Nana Addo /Bawumia, an answer to Ghana’s economic insanity

I do not intend to add to the pressure already on the flagbearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, to select his running mate, but recent headlines seem to be baying for opinion from the many who care about Ghana. I also do not claim to be an eloquent writer, neither do I intend this to be an empirical discussion on Ghana's economy.

In the light of the economic crisis besetting many countries in the world, the realities have become very obvious for all to see. Europe will no longer offer the safe haven for the many who for uncountable years have made the place their home. Ghanaians in the Diaspora want to proceed home and settle down.

Things are tight in Europe and the US, which for many years, have led the economic prosperity boom. It is on the wane and economies are struggling. Very soon, there could be a backlash against those who are not considered indigenes to countries of which they have been part for many years.

Again, these economies may renege on their promises of aid to the various African countries that they promised. In fact “renege” is a strong word; they will not have the ability to meet their internal economic and financial obligations, let alone others. Standard & Poor's warning to the various countries in Europe is only a start. The EU's 2 heavyweights call for a new treaty to sort out the economic mess is a wake up call for every other nation without proper economic policies or strategies. Time for Africa to wake up from its deep sleep and to get its economies going. We stand to gain from the economic slippery slope in Europe and the US, if we do our homework well.

Ghana's economy has gotten worse and worse. The so-called Social democrats have lost it and the economy has borne the brunt of seeming incompetence of governance. It leads their index. SADA – no show; oil receipts and transparency – no show; fighting corruption, no show. I could go on and on.

It is against this background that I make the case for the selection of Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia as the running mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the eventual Vice President of the Republic of Ghana in the forthcoming elections, God willing.

I hate to make this one of the many choruses of why Nana Addo must select him, but considering the dire situation in our dear Ghana, this man with his economic credentials and pedigree will be good for Ghana at such a time as this. Many may argue that he brought nothing to the table during the 2008 elections but I have always argued to the contrary. We lost the 2008 elections not because of Dr Mahamadu Bawumia's place as the running mate but we just got complacent and had to lose. We had become out of touch with the Ghanaian people and many felt we had to go. And go we did!

Today, in just a little over 36 months, Ghanaians have realised that the NDC is all hot air and talks “the talk” but fails to walk “the talk.” In other words, they have failed to put their money where their mouths are. The country has gone back many years to the latter part of 1999 into the year 2000. Corruption, of which these NDC goons made so much noise and accused the NPP, has risen to unprecedented levels. We have slipped from 62nd to 69th on the Transparency International Index in just a little over 36 months. Fancy what will happen if they are allowed another 4 years? Your guess is as good as mine.

Ghanaians want a government that will deliver and all eyes will be on the economy. There are no ifs or buts. If the economy improves, there will be a boom in Ghana and she will attract many businesses to the country in our lifetime and long after we are gone. It will mean more jobs for our teeming youth. It will mean real jobs, not the fabricated 1.6 million jobs which aew yet to materialise under this NDC government. It will mean a life away from crime. It will mean accountability and responsibility of the individual, and happiness in families.

It will mean a departure of our youth from migrating from Ghana to the elusive greener pastures which fails to come true but instead they come face to face with death. But such a boom doesn't come on a silver platter.

His Excellency President John Fiifi Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama are in charge of strategic policy on the economy. I don't blame the honoured gentlemen but they have no clue as to where this [the economy] should go. They've lost the plot. They may be good in other things but this is an area which exposes all their weaknesses. How could the whole government get it so wrong?

The whole economic team (the Finance Ministers and their so-called economic brains) have no idea how to fix the economy. While progressive economies are cutting debt to raise their economic and financial competitiveness, the present NDC government is rather going on a borrowing spree, to fix something they don't even know about. They fail to tick any of the boxes. The evidence is clear; Ghana will not prosper under such economic policies. Time out for the NDC and its economic mess. This mess will need sorting out by very capable hands.

Monday's edition of the New Statesman (http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/news_detail.php?newsid=10824§ion=1) presented us with evidence that contrary to the general belief that Dr. Bawumia brought nothing to the table (and Honourable PC Appiah Ofori, please read the above link); he did indeed bring a lot to the table.

As I mentioned above and I am not the first, neither will I be the last, we lose touch. We have had time to Reflect, Renew and Recapture and are now ever vibrant than before. The economic gains chalked by His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor and highly praised by the NDC government in their 2009 letter to the IMF and the World Bank have all been reversed by this same NDC government. These have now been replaced with corruption on the highest levels. And this is a government that wants a second term? Hah!

So in my humble opinion, Mahamadu Bawumia knows the ills of our economy. He can head a very enviable economic management team, will know how to balance the books and will be the greatest asset to the party at such a level for a great many years to come. He is doing something fantastic to the Zimbabwean economy so why not allow him to do same on home ground?

He is a man of integrity; he is excellently knowledgeable; down to earth and will be able to deliver for Ghana and will make Ghana the African Economic Success story we so crave for.

I will not mince words, and I need no favours from anyone. I tell it as it is. With such a difficult economic scenario staring us in the face, Bawumia can help the economy under the capable leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. He knows how, has written about it and with support, he can bring back the gains we had up to 2008 and add more to it. As the running mate and the eventual Vice President, he will bring a strong direction to the Economic and Financial management teams of which the Finance Ministry, the Bank of Ghana and others are a part.

On the strength of the aforementioned, I make a strong case for Dr Mahamadu Bawumia to be selected as Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo's running mate and the eventual Vice President of the Republic of Ghana in the forthcoming 2012 elections, where victory will be ours.

God bless Ghana and Ghanaians, God bless the NPP and God bless Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and Mahamadu Bawumia.

The Author is a member of the Ablekuma South Constituency and has written this in his personal capacity as a member of the New Patriotic Party who loves his nation Ghana.

By: Derek Paanii Kwaku Nkansah
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0248706143