Induction into the Office of District Governor for Rotary International District 9102 For The Rotary Year 2018-2019 on Friday July 6, 2018.

Fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors and Distinguished Invited Guests. I welcome all of you to this evening’s Handing Over and Induction ceremony and hereby express my appreciation and profound thanks to all of you for gracing this programme with your presence.

The Rotary wheel has once again turned one full revolution, and the Rotary year 2018-2019 has just begun. With most positions in Rotary, the baton of leadership changes hands every year and that is the main reason why we are gathered here this evening – to witness the symbolic handing over of the chain of office.

Rotary International District 9102 has just entered its sixth year of existence with some significant achievements, thanks to the hardworking Rotarians of our fourcountry District who have been ably led by Past District Governors Winfred Ayi. Mensah, Maurice Edorh, Dorothe Gounon, Sam Worentetu and Ari Toubo Ibrahim. Whilst acknowledging our Past District Governors of District 9102, it is fit and proper to pay a special tribute to our Past District

Governors of preceding Districts (201, 910 and 9100) whose tireless efforts and sacrifices have brought us thus far. Some of these eminent Rotarians are with us this evening. PRID Sam Okudzeto, PDG Adotei Brown, PDG Robert Atta and PDG Willie Keteku, we salute all of you. Fellow Rotarians, I once again thank you for selecting me to lead District 9102 this Rotary year. I am even more humbled to be the first Past Rotaractor to serve as Governor from the District. I pledge, in all humility, to discharge my responsibilities accordingly and hopefully exceed expectations. Personally, I looked forward to serving under the leadership of a fine Rotarian, Gentleman and ServantLeader extraordinaire who would have been the Rotary International President for this Rotary year. I was privileged to serve as his aide during the 2016 Zone 20A Institute in Accra and he made such a great impact on me, not only as a Rotarian but as a person. Since one cannot question God’s ways, we can only continue to pray for the gentle soul of Sam Owori to rest in perfect peace.

Rotary International President Barry Rassin has chosen the theme “BE THE INSPIRATION” for the Rotary year 2018-19. We will rally to this call to greater service and action by:

• Building the culture of innovation and flexibility in our Clubs and also utilising Rotary Club Central to the fullest.
• Increasing our membership by extending the benefits of Rotary to those who share our ideals, particularly young professionals and women, in order to increase our service reach in our communities, targeting a net growth in excess of 400.
• Increasing our humanitarian efforts/service to society by using the resources of our District, Global Grants, and other resources from our communities (minimum of $2 Million value in service projects)
• Increasing our support to the Rotary Foundation which gives us about ten times more than what we contribute as a District. Our contributions will go towards winning the long and hard fight against polio and also enable us to implement bigger, impactful and sustainable projects (minimum of $200,000 in financial contributions)
• Increasing Rotary’s visibility in our communities by making the ‘People of Action’ campaign the focus of our public image activities. We will customize and centre this campaign around action-oriented service that will resonate with those we are targeting. We will always be reminded that a positive image helps to raise awareness of Rotary in the District and beyond, attract and engage members, increase contributions to The Rotary Foundation and garner partnerships, volunteers and support for local projects.
• Engaging young leaders/ the new generation with the qualities to become effective Rotarians through our partner and sponsor Rotaract and Interact clubs and Rotary Alumni. In our collective bid to build the future of Rotary today, and in line with RI Presidents Barry’s call to double the size of Rotaract clubs and make it a vital force within our organization, we will charge Rotary clubs yet to sponsor Rotaract clubs and/or Interact clubs to form at least one Rotaract and/or Interact club in our institutions and communities this year.
• Embracing and supporting the soon to be unveiled District 9102 App that will enhance communication and information flow and serve as a one-stop source of District and other Rotary information.
• Recognizing clubs in the district with awards (to be named after our Past District Governors) in various categories as follows: Membership Attraction, Membership Retention, Club Extension, Leadership, Public Image, Rotary Foundation, Avenues of Service, Rotary Club Central, International Meetings, Punctuality & Time Management and Innovation. Details of the District Awards will be published in due course.

Distinguished Invited Guests and Fellow Rotarians, with the formation of the first Rotary Club (The Rotary Club of Accra) in 1958, Rotary will be 60 years in District 9102 on 24th October 2018. This day also doubles as World Polio Day. We will celebrate this significant milestone by showcasing our projects over the period, we will engage the public and let the world know the impact these projects have had on the less fortunate in society and our resolve to continue to be worthy partners in nation building. It is worth noting that President Barry will join us to climax the celebrations with a District Concert in aid of the Rotary Foundation on 11th November 2018 in Accra, Ghana.

Fellow Rotarians let us take advantage of the numerous training opportunities on the Rotary website, Zone 20A Institute in Lagos, Nigeria from 13th – 15th September 2018 convened by our own Director Yinka, district seminars and club training programmes, Rotary Leadership Institutes etc to enrich our Rotary knowledge. This will make our clubs vibrant to ensure that when we regroup in Accra for our District Training Assembly and Conference from 23rd to 27th April 2019, we will share a lot more success stories.

With the great support of my wife Gina, my family, my dynamic Rotary club, the District Team, the Council of Past District Governors, Club Presidents and Boards, and the unity of purpose of Rotarians in the District, I am assured that we will have a bigger, better and dynamic District by 30th June 2019.

Fellow Rotarians, the call to duty has just been sounded. Let us roll our sleeves and hit the ground running. Let us Innovate, Enjoy Rotary and Inspire each other to greater heights and achievements. Let us go forth and BE THE INSPIRATION in our clubs, our communities and Our world.

Thank you.

JEFFREY AFFUL
DISTRICT GOVERNOR (2018-2019)
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT 9102