Speech act analysis of president Akufo-addo’s discourses about Africa’s dependency on the west

Abstract

This paper investigates two selected speeches by President Nana Akufo-Addo about Africa’s Dependency on the West. The first one is delivered at the 3rd International Conference on the “Replenishment of the Funds of the Global Partnership for Education” in Dakar, Senegal in February 2018 whereas the second one is an address at the 72nd Session of the United Nations’ General Assembly in September 2017. These speeches deserve scrutiny as they are intended to influence the whole world in general and Africans in particular. Austin’s (1962) Speech Act Theory has been applied to these speeches for the purpose of decoding meanings and examining their impacts on the whole world and particularly on Africans. The application of Speech Act Theory on the basis of a mixed method has enabled the researcher to come up with valuable findings. Indeed, the study has revealed that assertive Speech Acts are predominant in both Speeches. Through these Speech Acts President Nana Akufo- Addo demonstrates the importance of education in Africa continent having the youngest population on the richest continent on the planet but with the worst living conditions of anybody on the planet. These assertive Speech Acts also enable him to indicate that African cannot depend on other people to finance the education on the continent. This clears shows his degree of sensitiveness and commitment for the development of Africa. Through expressive speech acts, the President expresses his gratitude to his co-chairs especially Presidents Macky Sall and Emmanuel Macron. These speech acts also enable him to clarify his position about the contributors to whom he is not turning back but he is rather inviting his co-chairs to discard the mindset of dependency.