By Pascal Gyireh 
On August 23, 2026, Hon. Ambrose Patrick Bang-Bie Dery, popularly known as “The BOSS,” turns 70.
Seventy years is more than a milestone. It is an opportunity to pause, reflect and give thanks for a life lived with purpose, service and consequence.
As Hon. Dery celebrates his 70th birthday, the people of Nandom, the Upper West Region and Ghana have a special reason to celebrate with him. We celebrate not merely the passage of seven decades, but a life whose journey has intersected with the aspirations, struggles and development of many people.
For me personally, this occasion carries an even deeper meaning.
I had the privilege of being regarded by Hon. Dery as a dedicated, committed and loyal member of his political course dating back to 2006. That confidence and trust remain something I value deeply. Political journeys may take different turns, and circumstances may sometimes alter the paths upon which we travel, but the values of loyalty, commitment, friendship and service endure beyond political seasons.
Today, therefore, I celebrate the man, the lawyer, the public servant, the former Member of Parliament for Lawra-Nandom (2009–2012), former Member of Parliament for Nandom (2016–2024), former Deputy Attorney General (2003–2004), former Regional Minister for the Upper West Region (2004–2005), Immediate Past Minister for the Interior (2017–2024), Minister of State at the Presidency (2024) and, above all, a son of Nandom-Kolikoli-gu whose contribution to the development and wellbeing of his people deserves recognition.
A Life Measured Beyond Political Positions
Hon. Ambrose Dery’s achievements cannot be reduced to the positions he has occupied.
He has attained considerable professional and political heights as a lawyer, parliamentarian and Minister of State. But perhaps the more important question is not what positions he occupied, but what he did with the opportunities those positions gave him.
That is where his story becomes particularly important.
From what I have personally observed and experienced, his contribution to Nandom has extended across many dimensions of human development—employment and opportunities for young people, healthcare and support for vulnerable persons, education, water and sanitation, rural electrification, roads and transportation, as well as numerous forms of individual and community support.
Some of these contributions may have been highly visible. Others may never make newspaper headlines. Yet development is often built precisely in that way: through hundreds of interventions, opportunities, acts of support and decisions that may appear small individually but become significant when viewed across time and space.
For many families and individuals, the intervention of a political leader is not simply a political event. It may mean a child remaining in school, a young person finding employment, a family gaining access to healthcare, a community receiving a needed facility, or a previously disconnected community gaining access to electricity, water or a road.
That is why the contribution of a public servant should ultimately be measured not only by speeches made or positions held, but by the difference his or her service makes in people’s lives.
Nandom’s Development Story Must Not Be Forgotten
It is important, particularly for the younger generation, that we do not allow our development history to disappear with the passage of time.
Communities sometimes become accustomed to the benefits of development and forget the people, sacrifices and struggles behind them.
A road becomes normal.
Electricity becomes normal.
A school becomes normal.
A water system becomes normal.
A health intervention becomes normal.
An employment opportunity becomes normal.
But none of these things happens by accident.
Behind every development intervention are people who advocated, negotiated, mobilised resources, persisted and sometimes endured considerable resistance to make things happen.
This is why the 70th birthday of Hon. Ambrose Dery should also become an occasion for Nandom to reflect on its own development journey.
Whatever one’s political affiliation may be, gratitude should not be partisan.
We can disagree politically and still acknowledge service.
We can belong to different political traditions and still appreciate contribution.
We can support different candidates and still recognise the good that another person has done.
Indeed, a mature society should be capable of doing precisely that.
A Message to the Youth of Nandom
To the young people of Nandom, I would make a particular appeal: learn the history of your community.
Ask questions. Find out who contributed what to the development of Nandom. Understand the struggles behind the opportunities you now enjoy. Do not allow political differences to erase institutional and community memory.
More importantly, study the leadership journeys of those who came before you.
Hon. Ambrose Dery’s journey offers lessons in perseverance, professional excellence, public service and political commitment.
You may not necessarily follow the same political path. You may hold different political beliefs. You may even disagree with some of his decisions. That is the nature of democracy.
But disagreement should never become an excuse for ingratitude.
The youth of Nandom must learn to distinguish between political competition and the responsibility to acknowledge genuine contribution.
