What could easily have been a story of rivalry turned instead into a powerful moment of unity when Ghana’s Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, used his speech at the 116th Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Adisadel College to celebrate his long-standing friendship with political rival Sammi Awuku.

The moment resonated strongly because just minutes away, Awuku — Member of Parliament for Akuapem North and a former National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party — was simultaneously chairing the 96th Speech and Prize-Giving Day of his alma mater, St. Augustine’s College.

Despite belonging to opposing political parties and rival secondary schools, Opare Addo used the platform to emphasise that friendship, respect, and national service must transcend partisan divides.

A friendship forged long before politics

Addressing students and alumni at Adisadel, Opare Addo paused mid-speech to acknowledge the unusual coincidence unfolding across Cape Coast.

“Exactly ten minutes from here, St. Augustine’s College is holding its own 96th speech and prize-giving day. And chairing that ceremony is a very good friend of mine and the MP for Akuapem North, former NPP National Youth Organiser Sammi Awuku, who we popularly call Kapo.”

The moment set the tone for what became one of the most memorable highlights of the ceremony — a candid reflection on how two men from rival traditions built a friendship that endured the heat of national politics.

With humour, Opare Addo contrasted their different secondary school experiences.

“He went to AUGUSCO, and whilst we were up here being built by fire, shaped by discipline, and sent up Katanga, I believe Samuel was living his best life in AUGUSCO.”

Yet the real story began years later at the University of Ghana.

From roommates to political rivals

Both men would later find themselves sharing a room at the famous Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana.

That unlikely arrangement, Opare Addo said, helped shape two future national youth leaders — though they would eventually stand on opposite sides of Ghana’s political divide.

“When we both arrived at the Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana, we ended up as roommates. I was a senior; he came to meet me in the room. So, Pablo and Kapo, NDC and NPP, Adisadel and AUGUSCO, one room.”

He recalled the spirited debates that filled their student days.

“We debated, we disagreed, we laughed, we paused each other, we pushed each other. And somewhere in that room, two future national youth organisers were being formed, one from each side of the aisle.”

Years later, the two would indeed meet again — this time on the national political stage.

From campus debates to national politics

Their rivalry came full circle during the 2024 elections, when Opare Addo and Sammi Awuku represented the youth leadership of the country’s two dominant political traditions.

The Adisadel old boy did not shy away from referencing that political contest.

“The elections were hard-fought, and I'll be honest, I sent Kapo and his people back home, and we proceeded to where we are today.”

But even in victory, his message to students was clear: politics must never destroy relationships.

A lesson for the next generation

For Opare Addo, the coincidence of both men addressing students in Cape Coast at the same time carried a deeper meaning.

“Today, he’s ten minutes away from here, motivating young people, launching a Game Changers Award, investing in the next generation, and I'm here. I believe I'm doing the same — but in different schools, different parties, yet the mission remains the same.”

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He described the moment as a powerful symbol of what Ghana’s democratic culture should look like.

“This is Ghana at its best… not men who agree on everything, but men who are committed to something larger than their disagreements.”

Ghana first

Opare Addo concluded by reminding the students that the real purpose of leadership is service to the nation, not loyalty to party or school rivalry.

“Adisadel, we say we are either the first or with the first — not my party, not my school, but Ghana first.”

In perhaps the most striking line of the afternoon, he summed up what he believes institutions like Adisadel are meant to produce.

“This school does not simply produce graduates. Adisadel produces men who change the direction of the wind.”

For many who witnessed the moment, the message was clear: in a political climate often defined by division, the friendship between Opare Addo and Sammi Awuku offered a refreshing reminder that rivalry does not have to mean hostility — and that leadership, at its best, builds bridges rather than walls.