon the quality of our lives in all three stages – the period of preparation to work, the period during which we work and the period during which we take a deserved rest from work,” he said.

This year’s May Day events was marked under the theme, "Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners." A National May Day Parade was held at the Black Star Square in Accra from 7:00 am. Workers converged at the Obra Spot (Kwame Nkrumah Circle) at 6.00 am for a procession through some streets in the capital. At the Black Star Square, Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, delivered a speech on behalf of Organised Labour before the President’s address to workers.