Nana B: Ghanaian youth can't trust NDC - The Daily Statesman Newspaper

The National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Henry Nana Boakye, has stated that the Ghanaian youth cannot trust the NDC and its leader, John Dramani Mahama, to deliver to meet their aspirations, saying their ‘weak’ track record in government and utterances in opposition do not support what they are promising in their manifesto.

According to the NPP youth leader, after engaging with scores of young Ghanaians across the country, their verdict is that the NDC’s 2020 manifesto is simply a document full of “unrealistic, populist and discredited promises disguised as the people’s manifesto when, in fact, it is not.”

Addressing the seventh edition of ‘The Youth Must Know Series’ of the party in Accra yesterday, Nana B, as the NPP youth organiser is affectionately called, said the vast majority of promises in the NDC’s manifesto are “either stolen ideas, repetition of existing or ongoing projects by the NPP, deceptive and unreliable policies, and recycled failed promises from their 2012 manifesto.”

According to him, having painstakingly perused both the 2012 and 2020 manifestos of the “NDC vis-a-vis the actual performance of the incompetent Mahama administration”, he is convinced that “the old Mahama” has not changed in anyway to be trusted with the destiny of the youth.

He noted that the “theme of the NDC 2020 Manifesto, ‘Jobs, Prosperity, and More: People’s Manifesto’, is a contradiction of the very nature, form, and substance of the NDC, both in Government and in opposition.”

“They have never governed in the interest of the people, neither have they crafted any policy to create jobs and prosperity for the people,” the NPP youth leader said, explaining that this is evident in the many anti-people centred policies they implemented while in government and their fierce resistance for the pro-poor policies of the NPP.

“Mr Mahama and the NDC are notoriously known for putting their parochial interest and selfish gains ahead of the very needs of the people, including jobs. It is important to remind ourselves that the supposed ‘people-centred’ party, led by Mr Mahama, superintended over the most insensitive government that visited untold hardships and excruciating pains on the people of Ghana,” he stated.

NPP’s two million jobs

The NPP youth leader noted that, on the contrary, the Akufo-Addo government has been sensitive to the plight of the Ghanaian youth.

He said government, within its short stay in power, has added some 2million young people to the work force of the country.

Breakdown

Giving a breakdown of the jobs, Mr Boakye said the government has created some 778,706 jobs in the public sector, 267,939 in the formal private sector, while it’s job-creation programmes have also generated additional 1,008,365 jobs.

He disclosed that the sectors where the jobs have been created include the Planting for Food and Jobs, which has created 762,300 jobs; Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), 100,000; National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP), 92,000; National Identification Authority, 35,380; Out-grower Value Chain Fund (OVCF), 7,254, and Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project, 11,431.

Education

On education, Nana B said President Akufo-Addo’s record is unmatched.

“The universally-acclaimed Free SHS and TVET Education have seen 1.2 million beneficiaries. The government has absorbed registration fees for children sitting the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from both public (391,318) and private (397,500) Junior High Schools in 2020.

“The difference this makes to both parents and their wards cannot be overemphasized! In addition, the government has also paid Ghc75 million as examination fees for 313,838 students sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE),” Nana B remarked.

He continued: “Unrivalled infrastructural projects in SHS and Basic Schools – 1,200 infrastructural projects in SHS and 557 at the basic school level. This development also encompasses libraries– the construction of 2 libraries and renovation of 10 existing libraries, including the Accra Central, Asokore and Hohoe libraries. The construction and establishment of ten Training Centres of Excellence for the Council for Technical, Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

“Restoration of Teacher Trainees Allowance to 48,000 teacher trainees which cost Ghc 357 million in the 2020 fiscal year alone, restoration of Nursing Trainees Allowance to 49,000 nursing trainees which also cost Ghc336 million in the 2020 fiscal year.

“Youth scholarships for over 30,000 brilliant and needy students via the District Level Scholarship Scheme in 2019, alone, projected to be over 60,000 students in 2020,” he added.

He has therefore called on all Ghanaians, particularly the youth, to rally behind the NPP and vote for them to continue with the good works.

Source: dailystatesman.com.gh/Kwasi Frimpong