NDC must aim for African gold standard, not NPP's dismal record – Akwasi Opong-Fosu tells NDC youth

Board Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority and Former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, has cautioned the youth wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against using the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a benchmark for political governance, describing such comparisons as setting the bar at ground level.

Addressing delegates at the Western Region NDC Youth and TEIN Conference, held under the theme "Building the Past, Empowering the Future," Opong-Fosu declared that the NDC must transcend local political rivalry and position itself as a continental benchmark for good governance.

"Comparing ourselves to the NPP is setting the bar at ground level," Opong-Fosu emphasised.

"The previous NPP administration suffered a decisive, historic rejection verdict by the good people of Ghana due to gross economic mismanagement and unparalleled incompetence. We are not here to simply be better than the NPP. The NDC must strive toward a gold standard of governance — an elite standard worthy of inspiring political parties across the African continent."

Anchor in Core Identity
Opong-Fosu urged the youth, particularly members of the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN), to ground themselves in the foundational identity of the NDC. He underscored that the party's social democratic ideology stands in stark contrast to the NPP's property-owning tradition, which he argued concentrates wealth among a select few.

He charged young cadres to actively defend probity, accountability, and social justice as the bedrock of Ghana's Fourth Republic, ensuring that governance remains anchored on the guiding principle that until everyone counts, no one counts.

Reclaiming the Youth as Active Leadership Partners

Rejecting the long-standing political rhetoric that young people are merely future leaders, the former minister called for an immediate paradigm shift in how political organizations engage young intellect. He urged young cadres to transition from being mere campaign ground-workers into active contributors to national policy formulation.

Furthermore, he challenged youth activists to demand institutional integrity from both party leadership and state organs to combat rising political apathy, ensuring that campus-level activism translates into visible, selfless leadership within local communities.