CPP North America Congratulates Abu Sakara

....and Condemns NDC & NPP





All Nkrumaists are gathering in our father’s house for the MISSION; the time has come. And it is NOW!



It is for this reason and many more that the CPP North America (CPPNA) congratulates Dr. Abu Sakara on his election as the CPP Presidential candidate for the 2012 national elections. For Abu, as temperate and intelligent as he is; as poised and passionate as he is; as dedicated and nationalist as he is; one can only say that the time has come for new paradigm shift in national politics.



It is time to rescue the nation from socio-economic deprivation. P/NDC and NPP Politicians are flattered when told that the nation has reached middle income status. This is a farce; the economic benefits of middle income status ought to reflect in the pockets and livelihoods Ghanaians. These preposterous touted “feel-good figures” cannot be true in the face of massive unemployment, kids studying under trees, erratic electricity supply, 14th century road transportation system, food insecurity, zero manufacturing base, cash and carry health care and bungled educational system which have produced nothing but a Nation in Crises. Economy cannot turn around with a failed educational system and considering our present state of educational structure; Ghana is heading into the abyss. The irony of it all is that the culprits of the above conditions - P/NDC & NPP, are unashamedly asking Ghanaians to vote them into power again to continually perpetuate the socio-economic Armageddon. How cruel and inhumane can these parties’ policies be?



What can Ghana show off after 55 years of independence?

Is it the stripping naked and flocking of our mothers and sisters in public or killings for taking 50 thousand cedis loans from the bank? Is it all die be die or Woyomegate? Is it beating up of political opponents or the call to “Go kill all Gas and Ewes”(sickening and tragic indeed)? Maybe it is the chains of gold as awards to bad boys company by the most visionless political leadership or the senseless sale of all national assets (industries) and even to themselves. What about the environmental decay? Ghanaians cannot be proud of the above records and it is about time to change the course of history.



Right in the heartland of the NPP stronghold, a huge economic potential yet unrecognized is the Kumasi “Magazine” (auto mechanics). Have our leaders even thought about these God given talents? We doubt it. All that P/NDC and NPP think about is to anticipate money from abroad. No wonder 40% of our national budget comes from abroad with strings attached. Do P/NDC and NPP really care? If they do/did, they would have at least recognized for instance the huge potential sitting in Kumasi “Magazine” (informal employment) that ought to have been retrained, resourced, retooled, registered, recognized and formalized. Can one just imagine the taxes that could stream into Regional and National kitties? Can someone tell us the potential employment opportunities and allied industries that could spring up linked to the auto industry in the West African Sub-Region? This is just a fraction of the entire informal sector which has been ignored. Fellow Ghanaians, it is about time we stopped playing inept partisan as well as tribal politics and faced realities. Sadly many Ghanaian Politicians don’t understand politics. They are in there either to make money or for the wish to be called “Honorable”. Oh how misguided can they be!!!!



Before independence, Ghana had 82% of labour force in the informal sector; now it is 92%.

For clarity, the informal sector or informal economy is a term that refers to the part of an economy that is not taxed and monitored by any form of government, or included in any gross national product (GNP). The other portion is called formal sector, which is taxed, monitored and included in GNP.



At the time of self-government in 1951, 82% of the labor force in the country was engaged in the informal sector dominated by subsistence agriculture/cocoa farming or petty trading while 18% was employed on a wage/salary basis in the formal sector. After short-lived attempts by the CPP administration (under Kwame Nkrumah) to transform the economy through industrialization, the structure of the economy now is worse than what it was in the pre-independence years. The successful improvement in the formal labour sector made by Nkrumah has been eroded; the grim consequences are evident across the nation.



