CPP calls for return to Nkrumah's development model ahead of 2028 elections

The Convention People's Party (CPP) has renewed calls for Ghana to return to the state-led development model championed by the country's first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, as it positions itself ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Speaking at a programme in Accra, leading CPP member and former 2020 flagbearer aspirant, Pastor Dr. Divine Bubune Ayivor, argued that many of Ghana's current economic and structural challenges stem from the country's departure from Nkrumah's industrialisation agenda following the overthrow of his government on February 24, 1966.

According to Dr. Ayivor, Ghana's persistent challenges, including flooding, rising debt, unemployment and dependence on raw material exports, could be traced to the abandonment of policies aimed at promoting industrialisation and economic self-reliance.

The theologian and academic described the 1966 military coup that removed Dr. Nkrumah from office as more than a domestic political event.

“These men did not understand Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Neither did they grasp industrialization, let alone imperialism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism,” he said. “They were mere stooges, used by external forces and then the CIA director, to destabilize Ghana and seize our nuclear reactor and other precious minerals,” he stated.

While historians generally acknowledge that Cold War geopolitics influenced events across Africa during that period, the specific claim regarding the involvement of the then CIA Director in the coup remains disputed among scholars.

Dr. Ayivor noted that Dr. Nkrumah was on an official peace mission to Vietnam and China when the National Liberation Council seized power, bringing the First Republic to an end.

He highlighted several major projects undertaken under the CPP government, including the construction of the Akosombo Dam, the establishment of Tema as an industrial city, the development of Tema Harbour, the creation of Ghana Airways and the Black Star Line, and the establishment of state-owned industries and the Ghana Commercial Bank.

He also cited investments in roads, schools, hospitals and the introduction of free primary education as key achievements of the Nkrumah administration.

“Even if they burn down Akosombo Dam; destroy the Aluminium Works, Ghana Sanyo, Ghana Airways, and the Black Star Line; or change Ghana Commercial Bank to GCB, all these shall return in a new, improved, and powerful form under a CPP administration after the swearing-in in 2029,” Pastor Ayivor said.

As part of the CPP's policy direction, Dr. Ayivor outlined proposals aimed at strengthening domestic production, resource ownership and economic independence.

Among the proposals were stricter anti-corruption measures, including life imprisonment for what he described as national sabotage and the confiscation of assets acquired through corruption.

He also proposed banning genetically modified organisms (GMOs), expanding livestock production, ending illegal mining, increasing state ownership in the mining sector through a Ghana National Mines Corporation, and prohibiting the export of raw materials in favour of local value addition.

According to him, the party also intends to promote local manufacturing by supporting research institutions to produce items such as traffic lights, agricultural equipment and household appliances within Ghana.

On economic management, Dr. Ayivor said a future CPP government would avoid contracting new foreign loans, arguing that the country could finance its development through industrialisation and value addition.

He further proposed an ambitious housing programme involving affordable residential units, high-rise developments, new satellite cities with essential public services and redesigned urban infrastructure to address flooding.

The CPP member also advocated expanding tertiary education through the establishment of more universities, the provision of student accommodation and stipends, and reforms to the country's education curriculum.

On defence, he proposed strengthening Ghana's strategic capabilities, including developing waterways and pursuing advanced military technology.

Dr. Ayivor argued that Ghana's two main political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have failed to address many of the country's long-standing development challenges.

“Technically, there are only a few political parties in Ghana: the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People's Party (CPP), the People's National Convention (PNC), and the New Patriotic Party (NPP),” he said.

He added:

“The NDC and NPP have recycled themselves and served 32 years combined yet could not solve Ghana’s flooding or hold each other accountable for financial damages. Sorry, the ORAL report is still on the shelves, all that unrealized hope.”

Dr. Ayivor also stressed the importance of promoting locally manufactured products, suggesting that official state vehicles under a CPP administration should be sourced from local automobile manufacturer Kantanka.

“Putin and Xi never drove a Mercedes as a state vehicle. The CPP state vehicle will be a Kantanka vehicle made in Ghana, by Ghanaians, for Ghanaians.”

Although the CPP is yet to elect its presidential candidate for the 2028 elections, Dr. Ayivor said the party intends to offer what it describes as an alternative development path rooted in industrialisation, self-reliance and national ownership of strategic resources.

He concluded his address by reaffirming the party's long-standing slogan:

“It is time for the CPP—the original master architects of Ghanaian enlightenment. This is the change we have been waiting for, and this is the change we need. Long live Ghana and the CPP. Forward Ever, Backward Never. Kwame Nkrumah Never Dies.”