The NDC lost the 2016 elections but won in reality. The NPP fought the 2016 election with anger and hatred while the NDC fought it with sincerity and love.
The NPP had the media, the Civil Society Organizations, some men of God, big industrialists, fake resource persons and neutrals, while the NDC had only truth and their visible achievements. What the NDC has to do now is to fight for issues of farmers, students, youth, woman, children, workers etc who are its natural allies. Nana Akufo Addo’s development model has been debunked in all polls conducted so far. All the President does is shielding corrupt officials in his administration, creating new positions to fix his friends, recommissioning projects completed by his predecessors and attacking people who criticise his policies and programmes. The entire country is asking what happened to the Mahama/NDC model.
Yea, we had some issues in 2016. But politics is a very dynamic business and shall remain so forever. Even though we languishing in opposition with fewer legislators, NDC is still the strongest and largest political party in Ghana. Despite all the crisis that the party went through after the 2016 defeat, the NDC is aggressively coming back stronger and more formidable.
Former President John Mahama told party delegates to put the past behind them and target the main battle ahead. He said from 1992, Ghana sees real development whenever the NDC takes over the administration of the state. I will even extend it to the 80s and former President’s assertion is uncontestable. I think that is the way the NDC should present itself to the electorates especially, the new ones joining the voting boat. The party’s strength is its broad based nature and ideological persuasion. The party will suffer serious electoral bruises and weaken its base if it shifts from its core philosophy. The “sacred fact” that the NDC is the true nation builder must be trumpeted loudly by the party folks. Ghana always sees remarkable progress whenever the NDC takes over corporate Ghana.
The PNDC government’s economic recovery programme in the early 80s revived Ghana’s collapsed economy. Under the economic recovery programme, Ghana’s GDP grew at 5 percent per annum. Domestic savings as a proportion of GDP increased from 4 percent in 1983 to around 7 percent in 1988. Ghana witnessed systematic downward trend of inflation. Inflation declined from 122% in 1983 to 40 percent in 1984, then dropped further to 10 percent in 1985. In 1986, the Rawlings administration paid over 80 percent of debt it inherited. Our non-traditional exports increased from US$ 5.5 million in 1983 to $ 42.5 million in 1988. As part of its poverty alleviation agenda, the administration introduced the structural adjustment programme and the Programme of Acton to Mitigate the Social Cost of Adjustment (PAMSCAD) . Under this programme, the administration provided community self help projects bad other local services in health, potable water, electricity and education. Through the PNDCL 116, the administration transformed the tourism industry culminating in what we witnessing today.
It passed the value-added tax which was vehemently opposed by Nana Addo and his henchmen but has become the main pillar of our revenue generation network
Passed the Ghana Educational Trust Fund
Expanded electricity to the three northern regions and some places in the south
Reconstructed the entire Kumasi City roads, Sekondi Takoradi city roads and Accra city roads including the six lane dual carriage road linking to the four lane dual carriage road from Tetteh Quarshie interchange to independence avenue
Constructed the Kumasi-Sunyani road, the Kintampo-Tamale- Bolgatanga- Paga Asphslt road, Bibiani Awaso Sefwi Wiawso road.
Established the University for Development studies. Chairman Rawlings used his Hunger Award Prize Money as the seed money
Upgraded the Winneba Advanced Teacher Training College into full-fledged public university
Constructed modern hospitals at Cape Coast, Ho, Sunyani etc
Built low cost houses and estates at Adenta, Sakumono, Lashibi, Spintex and SSNIT estates across the country
Introduced the District Assemblies Common Fund, GetFund, EDIF, Energy Fund etc.
Ako Adjei interchange originally named Sankara circle.
Eradicated so many diseases through its comprehensive health policy
Trained medical doctors in Cuba and other countries.
What about the schools, hospitals etc the Mills administration built. We saw how the Mills government’s economic management team led by John Mahama transformed the economy and maintained a single digit inflation figure over 30 months. The Mills administration saved Tema Oil Refinery from total collapse, stopped Ghana Commercial Bank from being sold because of debt distress.
We are all living witnesses to Mahama’s achievements, the roads he constructed, the hospitals including the District hospitals, the military hospitals, the maritime health facility, the UG Teaching Hospital, the Schools including the community day secondary schools, the Universities etc, conversion of the polytechnics into full fledged universities, ports expansion, massive transformation in the telecommunication sector etc.
