Category: Ghana General News

An Associate Professor of political science, who is also the director of the Center for European Studies of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyamfo has told the ruling New Patriotic Party and the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the hard truth about the 2020 elections.  

Speaking on United Television’s Programme the Critical Issues, Professor Ransford Gyampo told Host, Afia Pokuaa that, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has a major challenge going into the 2020 general elections.

He indicates that, the NPP has a lot of achievements they can showcase to the people of Ghana, but they have a communication deficit.

He indicates that, communicators of the NPP, who are supposed to trumpet the achievements have rather resorted to propaganda and are discussing issues which are not relevant to the ordinary voter.

He however disclosed that, it is only the Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, who is communicating the gains of the NPP properly to Ghanaians and he is really making impact.

“I have to tell NPP the truth, if they really are serious for business in this election year, then they should strengthen their communication front. Their only problem is communication. Telling people what they have done is a major issue. They speak only about propaganda, and propaganda is not relevant to the voter. They should   rethink about how they communicate to Ghanaians. So far, it is only Dr. Bawumia who has proven to be the best when it comes to communication.

He speaks about fact and figures and it is always interesting listening to him. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah was doing well initially but now, he is also gone into propaganda. Being able to articulate what they have done is lacking”. Professor Ransford Gyampo told Afia Pokua during the discussion.

Former female appointees of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government have pledged their unrelenting support and fidelity to Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, vice presidential candidate of the party for the upcoming polls.

The former Education Minister was appointed on July 6, 2020 to pair former president John Dramani Mahama who is seeking re-election on the ticket of the NDC.

As part of the campaign strategies in the lead up to the December 7 polls, the party launched its policy document, Monday, September 7, 2020.

However, to show solidarity with the first woman to occupy the position in the party, some former female appointees of the erstwhile Mahama administration, Tuesday, September 8, 2020 called on Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

Speaking on behalf of the female appointees, a former Attorney General under the Mills administration, Betty Mould-Iddrisu said the women in the party particularly those who have shared similar positions will not give up in canvassing support in their various regions for her.

Mrs Mould-Iddrisu said Prof. Jane Naana’s appointment has also presented an opportunity for other women in the party to be heard and also seen.

“We are proud of what you achieved there (Education Ministry) and we will forever be at your side, sometimes to push you, sometimes to encourage you, sometimes to tell you quite frankly what you might not want to hear so that this great party of ours will be able to succeed.”

Some former appointees who were present at the brief meeting included former CEO of GNPA, Mary Hanson, Former Deputy High Commissioner to Canada, Abi Adatsi, Member of Parliament for Agona East, Queenstar Sawyer and Former CEO of GIPC, Mawuena Trebarh.

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The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday, September 7, 2020, launched its “People’s Manifesto”, touting it as a better alternative to that of the governing New People’s Party.

The well-organised and successful event brought together many power brokers within the party to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA Hall), but also absent were some equally influential personalities within the party.

Founder of the party, Jerry John Rawlings; a former head of Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo; former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Kwabena Duffuor; the Ahwoi brothers – Kwamena Ahwoi, Kwesi Ahwoi and Ato Ahwoi, who are famed as masterminds of big shifts within the party – were among the notable names absent at the manifesto launch.

With general elections just three months away, the NDC is keen on rallying the rank and file of the party to forge a united front that will secure victory in the race to the Jubilee/Flagstaff House on December 7, 2020.

For a party and a presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, that lost the last election due to divisions within the party, the need to present a united front is paramount if victory is to be assured.

According to a committee led by Dr Kwesi Botchwey, a former Finance Minister and a respected member of the party, to find out why then governing NDC lost the December 7, 2016, general election to then opposition National People’s Party  (NPP), issues like divisions within the party – especially among the top echelon – were mentioned as among the reasons for the defeat.

Although factors such as the party’s internal biometric registration of members, profligate campaign, diversion of campaign cash and materials, public perception of corruption and complacency among others, were also cited as some of the major causes of the party’s defeat, the issue of the division within the party remained prominent.

Recently, the issue of divisions within the party was stoked again when a book published by Prof Kwamena Ahwoi, made stark revelations in the erstwhile Jerry John Rawlings administration.

The book was criticised for its badly-timed release and triggered a series of rejoinders from the Founder of the party and other members of the NDC.

For weeks, the book and the issues it raised reignited perceptions that there are notable cracks within the party, although the party is confident of reclaiming power in December.

In the lead up to the selection of Mr Mahama’s running mate, there were rife speculations that Mr Rawlings had wanted the NDC presidential candidate to choose, Dr Kwabena Duffuor.

Curious about the absence of these power brokers within the party – especially the Founder – at the manifesto launch, GhanaWeb sought to inquire if it is evidence that the divisions within the party persist.

Speaking on the matter to GhanaWeb, a top executive of the party said the absence of these notable persons cannot be indicative of divisions within the party.

The top executive declined to go on record because the matter of perceived divisions within the NDC shifts focus from the launch of the party’s manifesto.

However, the top executive mentions that for some time now, Mr Rawlings has not attended any major party event, mentioning that the Founder of the party was absent at a political function organised by his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

The Ahwoi brothers, he stated also rarely attend party events and cannot be construed as divisions within the party.