Between 1991 and 2002, the informal sector including agriculture accounted for 83.6% of total employment. By 2005/2006 the informal sector employment had reached 86.7%. According to the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA), 2010-2013 published by the National Development Planning Commission in 2010, “Ghana faces significant unemployment and under-employment problems with formal sector employment as a percentage of total employable labour force declining in spite of the consistent GDP growth over the past two decades. Despite consistent GDP growth over the past two decades, formal sector employment as a percentage of total employable labour force is on the decline. Current estimates indicate that only about 8% of total labour force is in the formal sector of the economy with the remaining 92% in the informal sector.” Can someone tell us whether the 92% in the informal sector pay taxes? How can a nation budget with taxes from 8% collection source? This should demonstrate to all and sundry that P/NDC and NPP have no idea as to how to run an economy.



After over 25 years of World Bank/IMF prescribed programmes of ERP, SAP and HIPC (which don’t make sense), one of the over-riding consequences of these programmes in Ghana has been a shrinking of the formal sector and the expansion of the informal sector. Under SAP and HIPC programmes persistent unemployment, under-employment, and expansion in precarious forms of employment have remained the predominant characteristics of the Ghanaian economy and yet Mr. J A Kuffour and NPP boast of taking Ghana into HIPC. Do they really know what HIPC entails? In these informal sector employment opportunities, poverty levels have remained high, productivity levels low, and many cannot find decent jobs.



Whilst CPP will relish an academic debate with both P/NDC and NPP on the unregistered and unregulated informal sector, we would like Ghanaians to note these facts:

(1) It’s the taxes from the (a) 8% in the formal sector; (b) import, export taxes & revenue; (c) the 3% mineral revenue which constitute the total revenue for mother Ghana. The oil revenue is nothing to write home about. Those who did nothing are benefiting more than the Nation.

(2) As regards our mineral agreement; we have given away our enormous revenue to the “Obroni” investor. NPP virtually gave our Nation away - Oil Agreement, Vodafone, Mineral Royalties dropped to 3%. Yes sadly it is 3%; thanks to Mr J A Kuffour and NPP. Even some Mining companies in Ghana have 100% concessions. Ghanaians will like to know why NPP reduced it to 3%. Some mining companies don’t even commit to Assets Retirement Obligations yet pollute our waters, land and environment with impunity. Where are the oversight institutions? Again please visit some of these companies’ websites and navigate to their Year End Annual Financial Reports to verify: construction of KVIP toilets takes years to complete whilst it would have taken them 2-3 weeks to complete in their respective countries.

(3) Militarization of the gulf coast through MCA and all forms of unbridled institutional corruption.

(4) P/NDC sold almost all state enterprises built by Nkrumah for pittance, some to themselves. Again when NPP had run the economy down and were strapped for CASH they had to rely on one of Nkrumah visions (GhanaTelecom); they (NPP) sold it cheap in a disgraceful and bizarre circumstances and yet they have never given credit to the Founder of the Nation; the Man of Vision.



For Ghana to move forward and as part of the overall package to revamp the economy, CPP will ensure the following:

First we will recognize, register, regulate and formalize the 92% informal sector so we can tax, regulate, offer incentives and support. Second we need to take a serious look at our mineral agreements and deal drastically with endemic institutional corruption as part of the overall needed solution to our socio- economic problems. Education, Environment, Health Care, Agriculture, Science & Technology and Equal Access to Opportunities will usher us into industrialization. This will be CPP’s covenant with the people of Ghana.



The P/NDC & NPP have failed our nation miserably. They DO NOT deserve to be voted into power again! The crux of our problems stem from one simple fact: It is the lack of leadership since 1966; that is the plain truth. The government under Dr. Abu Sakara, will put the Nation where it belongs; we will bring back hope, opportunities and a future that have eluded Ghanaians since 1966. Come and join us if you believe in the ideals and ideas of Osagyefo in present-day context. CPP is ready for the mission.



Forward Ever Backward Never.



Long live Ghana

Long live the CPP

Long live the CPPNA



Kweku Manful

Vice Chair

CPP North America

Contact CPP North America at: akokonini@yahoo.com