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What Mahama and the NDC can Learn from J.A. Kuffour

Feature Article What Mahama and the NDC can Learn from J.A. Kuffour
NOV 17, 2014 LISTEN

Very few would disagree that President, John Dramani Mahama is a good man with genuine intentions. However, we all wonder why he seems quite disoriented and unable to inspire members of his own government and the nation to action around specific party goals. A number of factors may help explain this, but I'll focus on two in this article. I'll also draw on Ex-President Kuffour's political strategy as a point of reference to make a case for how the president can turn the nation's fortune (and his fortune) around.

It is easily observed that President Mahama's administration is not organized around any priority policy action or goals that are specific and identifiable, apart from the vague "Better Ghana Agenda." With no priority list, everything becomes a priority, and nothing gets done particularly well. The infamous parliamentary renovation project, which went contrary to the president's own directive aimed at patronizing made-in-Ghana products, is a case in point. John Mahama's party commands majority in parliament, so why did the house leadership blatantly defy his call by renovating parliament house with imported chairs from China? The painful irony is that the president made this call in the same parliament house just months ago.

The answer may lie in the fact that the president's appointees and parliamentarians know him to be soft, nice, and easy-going. He is perceived as humble (and perhaps weak), but also trusting, and would rarely crack the whip. This is a laissez-faire leadership style that became associated with the late Ex-President Mills, with not-so-good outcomes. For cultural and perhaps religious reasons, this personality style appeals to the Ghanaian moral sentiment, as it often gets mistaken for humility. However, it is ultimately ineffective in the notoriously rugged and bumpy political terrain of Ghana.

This observation is supported by research finding on laissez-faire leadership. According to one source, this style "can be effective in situations where group members are highly skilled, motivated, and capable of working on their own...[however, it is] not ideal in situations where group members lack the knowledge or experience they need to complete tasks and make decisions."

It is here that the president and his party can learn from Ex-President Kuffour and the NPP party from 2001-2009. Kuffour went past the equally vague "Positive Change" campaign mantra to organize his entire administration around very specific and ambitious goals. He then made an intentional effort to ensure buy-in from his political appointees, Ghanaians, and development partners. Thus, he was able to mobilize and energize the entire nation toward the achievement of the party and the nation's priority goals. These goals were:

a. Poverty reduction (cocoa sector revamp, National Health Insurance Scheme etc.)
b. Zero-tolerance for corruption, and
c. Private-sector growth.

Granted, Kuffour scored poorly on point "b" (corruption), but he performed remarkably on points "a" and "c." Under his leadership, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African nation to cut in half the proportion of its people i) suffering from hunger and ii) living on less than a dollar a day. Poverty rate dropped from 51.7% to 26.5% by 2008. For these achievements, he won the coveted World Food Price Award in 2011. At the same time, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was at an all-time high; from the low 1.68 point in 2001 to 9.52 point by 2008 (WB, 2010). These major gains revitalized the local economy and generated substantial revenues in taxes that went into major infrastructure developments.

Additionally, Ex-President Kuffour's appointees were seasoned and accomplished individuals. It came as no surprise that some of his ministers, including the late Bah Wiredu and Osafo Marfo, were recognized variously as best performers in Africa. Besides, Kuffour was not afraid to sidestep people in his own administration to appoint Paa Kwesi Nduom as Minister for Public Sector Reform, Energy Minister, and Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). To Kuffour's credit, Nduom performed exceedingly well, earning the accolade, “Adwumawura.”

At this point, it is obvious what the president needs to do in order to turn things around in the country, but I'll go ahead and reiterate four points:

a. Narrow focus to few but critical strategic goals and attempt them with excellence (e.g. corruption, energy supply etc.)
b. Intensively market this vision to party members, Ghanaians, and development partners to the point where they become ubiquitous household names; rally all around this common vision.
c. Appoint the best people who share similar vision into key positions (Spio-Garbrah's recent appointment is a step in this direction)
d. Hire an independent private company to develop an open, performance appraisal system for all ministers of state; let this company monitor progress and then report periodically to you. Fire non-performers and reward performers. Be consistent and predictable. This way, the president can still enjoy his “nice guy” status without compromising on the grand party or national vision.

Editor's Note:

The author is a 2013 graduate of Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Massachusetts. He is a Reviewer at MIT IDEA Global Challenge, Cambridge. [email protected].

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