You can trust NPP on the economy

The NPP's Vice Presidential candidate and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, has delivered a powerful endorsement of the NPP"s record of economic management and entreated Ghanaians to vote for the party on 7 December as the only party which can be trusted to spearhead the economic growth needed to spur Ghana's development and progress.

Dr Bawumia was speaking during the third day of his campaign tour of the Ashanti Region, during which he visited Offinso South, Offinso North and Ejura Sekyeredumase constituencies.

The Vice Presidential aspirant, who has a doctorate degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and a Masters in Economics from Oxford University, explained to the colossal crowds, "It is because the NPP has managed the economy with competence, integrity, dynamism, commitment, ingenuity and innovation that we have been able to undertake the accelerated development programmes which today are benefitting millions upon millions of ordinary Ghanaians - from free basic education and the school feeding programme, to the National Health Insurance Scheme, with free care for children, the elderly and pregnant women.

'It is this impressive record of good, stable economic management by the Government that is the reason why we have been able to double the number of policemen, expand our road network by 60% and dig twice as many new water points and pipe systems under the NPP.'

The tremendous, indeed, unprecedented success of the NPP Government is evidenced by the fact that in the whole of Ghana's history - from independence in 1957 until 2000 - the combined annual income of the whole nation (Gross Domestic Product) never climbed above US$ 4 billion.

After just 7½ years of prudent, development-driven growth, the NPP has quadrupled the size of the Ghanaian economy to over US$16 billion.

It is precisely this success that led Dr Bawumia to tell those gathered that the only answer to the question, 'Who can you trust with the economy?' is, 'the New Patriotic Party, the only party with the record to back up its promises.'

Dr Bawumia powerfully illustrated the dangers of abandoning the NPP's prudent strategy for growth in favour of the NDC's recipe for economic decline with a simple analogy.

'Suppose a mason you employed constructed a house that crumbled and fell at the first sign of wind. You would sack this mason and employ a more competent one.

If after starting from scratch and rebuilding the house's foundations, this new mason's handiwork has been proven to withstand stormier weather, who would you trust to finish the job and take the project forward? The man who let you down and failed to deliver, or the man who built a strong, robust foundation upon which to base the next stage of development?' 

The campaign team drew attention to the fact that the essence of Nana Akufo-Addo's message was one of inclusiveness, of bringing quality education, healthcare, and jobs within the reach of each and every Ghanaian, regardless of their economic, social, religious or ethnic backgrounds.

Minister of Defence and Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Campaign Monitoring Team, Albert Kan-Dapaah, explained how this commitment to utilising the potential of all Ghana's peoples had been pivotal in the NPP's success already.

The Presidential team elected in 2001 was the first time that Ghana had benefited from a combined Christian and Muslim leadership, and Mr Kan-Dapaah concluded that this arrangement had delivered and shown itself to be best for Ghana.

'In order to propel Ghana's development and move us forward,' he explained to the Muslim communities visited, 'it was vital that we build a government of all the talents - be they Northerners, Southerners, Christians or Muslims.'

Indeed it was talent above all else that was the basis of Dr Bawumia's selection as running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo.

The Minister of Defence explained that it was Dr Bawumia's impressive credentials as an economist, having been at the heart of the economic miracle of the last 7½ years, that singled him out as the man to take the helm with Nana Akufo-Addo in 2009 and lead the future transformation of the economy that will deliver prosperity and development for Ghanaians across the length and breadth of the country.

Alhaji Grusah, Founder of the King Faisal Football Club in Kumasi, also appealed to the Zongo communities to unite behind the NPP Parliamentary candidate for Offinso South, Lawyer Abdalla Banda, who belongs to the Zongo community and who was selected at the weekend.

He asked the people to consider what the NPP had done for them, how it had delivered on its promise of development in freedom, and what more Ghana can achieve under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

He therefore, urged them to change their voting pattern and give their support to the NPP in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on December 7.