NPP Manifesto Is More Solid, Promising Than NDC — Diaspora Patriots In Ghana Foundation

The Diaspora Patriots in Ghana Foundation has described the 2020 NDC Peoples Manifesto as "purely populist manifesto" which "lacks substance and vision for the sustainable growth of Ghana".

The Foundation which rather expressed much confidence in the Manifesto of the ruling NPP, maintained that all the promises outlined in the NDC's manifesto would not be able to meaningfully address the long-term development of Ghana.

In a statement issued in Accra, the Diaspora Patriots in Ghana Foundation questioned: "what will legislation to legalize Okada, build more mortuaries in Zongo Communities, paying half of tertiarry students' fees and tax incentives to landlords to reduce rent advance payments do to contribute to the sustained building of the Ghanaian economy and improve the lives of all citizens for the long term?"

It stated that the NPP’s 2020 manifesto unlike the NDC, had laid out concrete roadmap to continue the transformational and structural changes being made to build a prosperous Ghana now and for the future generations.

"From our perspective, however, whereas the 2020 NPP Manifesto seeks to build on achievements attained through the implementation of its 2016 Manifesto, the NDC Manifesto is inundated with short term offerings and platitudes that is designed to serve the interests of selected interest groups".

According to the Foundation, the 2016 and 2020 NPP Manifestos, on the other hand, "lay out concrete plans to build a solid foundation for the economic and social growth of Ghana".

The statement cited the rejuvenation and expansion of the Ghana Railway Network to key Regions of the country, the ongoing building of roads to critical productive areas of the country, the One District One Factory, One Warehouse and One Dam programs among others as some of the key examples of infrastructure projects by the NPP already impacting lives.

It said that those projects are critical and formidable infrastructure projects that will transform and sustain the economy and growth of Ghana for generations.

According to the Foundation, the NPP manifesto as part of continuous building of the capacity of Ghanaian youth endeavours to: enhance the Free SHS and the educational system in order to provide the needed quality of personnel and expertise that will build Ghana.

Adding that, with the credibility gained from the Free SHS implementation, the NPP proposes to offer tertiary student loans without a guarantor, and only a Ghana Card is needed to get the loans.

The statement opined that the NPP manifesto also seeks to continue the “clean-up” of the financial services sector to re-grow the now restored credence and confidence in the sector. This the Foundation said was vital to provide Ghanaian citizens and businesses access to credit facilities.

It further opined that the NHIS, which was virtually collapsed and overwhelmed with 1.2 billion Ghana Cedis debt under the NDC, had been resuscitated by the NPP, also proposed to build 96 hospitals across the country to improve the health of the citizens.

"Diaspora Patriots in Ghana Foundation is however humbled to know that the NDC now believes in the relevance of NPP’s Free SHS, job creation programs, maintenance of allowances for trainee nurses and teachers (a program the NDC cancelled when in office) but have duly coopted these programs in their Manifesto".

The statement expressed confidence that the citizens of Ghana would not allow the NDC to hoodwink them with their purely populist Manifesto in the December 7th election but would rather realise that the NDC lacked the credibility to deliver and their Manifesto was not designed for requisite long-term development.