NDC, NPP'S Manifestos Hang On Prof Addo's Book; 'Visions Of Ghana'

The National Tribute Investigative Desk Report

Your authoritative, The National Tribute's investigations into why the two biggest political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are unable to outdoor their respective manifestos for December 7 general elections have revealed that the two parties are engaging in intellectual thievery with a book; "Visions of Ghana" written by Professor Kwame Addo , a renowned development architect and visionary.

The paper's impeccable information is that both the NDC and NPP though, have finished with their manifestos which are both based on the ideas of the book by the Ghanaian-born, U.S.-educated, South American Professor Kwame Addo, they are unable to outdoor them because they do not know the aspects of the book being used by each party.

The book, which is being plagiarised by the manifestos' committees of the two political parties, is a large, colorful treatise examining the concept of national development both in general terms, and in the specific situation of one African country.

According to our investigations, the NPP's manifesto committee has invited a political and campaign strategist from Canada who has extracted relevant ideas from the book and used them to prepare the NPP's manifesto without expression permission from the author and publishers of the book that has gained much international attention.

The NDC also had the book at the time it was launched and has prepared its manifesto based on the ideas espoused by Prof Addo in the book.

Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, a former finance minister, launched the book, earlier last year and gave the thumbs up for a colourful publication that has virtually performed a corrective surgical operation on Ghana's development.

It dissects Ghana in totality in terms of economics, politics, tourism, natural resources, education and many more backed by pictures and maps.

"This book is a pictorial narrative, a biography of our country and has plans," said Dr. Botchwey and auctioned a copy for ¢3,000.

The book, which this paper has a copy, contains a bevy of elaborate charts and graphs that highlight national features in a thorough manner. Such charts display Prof. Addo's exhaustive knowledge of all regions of Ghana, though in their careful detail, they are sometimes hard to navigate.

Maps laying out plans for transportation technology or exploring the country's agricultural potential hint at Prof. Addo's painstaking, visionary plans but are each printed on a mere page, rendering their legends tiny to the point of illegibility. On such pages, Prof. Addo's vision remains elusive; his presentation would make more of an impact in a more interactive medium.

Prof. Addo's book discusses Ghana's future as it relates to the oil industry, tourism, mining and agro-industries, and internal improvement plans, including better waterways and roads.

"I suddenly awoke to the enchanting sound of water birds and looked out my window ... onto the undulating lands of Nsawam," he writes near his conclusion.

On occasion, he also heads pages with biblical allusions, or places inspiring quotations beneath indexes and graphs. Such choices can be distracting, though a late page devoted entirely to inspirational quotes reinforces the notion that Addo finds such words of wisdom essential to the maintenance of cultural richness. It is merely problematic that this revelation is held off until later in the book.

Prof. Addo's 'Visions of Ghana' has generated much interest among those looking to work toward Ghana's future, for whom the book could serve as a kind of vision board. Generous servings of detailed graphics suggest ample, careful research, establishing the author as a trustworthy consultant, even when navigating his material becomes an arduous task. Overall, it is an intelligent and ambitious project.

Prof. Addo urges Ghana to connect with other countries in what he calls "The Sabuntawa [replenishing, renewal] vision." Ghana is rich in natural resources, including gold and cocoa, and has an environment conducive to international tourism. If the government remains stable and transparently democratic, the author posits, and if Ghana's people find agreement on pertinent issues regionally as well as among themselves, the country can attract wealthier trading partners to invest and further the ideals of this vision.

The renowned architect has created both a textbook and a blueprint, considering development from the broad national perspective down to basic levels that include upgrading slum areas, paying attention to local political processes, and modernizing education.

Employing a variety of media, from cartoons to maps to color photos, Addo links individual requirements for decent sanitation, less crowded living spaces and personal safety to larger issues of infrastructure and international dialogue. His clearly stated ideas are inclusive and convincing, and these, combined with the effective graphics, gain and keep the reader's attention.