Former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, has observed that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is more than determined to win the November 7 Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
According to him, once that feat is achieved, Ghanaians should be rest assured that the country’s ailing economy as a result of bad governance by the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will be rescued.
“NPP is determined to win the 2016 elections. We are determined to put Ghana back on that economic path that would create wealth that is here in abundance,” he said while addressing the national executives of the Peoples National Convention (PNC) led by Dr. Edward Mahama at his residence in Accra Thursday.
He said the prevailing condition in Ghana required the efforts of a visionary leader to turn things around to improve the living standards of the people.
Mr. Kufuor, who led the elephant family to govern the West African nation for eight years (from 2001 to 2009), said he becomes troubled if he looks around and sees all the natural resources that God has endowed the country with and yet remains poor.
He believes that the West African nation could have earned the accolade of the beacon of hope among developing nations if it had managed its abundant natural resources well.
“Sometimes, people sit on gold and yet remain poor. It is all because the vision turns to be blurred and the mindset is also a bit confused, and there is no political will. The respect for the people the leaders purport to show – sometimes that respect gets very doubtful and questionable. So, if you get all these things correct in leadership, there is no reason why the wealth that God has put here for us will not come out. It will come out abundantly for all whether you are in government or not to benefit.”
According to him, with the enormous potentials at the disposal of the former British Colony, the country could be a shining example for others to follow if its natural resources are well harnessed and managed to benefit the masses.
“Truly God has endowed this country so much, and this is the sort of thing that worries me after having the experience of being there. I know the real potentials of this country. With good governance and management – I tell you around the world people point to Singapore … Ghana with the right leadership in governance can match Singapore within two decades or even better,” he noted.
He said a vote for Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s Presidential candidate and all its Parliamentary candidates on November 7 would ensure that the dreams and aspirations of the citizenry will become a reality.