Alex Segbefia defends choosing NPP’s Frimpong-Boateng to lead Atta Mills Memorial Lecture | Discuss Ghana

In a country where partisan politics often divides even the most solemn national moments, the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage is making a deliberate effort to cross the aisle.

The Chairman of the Heritage, Hon. Alex Segbefia, has strongly defended the selection of renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and former NPP Minister Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng as the keynote speaker for this year's 14th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture. Responding to questions about the political optics of inviting a prominent opposition figure to lead the memorial of a late NDC president, Segbefia explained that the decision is a direct reflection of President John Evans Atta Mills’ lifelong dedication to peace, unity, and non-partisan national development.

A non-partisan "formidable duo"

Segbefia clarified that the Memorial Heritage is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan charitable organization built to celebrate values that transcend daily political warfare:

The NPP Speaker: By inviting Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng—the former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation under the Akufo-Addo administration—the organizers want to prove that the late President's legacy belongs to all of Ghana, not just the NDC.

The NDC Chairperson: To balance the stage, the event will be chaired by Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General, who previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Trade and Industry under NDC administrations.

Healing the Divide: Segbefia recalled Atta Mills' famous pledge upon taking office in 2009 to be "a President for all Ghanaians" and to help heal national divisions. He argued that having a formidable cross-party duo leading the lecture is the ultimate tribute to that philosophy.