The controversy surrounding the “People Matter, You Matter” slogan claimed by both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) resurfaced at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) organised presidential debate series yesterday when Nana Akufo Addo took his turn.

Nana Akufo-Addo accused the NDC of pinching his party’s manifesto theme, telling his audience in a humour-packed remark, “But I take the view that imitation is the greatest form of flattery and we wish them well.”

The NPP, he said, would go ahead with its programmes without the slogan.

Nana Akufo-Addo dangled his party’s quality as a peace-loving grouping to a spell-bound audience and demanded fairness from both the Electoral Commission (EC) and the security agencies in the forthcoming polls.

This quality, he said, was amply demonstrated during the last elections, giving the assurance that the NPP was totally devoted to peace and stability.

In the 2008 elections, he recalled how in spite of the narrowest of losing margins, “we did nothing to jeopardise the stability of the nation and lived up to my pledge of not allowing a single drop of Ghanaian blood to be shed.”

Peaceful Elections

Continuing, he said, “I pray to God that all other stakeholders, especially the Electoral Commission, the ruling party and the security agencies, also make a genuine commitment to work towards a peaceful election, one that is free from fraud, intimidation, harassment and violence.”

He spent more time explaining his education programme which, he said, was central to the NPP’s programme.

Basic Education

It was another opportunity for him to explain how he intended implementing his universalisation of basic education so that Ghanaians, as he had often said, would not suffer educational deprivation and access free education from kindergarten to senior high school.

It was a project which, ever since the NPP flag bearer flagged it on the political turf, had attracted the attention of various interest groups.

While some wondered how he was going to do it, others bought the idea and agreed that it was feasible.

He dropped hints about the implementation arrangement when he pointed out that “a percentage of the oil revenues allocated to the Ghana National Petroleum Company, and for the funding of the budget, as well as a greater percentage from GETFund, will be used to finance the programme.”

He said, “The cost of providing Free Senior High School will be around 1% of Ghana’s GDP.

The cost of providing free secondary school education, which includes tuition, boarding, feeding and all the other charges for the 2013-2014 academic year, is estimated at 0.1% of our GDP.

This translates into some GH¢78 million. We have made provision for a major increase in enrollment as a result of admitting all JHS students into SHS in 2014-2015.”

“We expect the cost to rise to GH¢288 million (0.3% of GDP) in that academic year and increase to GH¢774 million in 2015-2016 (0.7% of GDP).

Additional expenditure on more teachers, infrastructure for schools, including expanding and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, and establishing cluster schools in areas where there are no Senior High Schools, will bring the total cost to GH¢755 million (0.9% of GDP) in 2013 and rise to GH¢1.45 billion (1.3% of GDP) in 2016. Providing free secondary education will increase the total educational expenditure from the 4.1% of GDP in 2012 to 5.8% by 2016, a figure which is still below the UNESCO minimum of 6%.

I am prepared to go beyond that in order to improve quality at all levels – Primary, JHS, SHS, and Tertiary,” Nana Addo said.

School Dropouts

A situation where more than 150,000 young Ghanaians leave school at JHS level without any opportunities for further education or training, according to him, was dangerous.

He did not downplay the cost of the project when he said, “I know this will be expensive. But as the Ewe saying has it, ‘you cook important foods in important pots’.”

Black Market

The black market trade in foreign currency, he said, was back as the cedi continued to fall against all major currencies, with business people complaining of the rising cost of business, poor sales, lack of credit and support to grow their businesses.

Ghanaians, according to him, were clearly unhappy and dissatisfied with the conditions of their lives, yet “the town criers of NDC propaganda tell us we are living today in better times. Well, well, well!”

Mentorship

He recalled how as a young lawyer he mentored many young people who were now among the leading lawyers in the country, adding that “it is these various roles and experiences that I believe, in all humility, have prepared me for the serious job of the Presidency.”

Corruption

With corruption becoming rampant in the past few years and robbing the country of much needed resources for development, he said, “I am determined to fight corruption aggressively, and I can do so, because I am not corrupt, have never been corrupt, and will demand the same of my team.

Accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of good governance.

Ghana needs this, Ghana deserves this and I, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, pledge to deliver this to the good people of Ghana.”

Health

On health, he said, “The people of this country have to be healthy, if we are to make any meaningful progress in nation-building. The last NPP government introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme to remove the constant fear of falling ill under the inhumane Cash & Carry system.”

“It has been painful to watch the NDC government try its best to collapse the NHIS, whilst struggling to implement their unrealistic one-time premium promise,” he said.

He NPP flagbearer noted that he would deal with unemployment challenges in the country which he said was frightening.

“Our much-touted economic growth has not translated into jobs and incomes for the people beyond the government propaganda of creating 1.7million ghost jobs, which even the sector Minister could not find.”

The hard truth, he said, was that the current size and structure of our economy was not big enough to provide the jobs that were needed, adding, “If we want a different result, then we have to do things differently, and we have to do them urgently.”

“We have to make a deliberate effort to move on from the Guggisberg, raw material-exporting economy to a new economy that can deliver prosperity for our people,” he said.

Minerals

The value of the minerals in our country, including salt, he disclosed, “is estimated to be in excess of US$1 trillion. We have developed plans to add value to them”.

The necessary capital to mine bauxite to build a multi-billion dollar integrated aluminium industry, as envisaged by the Kufuor government, he assured, would be sought.

Presently, the oil refinery, he said, was not working.

The NDC government, according to him, was wilfully starving the refinery, only to import finished products, adding that the NPP on the other hand, would change this.

“We will use the oil and gas find to build a strong petrochemical industry in Ghana, using both private and public financing, and create linkages with other businesses to turn Ghana into a centre for light industry in our region.”

Private Sector

“I believe that beyond a competent, incorruptible leadership, the best instrument for achieving economic transformation is the private sector.

Much greater attention will be paid to indigenous and local businesses to expand and create jobs for our young men and women. Ghanaian businesses will play the lead role in public procurement.”

Nana Addo said he was committed to completing the affordable housing project that was started by the Kufuor government and abandoned by the NDC, giving the assurance that he would compose a dynamic and competent team to implement plans designed to transform the lives of the people and develop in Ghana, a free, democratic, modern African state – one that can hold its own in a competitive world.

“I am privileged to have a deep pool of talent of men and women in the NPP to draw from, as well as from the broad spectrum of Ghanaian talent, home and abroad, to turn the dreams of freedom and prosperity of our forefathers into reality.”