Statement: 64 years on, mission unaccomplished – CPP

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) was founded sixty-four years ago on the 12th June 1949. An anniversary which provides opportunity for much introspection and reflection.

It had a mission to spearhead the struggle for freedom and unity of Ghanaians and Africans, restore our dignity and cultural identity that was shaken after decades of colonialism, balkanization and exploitation, to improve the living conditions of our people.

The CPP was founded to demystify the myth of the inferiority of our ‘race’ that emerged after slavery and subsequent exploitation under colonialism and economic marginalization.

We did succeed on many fronts and Ghana was among the wealthiest and most socially advanced areas in Africa, with schools, railways, hospitals, social security and an advanced economy.

The CPP government had created a welfare system, started various community programs, and established more and more schools. Forestry, cattle-breeding and fishing, expanded production of cocoa doubled, and deposits of bauxite and gold exploited more effectively.

The construction of a dam on the Volta River provided water for irrigation and hydro-electric power, which produced enough electricity for the towns as well as for a new aluminum plant. Government funds were also provided for village projects in which local people built schools and roads, while free health care and education were introduced. The CPP attempted to rapidly industrialise Ghana's economy and spearheaded continental unity.

The party’s dream for the nation and Africa was shattered, largely derailed and all would admit that today we have less control over our resources and even less over our economy.

Our economy and rich resources must be for the benefit of Ghanaians and Africans, and the lack of basic needs for our citizens is a manifestation of this loss of control.

Various sectors of our life must work again - Health, Education, Housing, Transportation, Sanitation, Energy, Infrastructure and the economy generally.

Over sixty years ago, we would not have emerged as a political force without effectively inspiring a spirit of sacrifice, commitment and devotion to our nation and her people. Today, we will have to do the same all over again.

The CPP must lead Ghana with courage that comes from conviction to help us overturn years of dependency in managing our affairs and planning our development. The CPP’s mission is to propose and promote a radical departure from the way our country is run and to reconnect politics to the people we serve.

We are revisiting our SERVE GHANA NOW and GHANA FIRST mottos of the post-independence era. In our pronouncements and action, we renounce corruption, partisanship and indiscipline and replace them with a sense of self-reliance and a drive for excellence, patriotism and cultural confidence in our rich history and contribution to humanity’s development.

Our members are preaching and will preach the need to go back to basics and move towards self-reliance and self-sufficiency. We all know that we are not earning enough foreign exchange from our major exports, gold and cocoa, to spend the little we earn on imports we could produce ourselves easily, saving foreign exchange for heavier machinery to make us more productive, to industrialize, and to create more jobs in the process.

How can we begin providing greater incentives and investments in manufacturing to increase our productivity? When Ghana effectively taps into her available energy resource we would solve the energy crisis and energize our economy.

When Ghana pursues food security with urgency we will see the wisdom in protecting our seeds and safeguarding our land and environment for the benefit of our citizens. We will in the process enjoy the growth of our agri-businesses and other light industries.

When Ghana ensures that the institutions monitoring our resource production have the capacity to do so effectively we will get the revenue owed us and better determine what revenue is owed us.

When we champion genuine democracy and pursue self-sufficiency at the community and district levels that will translate into fair distribution of opportunities to all Ghanaians to enjoy basic rights and basic needs.

Our Party is on a path to demonstrate that we are prepared to lead by example. We are implementing the biggest reforms of our Party with a visible shift towards greater discipline, transparency, accountability, and participatory democracy through the use of technology in all that we do.

To members and sympathizers, we wish a happy 64th anniversary. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to the mission we inherited from our founding fathers and mothers to complete the unfinished business of re-activating our sense of self-determination, self-reliance, and self-mobilization to transform our society, sustain our economy and ensure justice and fair opportunities to all Ghanaians.

Long Live Ghana

Long Live the Convention Peoples Party

Nii Armah Akomfrah