Nana Addo and the NPP deserve another term

The first term of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is winding down and Ghana is once again faced with a very important electoral decision that will have far reaching implications for the country’s future.

It is indeed a momentous decision for the nation. The two leading candidates, H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and H.E. former President John Dramani Mahama, as well as their respective parties are slugging it out on the campaign trail to win the hearts and minds of Ghanaians.

To this end, NPP-Denmark analyses and highlights the performance of the NPP government through indicators such as the economy, infrastructure, health, education and digitization among others. The aim is to make a strong case for Ghanaians to once again massively vote for President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP to continue implementing the many transformative policies that have been introduced these past four years. This piece seeks to contribute to the debate in this electioneering campaign to help Ghanaian voters make informed choices and not be swayed by misinformation and propaganda.

Economy

The NPP government inherited an economy that was dire, after four years of consistent dumsor and mismanagement. Many companies and businesses collapsed under the weight of dumsor coupled with the fact that government couldn’t employ fresh graduates as a price for being under the tutelage of the IMF, led to the shrinking of the economy. Indeed the country’s GDP was growing around a paltry 3 percent even though the Mills/Mahama’s NDC had inherited a booming economy from former President Kuffour’s government as well as being handed an oil economy that subsequently improved the country’s revenues significantly and thereby propelling the country’s GDP growth to a peak of 14 percent in 2011 under President Mills. Agriculture, for instance, registered negative growth in 2015/16. We were all witnesses to how the masses became depressed and started demonstrating against dumsor and unemployment (mostly by the now defunct graduate unemployment association). It was just a matter of time, Ghana was going to experience social explosion as we are currently seeing in some African countries.

Under Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia, sound economic management coupled with a slew of initiatives have been implemented that have gotten Ghana out of the IMF’s austere program and set the country back on track towards a hopeful and prosperous path. The industrialization policy (1D1F) has led to the springing up of many factories across the country. The creation of Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) under the competent leadership of Mr. Michael Ansah to promote and develop a fully integrated aluminium industry in Ghana with our huge aluminium deposits will certainly boost the productive capacity of the country.

The improved climate for businesses and investments has attracted automobile giants such as VW and Nissan to establish vehicle assembly plants in Ghana. Planting for food and jobs has led to significant increase in food production thereby cutting down food imports whilst improving the livelihoods of farmers. Above all, the successful bidding of the right to host the headquarters of Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA) will effectively make Accra the financial nerve center of the continent. And with this, many multinational corporations will make Accra headquarters of the operations in Africa. All these initiatives will move the country towards real transformation into a diversified and an industrialized economy with attendant huge job opportunities for our burgeoning youth.

Digitization and Corruption

The NPP government has seriously pushed for digitization (increased use of technology and data in the affairs of the country) as it rightly deems it as extremely important in transforming the country. The national ID registration exercise is about halfway through with over 15 million already registered and thus the government is on course to capture all Ghanaians on the national database.

Accessing government services such as passport, driver’s license, registration of companies, clearing goods at the ports, NHIS renewal etc. have become more efficient and less cumbersome. A fully digitized economy will enable the state to capture all persons, businesses and landed properties in Ghana and thus help in the widening of the tax base, fighting crime and making disaster response more efficient. It is refreshing to note that the government has now established an online portal where payment for all government services can be made. Clearly the NPP government will need another term to complete the digitization exercise and thus modernize the economy.

In addition, digitization is the most effective antidote to the corruption canker that has bedeviled Ghana throughout its post-independent history. Many Ghanaians notably outspoken Ghanaians and civil society organizations (CSOs) have literally been at the throat of Nana Addo’s government with constant corruption accusations and calling for those whom allegations have been leveled against to be punished/jailed as deterrence. Whilst the vigilance of these individuals and groups are important to keep the government on its toes and ensure accountability, our history has shown that prosecuting or jailing people hardly deter corrupt officials from stealing from the state. Alleged corrupt officials have been killed, have their assets seized or made to serve long prison sentences in the past particularly during the military regimes yet corruption seems to get worse with time.

This is due in part by the difficulty in unraveling corruption scandals, as it is easy to cover one’s back after engaging in it. Again, the slow and frustrating process of prosecuting high public officials in our courts for corruption makes the fight really difficult. We are all witnesses to how long Woyome and Opuni’s cases have traveled in our courts but are yet to be determined. Thus, removing or minimizing opportunities for corruption, as the digitization will to do, is the best way forward. Better to prevent it than fight it after it has occurred. Besides digitization will make it easier to unravel corruption cases when they do occur. Digitization is in fact better at deterring officials from stealing for fear of easily being caught.

Education and Youth

The implementation of the Free SHS policy has brought relief to millions of struggling families and has greatly improved enrolment rate, which will bode well for the country’s future. It is certainly an investment in our collective future. A Ghana with a well-educated populace will be poised for significant growth in our productive capacity as well as strengthening national cohesion as citizens will understand that their destinies are tied together and as such will be more willing to cooperate and compromise for the good of the country. The FSHS policy is arguably the most impactful policy implemented in the fourth republic.

