On His Election As ECOWAS Chairman: NDC Campaign Centre Salutes Prez Mahama

The Kuku Hill Campaign Center of the ruling National Democratic Congress[NDC], salutes the elevation of H.E President John Dramani Mahama to the high office of the Chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States[ECOWAS]. The Centre described the President's election, as a clear demonstration of his competence and acceptable political leadership in Ghana as well as his immense contribution to the strategic re-positioning of Africa at large.

In a press statement released and signed in Accra on Sunday 30th March 2014, they pinpointed President Mahama's leadership style as a demonstration of commitment to uplift not only the West African Sub-region but Africa as a whole to an enviable height and to restore the continent's quest to unify Africa for Africans.

We wish to congratulate you on your election as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States at the 44th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government in Yamoussoukro, La Côte D'Ivoire, the statement said.

The statement noted'' the ECOWAS, like Africa at large is in need of your kind of political leadership and vision to urgently lay a solid political and economic foundation to push forward the unity agenda in the face of the continuous superiority of the United States of America, European Union and now emerging democratic Russia and China.

''We admire the United State of America, European Union, Russia and China but we love Africa'' the statement added.

Like Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, former President Jerry John Rawlings, the release continues, you are destined for political greatness in your incorruptness and selfless leadership in offering real hope for your citizenry and people of Africa.

President Mahama's class and quality of leadership on issues of importance to Africa from stable democracy, HIV AIDS treatment, sustainable energy, portable drinking water, food security to applied research aimed at transforming Africa into a developed world for its people is endearing his political personality to many hearts and minds in Africa and beyond , the Centre said.

'' Your Chairmanship election is to the chagrin of your detractors….to the disappointment of cynical critics but to the ordinary Africans, it is a great news, welcomed in a greater expectation in an undeniable trust in your leadership, capacity and competence to bring change in the West Africa''.

The release continued that one of these expectations is reflected in the social will of the people for a creation of borderless states within the ECOWAS sub-region as his is to speed up the elimination of chronic discrimination, corruption so as to facilitate efficient trading and free movement of persons. It is their expectation that for the first time in a long time real efforts are made to realize this social will.

Through your leadership, West Africans expect to see real determination to start and expand infrastructural interconnectivity within the ECOWAS region. It mentioned well designed but connected modern railway transport system as well as first class roads linking the sub-region as some of the priorities President Mahama must tackle as the ECOWAS Boss.

The group urged President Mahama to bring on board a new sense of urgency in creation of a single currency and trading market within the sub-region. This is necessary to remove the artificial trade barriers and the financial distortions which are undermining our real value of trade and wealth creation. This is to enhance individual livelihoods and poverty reduction through increase opportunities for youth employment, shared resources, better management of scarce resources and technological transfer.

They expressed the optimism that his leadership is expected to promote regional intellectual and cultural identity – in the pursuit of common but greater educational system within the sub-region.

The west African region, like the rest of Africa stands on the threshold of education, scientific and technological revolution in many strategic areas thereby influencing the structural change and transformation of Africa – ushering in the new Economic Independent Age of Africa; light and heavy industrial sector, agricultural science and food security, biotechnology, energy and information technology, it mentioned.

''Mr. President, we urge you to still remain focus with your political and economic governance of our country, Ghana. Like former President J.E.A Mills you are doing much with little unlike your loud critics who whilst in government did little with much and now are good at organizing economic lectures''.

As beneficiaries of debt cancellation and debt relief they were unable to successfully manage the economic future of our country and leave it in a better state for future governments – they the New Patriotic Party's administration instead; left behind huge debt stock and a broken economy out of uncontrollable borrowing, corruption and misplaced expenditure which is well documented.

These are people who could not manage a mere Presidential Cassava Initiative, run down Ghana Airways, Ghana Telecom and sold its assets like a metal scrap and ended up relying on Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby former Chief Executive of defunct Ghana @ 50 Secretariat to shamefully pre-finance our 50th Independent Anniversary with his own money in a black polythene bag from his office in a violation of the Financial Administration Act, 2003(Act 654).

The statement concluded that this administration is responsible and is gradually pushing forward our national development across villages, districts and regions – for a better Ghana.