A Comparative Look at NPP and NDC's 2024 Manifestos: A policy showdown for Ghana’s future

As Ghana approaches its 2024 elections, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have unveiled their manifestos, offering voters distinct visions for the nation’s future.

Both parties emphasize job creation, with NPP targeting one million jobs through digital skills, construction, and agribusiness, while NDC focuses on industrialization and agriculture. In education, both parties aim to expand and enhance the Free SHS program, though the NDC proposes a review to address inefficiencies.

Healthcare remains a priority for both, with NPP committed to completing Agenda 111 hospitals and expanding the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), while NDC aims to provide universal healthcare coverage with an improved NHIS.

Infrastructure development is another common focus, with NPP emphasizing the completion of ongoing projects and NDC introducing the "Big Push" initiative—a $10 billion infrastructure plan aimed at accelerating national growth.

On economic strategy, NPP leans towards building a world-class digital economy, while NDC emphasizes a 24-hour economy driven by manufacturing and agriculture. Their approaches to taxation also differ, with NPP proposing a flat tax system and NDC focusing on progressive taxation.

As the election draws near, Ghanaians face a critical choice between these two comprehensive strategies, each promising a path towards a prosperous future.

This paper highlights the key policy areas and differences from both the NPP and NDC manifestos, giving readers a succinct overview of their platforms as they head into the 2024 elections as shown in the table below:

By: Williams Kwasi Peprah

Associate Professor of Finance

Andrews University

Berrien Springs, MI, USA

Email: peprah@andrews.edu