Tomorrow, many of today’s young people will become parliamentarians, ministers, district chief executives, assembly members, traditional leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders.
When that time comes, let them ask themselves:
What will I leave behind?
Not merely what position did I occupy?
Not merely how many votes did I obtain?
Not merely how long did I remain in office?
But:
Whose life became better because I served?
That, ultimately, is the more enduring measure of leadership.
The BOSS Has Set a Standard for Future Leadership
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of celebrating Hon. Ambrose Dery at 70 is that his record provides a basis upon which future leadership can be challenged.
This is not to suggest that future leaders must reproduce exactly what he did or in the same measure. Every generation faces different circumstances, resources and challenges.
But the vision and mission of leadership must remain ambitious.
The standard should not be lowered simply because times have changed.
If a previous generation of leaders could dream about development, mobilise resources and pursue opportunities for their people, the current generation must be prepared to do the same—and hopefully do even more.
The lesson is therefore not that every future leader must become another Ambrose Dery.
The lesson is that every future leader must aspire to leave a meaningful footprint.
Leadership should not merely occupy space.
It should create possibilities.
It should open doors.
It should solve problems.
It should inspire confidence.
It should build institutions.
And when the leader eventually leaves office, there should be something tangible by which the people can say:
“This person served, and we felt the impact.”
That is the standard to which current and aspiring leaders should hold themselves.
Gratitude Is Not Weakness
In an age where public discourse can easily become consumed by political rivalry, social media arguments and partisan contestation, expressing gratitude has become increasingly important.
Acknowledging the contribution of a former leader does not diminish the achievements of current leaders.
Celebrating one person’s legacy does not prevent another person from building his or her own. Rather, it creates a culture in which service is recognised and encouraged.
If we want our young people to aspire to public service, we must show them that society remembers those who serve well.
If we want leaders to make sacrifices for their communities, we must demonstrate that those sacrifices are appreciated.
And if we want future generations to do better than the generations before them, we must first teach them to understand and respect the journey that brought them here.
To Hon. Ambrose Dery at 70
Honourable, at 70, you have every reason to pause and reflect.
You have travelled a long road—from the legal profession to national politics, from representing the people of Lawra and Nandom in Parliament to serving Ghana at the highest levels of government.
You have experienced the triumphs of public life, the difficult moments, the expectations of your people and, like every public figure, the inevitable disagreements and criticisms that accompany leadership.
But perhaps the greatest comfort at this stage of life is knowing that your journey has touched lives beyond your own.
There are people who received opportunities because you intervened.
There are families whose circumstances were improved through your support.
There are young people whose educational journeys were sustained.
There are communities that benefited from development interventions.
There are individuals who can look back and say:
“At a particular moment in my life, but for Ambrose Dery, I probably wouldn’t be alive.”
Those are the stories that constitute a legacy.
Seventy Years—and a Legacy Beyond the Years
Seventy years is a remarkable achievement.
But perhaps the most beautiful thing about reaching 70 is not simply counting the years; it is being able to look back and see that those years have meant something to other people.
The BOSS, as you celebrate your 70th birthday, may you find satisfaction in knowing that your life’s journey has contributed to the story of Nandom and Ghana.
May God grant you good health, peace, strength and many more years.
May you enjoy the affection of your family, the respect of your friends and colleagues, and the gratitude of the many people whose lives have been touched by your service.
May the next generation of Nandom leaders study your journey—not to imitate it mechanically, but to understand its central lesson:
Leadership is ultimately about service, and the true measure of a leader is what remains after the position is gone.
Happy 70th birthday, Hon. Ambrose Dery.
Seventy years of life.
Seventy years of experience.
Decades of service.
A legacy to remember.
And a standard for the future.
May your 70th year be the beginning of an even more fulfilling chapter.
Nandom celebrates you.
Ghana celebrates you.
And those of us who have had the privilege of walking a part of the journey with you remain grateful.
I remain grateful for the confidence you placed in me as a committed and loyal member of your political course. That chapter of my life remains part of my personal history. I carry with me the lessons, relationships and experiences that came with it, as well as a depth of gratitude, respect and goodwill. Happy 70th birthday, Hon. Dery.
Ishmael Junourgh