The massive show of gratitude by average Ghanaians – market women, farmers, auto mechanics, fishermen/women, traders etc. – on various channels/platforms to the government clearly attests to this. It has touched literally every home in the country. The policy has also led to unprecedented massive expansion of infrastructure in practically all senior high schools in the country to enable them to accommodate the increased enrolments and end the temporary double track system. In addition, the government has fulfilled its promise of restoring teacher and nurses training allowances to bring relief and encouragement to the many young men and women who have decided to pursue those professions.

On the youth front again, the government has done a great job in bringing hope and opportunities to the teeming youth of the country. The establishment of national entrepreneurship and innovation Plan (NEIP) has led to thousands of young entrepreneurs and start-ups being trained in modern business practices to tap into their creativity for the good of the nation. In NABCO, about 100000 young unemployed graduates have been engaged by the government to work in various sectors to gain work experience and earn some income to keep them going till they find permanent jobs. This initiative has effectively ended the unemployed graduate association that existed under the NDC administration and stopped them from idling about.

Government has also established youth centres of excellence in all ten old regions and the new regions are scheduled to get theirs in due course. Each of these youth centres comprise of a 5000-seater stadium with a standard football pitch, Olympic size athletic track, an ICT centre, conference rooms and halls for indoor games. Besides, government has converted old football parks into modern astro-turf pitches in several communities in the inner cities of Ghana. By these, the government is providing avenue for our vibrant youth to vent their energies positively rather than turning to crime and other social vices.

Health and Infrastructure

The government’s record on health and infrastructure development these past four years have been simply outstanding. The Euroget De-Invest hospital projects initiated by the Kuffour administration, but abandoned by Mills and Mahama, have all been or are being completed under Nana Addo. The Mills/Mahama initiated major hospital projects such as UGMC and the Bank of Ghana hospital have also been completed. Several district and regional hospitals have been completed whilst others are at various stages of construction. Plans are also far advanced to build befitting regional hospitals in the capitals of the new regions as well. The drone service, one ambulance per each constituency, revitalized NHIS as well as the restoration of nursing training allowance have all greatly improved healthcare delivery in the country.

The Nana Akufo-Addo led government has also embarked on massive infrastructure development across the length and breadth of the country all geared towards uplifting the nation to a whole new level. Railway sector is seriously being developed which will significantly improve movement of goods and services and hence productivity in the country. The road sector is seeing massive improvements with many overhead bridges and interchanges in our big cities as well as construction and reconstruction of major and inner-city roads like never before in a long time.

On air transport, besides completing the modern terminal 3 at the Kotoka International Airport inherited from the previous NDC government, this current government is upgrading Kumasi Airport to international airport. The government also plans to build an airport in Cape Coast to enable the nation to derive maximum benefits from tourism in the central region. Along the coastal belt, having completed all feasibility studies, actual construction work is about to start on a new harbor at Keta. Sea defense walls and landing sites have been constructed in several coastal communities. Again, thousands of toilet facilities have been constructed in households in coastal communities mainly in Accra to end open defecation and ensure good hygiene.

Conclusion

Clearly, in H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and H.E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Ghana has a truly purposeful leadership in place. It has proven to be focused and forethoughtful as well as hard working, having practically been tackling all major challenges of the country simultaneously in its first term. All the government’s flagship policies are geared towards transforming the country to a modern and prosperous nation. On the other hand, former President John Mahama, the main opponent of the president, has yet to present a coherent plan to get Ghana our of the doldrums towards a prosperous path. His pronouncements on the campaign trail suggest he has not learnt any lesson from his disastrous leadership when Ghanaians gave him the opportunity. Beside his incompetence, he suffers from poverty of ambition by his promise to legalize and regularize Okada rather than thinking through transformational policies. He’s not been able to articulate clear alternative policies but rather has been making attempts to claim ownership of successful polices by the incumbent government and promising to review or abolish those he doesn’t like or can’t manage.

The choice before Ghana in this 2020 election is stark. It is between weal and woe. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuf-Addo represents weal and thus reelecting him is to put our country on a sound, healthy and prosperous path. John Dramani Mahama, on the other hand, represents woe and thus electing him will be tantamount to truncating all the positive developments going on putting the country, once again, in great sorrow and distress as he amply demonstrated during his first presidency. Nana Addo is principled, reflective and methodical in his approach as he demonstrated in the impressive manner he has dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic. John Mahama, on the other hand, is inconsistent and keeps changing his positions whenever he finds it convenient to do so. Let us choose progress over mediocrity. Let us vote to protect the solid gains made these past four years. Let us vote for a prosperous future. Let us vote massively for NanaAddo Dankwa Akuf-Addo to continue his good works.