Established in 1927 as the first mixed-gender secondary boarding school in the Gold Coast, Achimota has been a trailblazer in providing an all-round education bringing together boys and girls into a boarding system to use their heads, hearts, and hands in service and leading their communities into a brighter future. It has produced great leaders such as Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

The Founders’ Day celebration honours and remembers not only the Founding “fathers” of the school but all the great women and men who have passed through the school and gone into the world to become “ Living Waters to a Thirsty Land.”

The Founders’ Day Celebration is a weekend of activities to remember the troika of founders of the school Guggisberg, Fraser and Aggrey, as well as all the influential Ghanaians who have passed through the school and to remind us of the lofty vision of Achimota, as well as recalibrate it for the future.

Founders’ Day celebrates the tremendous achievements of all Alumni referred to as Akoras in various fields to inspire the younger generation to strive for higher heights.

Three sets of Akora year groups namely the 1974,1984 and 1999  sponsored this year’s celebration with a packed weekend of activities.

This year’s celebration began with an art exhibition, AKORA art, highlighting the remarkable contribution of Akora artists like Ato Delaquis, Theodocia Okoh, Oku Ampofo, Bentil and others. It also focused on Amon Kotei’s work.

There was also a dental screening and treatment outreach in the school to offer free dental services to hundreds of students by the 1974-year group.

The 1999-year group on Thursday 29th Feb 2024 spearheaded the launch of the Achimota School Endowment Trust ( ASET) Fund. The ASET fund seeks to support the school’s long-term financial goal to raise 10 million US dollars equivalent by the centennial year as a financial resource for academic, infrastructural and a variety of educational programs.

On Friday evening the customary vibrant Torchlight Procession, bonfire and jamboree kicked off the weekend with a variety of year groups present and interacting with thousands of students. This was sponsored by the 1999-year group.

The night remains a forever young gathering defying all generational inhibitions amidst a cocktail of elevated emotions.

The Saturday morning Cadet Parade speaks to a specific perspective on formality and discipline. It inculcates a unique culture, tradition and values of integrity, patriotism, discipline, intellectual and moral development, as well as a high sense of service, and national leadership. The reviewing officer was Air Commodore Thomas NiiFio Okai of the 1984-year group, (Deputy Commandant-Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

Saturday afternoon’s Grand Durbar was the high point of the revelry, with a concrete expression in music and dance of the school song, from Gambaga to Accra, Wiawso to Keta and beyond national borders. Undoubtedly, Motown is a veritable melting pot where All May Be One. The afternoon event was a colourful event showcasing various aspects of the rich Ghanaian heritage, culture, dance and customary rites.

The Old Achimotan Association president Akora Joel Nettey charged all to revisit the objectives and values on which the school was founded and contemplate the relevance of Achimota School on this 97th anniversary, as all eagerly anticipate the forthcoming centenary celebrations.

He charged all to ask themselves if Achimota School, as it is currently structured, is in the position to deliver on these objectives and values. He made a call to Akoras worldwide to look at themselves with a new lens and see what each can and should do to help Achimota school regain its glory as well as compete favourably on even the international stage. He stated that doing this would require a lot of support from all Akoras and even more. Importantly, he tasked all to have a national rethink of what the structure and governance of secondary schools in Ghana should look like for success.

The special guest speaker was Akora Adrian Nii Odoi Oddoye of the 1974-year group.

He re-emphasized the fact that Academic excellence and public-spiritedness are the legacy that must be restored and nurtured in the present and implored the current students, to reflect on the theme again, highlighting the fact that restoring the legacy can only be achieved through nurturing the present.

In his keynote address he stated that as Achimota celebrates its 97th Founder’s Day, all must reflect on how we can actively contribute to restoring and safeguarding this legacy of academic excellence and public spiritedness for future generations.

Akora Adrian Oddoye stated a few recommendations to all Akoras namely:

a) The collective wisdom and experience of Achimota alumni and staff is an asset. We should actively seek ways to collaborate with the government and the school administration to contribute to the school’s governance.

b) Empowering the School Board with autonomy ensures that decisions are made with the best interests of the school and its legacy in mind. Independence allows for strategic planning and execution of policies that align with Achimota’s values.

c) While collaboration is essential, excessive interference from external bodies can hinder the school’s ability to maintain its unique identity and legacy. We must advocate for a balance that preserves Achimota’s traditions and values.

d) We must actively support and participate in programs and activities that continue to foster wisdom and character development. Mentorship programs, leadership seminars, and community service initiatives are just a few examples of how we can contribute to nurturing the youth and contributing to the Achimota legacy.

In conclusion, he charged Achimotan to rally to nurture the present and restore the legacy of our alma mater. And to the students, the pursuit of academic excellence and public spiritedness should always be on their minds, today and for the rest of their lives.

As their legacy project, the 1974- and 1984-Year Groups of Achimota School undertook the task of rehabilitating and converting the original old assembly hall of the school into a ‘state-of-the-art’ multipurpose facility.

The original scope was to rewire the building, as there had been several electrical fires in school buildings. However, it soon became clear that the scope needed to be expanded drastically to include repairs to leaking roofs and damaged ceilings; upgrading electrical infrastructure; renovating washrooms; restoring parquet floors; restoring the doors; improving the audio room and hall with audiovisual equipment; and a fresh coat of paint from the white, black and orange to white and shades of grey in line with the colour scheme of the Aggrey Chapel. The estimated costs rose to around  GH¢1,320,000 (US$120,000) which excludes the donations in kind and professional services estimated to be an additional GH¢800,000 to GH¢ 1,000,000. The project scheduled for completion in Nov 2024 was completed 6 months ahead of schedule by 1st March 2024.

The headmaster Ebenezer Graham Acquaah thanked all the celebrating year groups for the unflinching support and the investments made to keep the school running smoothly. He implored all to continue to discharge what they do best with excellence and wished all success in their personal and professional lives as all collectively strive towards positioning Achimota School as a Global Centre of Excellence in Secondary Education.

His message to all was that Achimota School has a glorious legacy that should be preserved.

The Year group presidents of 1974 & 1984-year groups Akora Gordon Quartey and Akora Ayitey Bulley and their members funded the 2024 Motown Founders’ Day celebrations marking their 50th and 40th years, respectively.

Sunday 3rd March 3, 2024, brought the curtains down with a thanksgiving service with a brilliantly delivered sermon and address by Rev Professor Emmanuel Asante, a former presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana and chairman of the Ghana Peace Council. He admonished all to think big, aim high and be ambitious in their personal and collective quest to achieve greatness and restore the Legacy of Achimota School.

The service showcased a beautiful melodious musical performance by the Achimota School choir and some Akoras with the weekend activities ending with a sumptuous lunch in the newly refurbished assembly hall and some afternoon dance sessions that clearly showed that 40 and 50 years after school the Akoras still knew “ What time it is.”

This year’s Founders’ Day celebration marks the countdown the centennial anniversary in 2027 with a series of activities and projects lined up to restore the legacy.