“I don’t even remember the last time I saw the Ahwois at any event. They hardly go to any party event. Even Council of Elders [event] that we do it in-camera they don’t come. We have a united front. We don’t have any division in the NDC,” the top NDC Executive said.

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Former Director of Communications for the Ruling National People Party  Mr. Yaw Adomako Baafi has described the 2020 manifesto of the NDC as untruth, repetition of failed promises, and a shadow of the NPP’s ideas.

According to the NPP Communication team member, the manifesto put out by the NDC is a masterpiece of frustrations as a result of losing the 2016 elections.

Defining his assertion in an interview with GhanaWeb, September 8, 2020, Mr. Baafi said, “It’s a combination of lies, repetition of failed but broken promises and then again robbing of NPPs ideas. These were the very things that the NDC presented and brought to us.”

He explained that the NDC in their manifesto launched at the University of Professional Studies on Monday, gave themselves up by being contradictory in their claims and propositions.

“The NDC Chairman who was formally their Director of Elections confirmed that if NDC had been elected again they would’ve fixed dumsor. But I was surprised when yesterday out of effrontery and disrespect to the people of Ghana he came to say they fixed the dumsor before their exit….. so if he comes and tells us that they fixed dumsor, you can’t fathom it.”

The NPP communicator mentioned that he has so far outlined over 20 aspects of the NDC’s manifesto which are either lies or repetition of their 2012 manifesto.

He said that having failed to implement such policies between 2012 and 2016 when they were in power, the promises repeated by the NDC in their 2020 manifesto can be best be described as unachievable policies meant to deceive the people of Ghana.

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Information Minister, Kojo Nkrumah Oppong has said the flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, has no credible track record to fulfill the party’s manifesto promises.

This follows the launch of the NDC’s 2020 manifesto on Monday, 7 September 2020, which the party refers to as the ‘People’s Manifesto.’

Reacting to the NDC’s manifesto promises at a press conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, 8 September 2020, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said before Mr Mahama became President, he made several promises but achieved very little during his tenure of office.

“When you take the credibility, the thing is that for the first time, the two persons who are the front liners in this election, have both had the opportunity to occupy the office of President.

“So, in looking at the credibility of the promises they’re making, one ought to first look at their track record when they were in office and their position on some of the matters they’re speaking to today and it helps anybody who wants to do an analysis understand whether or not you can take any of these promises as credible”, Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.

The Ofoase Ayirebi MP emphasised that Mr Mahama’s manifesto promises were not credible, as he never believed in some of the policies implemented by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

The lawmaker, therefore, wondered how Mr Mahama would implement his manifesto promises that are geared toward expanding the policies of the current administration.

“So, for example, if you have a leader who, before he became Vice President or let’s say before he became President, promised, as part of his party’s manifesto, that they will bring a one-time premium for health insurance, and for eight years they never did it and today he turns round to say that he’ll make primary healthcare free, does it sound like a credible promise?” Mr Oppong Nkrumah asked.

He noted that of the two frontrunners in the upcoming December 7 elections, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo looks and sounds more credible in the delivery of promises.

“If you have a leader who, from 2008 through to 2012, opposed a state providing free education for people at the Senior High School level consistently; ‘it won’t work’, ‘if it would have worked, Kwame Nkrumah would have done it’, ‘if it would have worked, it would take 20 years to come off’, etcetera, and today you have this same person saying that first of all he now believes in it and will now make tertiary education 50 per cent free, you have an opportunity to ask yourself whether or not it sounds like a credible promise.

“If you have somebody, who, during his period, run down the Ghanaian economy; went to the IMF for a bailout and, as a result, could not employ young people when they were graduating from school, you recall the graduate unemployment associations that were formed, you recall the cancellation of allowances because of economic crisis and the argument that ‘even if they’ll vote against us they should vote against us’, and today, this person comes and says that he’s going to create one million jobs in four years, does this sound like a credible promise?”

He indicated that in discussing manifestos, the credibility of the person making the promise must be taken into consideration.

The Information Minister said: “So, the first thing in discussing manifestos is the credibility angle of your track record. What was your track record? The second thing that has been listed, it costs money to deliver mostly, so, you can reduce all the promises to the economy and ask yourself: ‘Who is best-placed in managing the economy so that the economy can find all the money to deliver on the promises?”

Mr Oppong Nkrumah added: “We believe that Ghanaians are very discerning people, they’ll have an opportunity to look at his track record and what he delivered and what he’s promising and do the comparison.”

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Chairman for the 2020 manifesto drafting committee for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Danso Boafo has said that the NDC decided to draft a peoples policy not because “we don’t have the men like some people make it seem.”

According to him, as Ghana is a democratic country and they are working for the people, it was imperative that the National Democratic Congress  consulted the very people the document was about.

He said the manifesto serves as a social contract with the people of Ghana and with which the NDC will deliver to the people of Ghana.

He indicated that “Our manifesto is based on reliable, valid, and verifiable data”.

Prof. Danso added that the NDC manifesto has been categorised into six thematic areas that will be tackled if the party wins the December elections.

Professor Danso who was giving his remarks at the launch of the party’s manifesto said the NDC has a full programme to fight corruption and warned any member of the party who intends to engage in any corrupt activity to stay away because “Operation Sting” will haunt them down.

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