A Former Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has paid glowing tribute to the founder of the Mount Zion Basic School in Accra, the late Rev. Emile Doe Dogbe-Gakpetor.
He said the founder saw children who were not able to gain admission into a school and then took the courage to establish his school to enable them to have access to education.
“It takes a lot of courage, and it takes faith — faith in the Almighty God that things will go well. I can start it and God will help me make it a success.”
“So he took that major step to basically set up the Mount Zion Basic School that we know of today. If he had not set up this school, can you imagine how many children could have lost their way?” he asked.
Foundation
Dr Bawumia, flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2028 elections, said this when he relaunched the Rev. Emile Doe Dogbe-Gakpetor Memorial Foundation in Accra last Thursday.
The foundation, established in 2013, honours and continues the legacy of the late Rev. Dogbe-Gakpetor, a devoted minister, educator and community builder whose life’s work was rooted in service to others.
Guided by his life, the foundation is committed to advancing education, empowering young people and promoting religious tolerance and community development.
Rev.Dogbe-Gakpetor’s passion for education led to the establishment of Mount Zion Basic School in Nima in 1955.
It has played a significant role in shaping the lives of many young people.
The foundation seeks to build on the legacy through advocacy and initiatives focused on education.
Following a period of dormancy, it is being revitalised by the grandchildren of Rev.Dogbe-Gakpetor.
Dr Bawumia said what he saw as the biggest asset of the foundation was the story of Rev. Dogbe-Gakpetor.
Story
“That story is an incredible human story. It is very touching,” he said.
For him, many children could have lost their way, but for the establishment of the Mount Zion Basic School.
“So just as I was sitting there, I was thinking how many lives have been transformed by this singular decision to set up this school — so many lives,” he emphasised.
Dr Bawumia said it was heartwarming that the foundation was being relaunched in honour of Rev. Dogbe-Gakpetor.
Another aspect of the foundation, he said, was trying to empower the young children by providing them with knowledge.
He also mentioned the promotion of tolerance.
“It tells you how open he was living in the context of the Muslim community — that he was able to … support and help them in various ways.
And that is how we should really be living in Ghana.
There is so much for us to learn from each other and to support each other, even if we are not of the same religion,” he said.
Education
In a keynote address, the Headmistress of the Aggrey Memorial AME Zion Senior High School, Dr Dorothy Adentwi-Hayford, said education must go beyond textbooks and classrooms and that it must equip young people with critical thinking skills, creativity, resilience and the confidence to navigate through uncertainty.
“The world our young people are growing into is vastly different from the one we knew. It is faster, more complex and filled with both unprecedented opportunities and daunting challenges,” she said.
Legacy
The Presiding Bishop of the AME Zion Church, Rt. Rev. Dr Hilliard Dogbe, who chaired the function, recalled how his father, Rev. Dogbe-Gakpetor was mourned by Muslims in Nima during the funeral.
He thus said the best thing to keep his legacy alive was to live it.
He expressed appreciation to all stakeholders who have come together to support the efforts at reviving the foundation to preserve the legacy of Rev. Dogbe-Gakpetor.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh