The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has paid tribute to veteran journalist Kwasi Pratt Jnr, describing him as a principled scholar whose work has championed social justice and public accountability for five decades. In a post on X on Saturday, September 19, Mr Dafeamekpor said his tribute was written not in his capacity as an MP, Government Chief Whip or President of the Ghana Law Society, but as a younger brother, comrade-in-arms and student of Mr Pratt.
Mr Dafeamekpor's tribute comes after the University of Cape Coast's decision to confer on the veteran journalist a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa. He said the honour was long overdue, describing it as a formal recognition of qualities that Ghanaians had witnessed throughout Mr Pratt's career. Mr Dafeamekpor said the honour was not merely ceremonial, but historic, deserved, and earned.
The South Dayi MP praised Mr Pratt Jnr for what he described as five decades of consistency in Ghanaian public life, recalling his activism during the 1970s and his continued involvement in grassroots organisation and political education in the 1980s. He said Mr Pratt Jnr had remained committed to his principles throughout the Fourth Republic despite changes in Ghana's political landscape.
Mr Dafeamekpor praised Mr Pratt's leadership of The Insight newspaper, saying he had used journalism to make complex public policy issues accessible to ordinary Ghanaians. He said Mr Pratt had helped explain how major economic and legal decisions affected people in their everyday lives. Mr Dafeamekpor also credited the veteran journalist with helping mining communities understand their rights under Ghana's mining laws.
The Majority Chief Whip also praised Mr Pratt's steadfastness, describing it as a defining quality of his public life. He said Mr Pratt's influence had extended beyond formal political office, shaping every office and auditing state power more fiercely and effectively than many paid to do so. Mr Dafeamekpor said the honorary doctorate was therefore a recognition earned through decades of journalism, activism, and public commentary.
Mr Dafeamekpor described Mr Pratt as a leading figure in the Committee for Joint Action and the Socialist and Pan-African movement in Ghana, saying his work had consistently emphasised equity, jobs, justice, and national sovereignty in assessing public policy. He concluded by encouraging Mr Pratt to continue his work of writing, teaching, and inspiring future generations.
The tribute from Mr Dafeamekpor reflects the high esteem in which Mr Pratt Jnr is held by his peers and the Ghanaian public. The University of Cape Coast's decision to confer the honorary doctorate on Mr Pratt Jnr is a testament to his contributions to Ghanaian public life and his commitment to social justice and public accountability.
Key points
- Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor praises Kwasi Pratt Jnr as a scholar of formidable proportions.
- The University of Cape Coast confers a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, on Kwasi Pratt Jnr.
- Dafeamekpor describes Pratt's work as championing social justice and public accountability for five decades.
