The Minority Leader of Parliament and Effutu MP, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has mounted a robust defence of the New Patriotic Party’s ideological tradition, insisting that the Danquah-Dombo-Busia political lineage has consistently pursued pro-poor policies aimed at empowering ordinary Ghanaians.
Delivering a public lecture on the impact of the centre-right tradition on Ghana’s socio-economic development on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 the Effutu legislator rejected claims that the tradition is elitist, arguing instead that its governance record under former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo demonstrates a deliberate commitment to social intervention and inclusive growth.
“We are not a party for the few who have arrived. We are a movement for the many who are on their way,” he declared.
NHIS: Ending “Cash and Carry”
According to Mr. Afenyo-Markin, one of the clearest demonstrations of the NPP’s pro-poor orientation was the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003 under President Kufuor.
He recalled that prior to the NHIS, Ghana operated a “cash and carry” system that required upfront payment before treatment, often leaving the poor without access to healthcare.
“You cannot own anything if illness has taken everything from you,” he stressed, arguing that the NHIS removed the financial barrier between sickness and treatment and restored dignity to vulnerable families.
The Minority Leader described the scheme as a foundational pillar of what Dr. J.B. Danquah envisioned as a “property-owning democracy,” insisting that health security is central to economic participation.
School Feeding and Capitation Grant
The lecture further credited the Kufuor administration with the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme in 2005, policies he said significantly increased basic school enrolment, particularly among rural and low-income families.
By eliminating school fees at the basic level and providing daily meals to pupils, he noted, the government tackled both financial exclusion and hunger, two major barriers to education.
He argued that these policies were not acts of charity but constitutional obligations aimed at ensuring equal opportunity.
“The property-owning democracy begins where it must always begin — with a child in a classroom, nourished and present, ready to learn,” he stated.
Free SHS: Social Mobility at Scale
Turning to the Akufo-Addo era, Mr. Afenyo-Markin described the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy as the most transformative education intervention in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
Citing official data, he said over three million students gained access to secondary education between 2017 and 2024 under the programme.
“There can be no reversal of Free SHS and Free TVET without reversing the progress made in social mobility,” he warned.
He argued that Free SHS dismantled the practical barrier that had made secondary education a privilege of the wealthy, allowing children from farming, fishing and low-income households to access opportunities previously beyond their reach.
The expansion of technical and vocational education and the establishment of STEM centres, he added, have positioned young Ghanaians to compete in the emerging digital economy.
“In cyberspace, your father’s income does not determine your ranking,” he remarked, underscoring the shift toward skills-based empowerment.
Cocoa Farmers and Agricultural Support
On agriculture, the Minority Leader pointed to free fertilizer distribution and improved support systems for cocoa farmers under President Kufuor as a continuation of the tradition’s historic advocacy for producers.
He recalled that Dr. J.B. Danquah, known as “Akuafo Kanea” (Lamp of Farmers), had championed fair pricing and protection for cocoa farmers during the colonial era.
Under the NPP, he said, that commitment translated into tangible support through input subsidies and pricing reforms that increased productivity and rural incomes.
“The producer has rights. The worker has dignity,” he emphasised.
He also referenced the Planting for Food and Jobs programme under Akufo-Addo, which he said created employment and strengthened food security while empowering smallholder farmers.
Social Protection and Economic Empowerment
The Minority Leader argued that policies such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme further demonstrate that centre-right governance is not incompatible with social protection.
“Redistribution without production is temporary. Empowerment through production is lasting,” he said, explaining that social interventions must be anchored in productivity and opportunity.
He insisted that the state, under the Danquah-Dombo-Busia philosophy, exists not to dominate economic life but to enable citizens to thrive.
“The citizen is not a means to the state’s ends. The state is a means to the citizen’s flourishing,” he declared.
Rejecting the Elitist Label
Throughout the lecture, Mr. Afenyo-Markin repeatedly rejected the notion that the tradition serves only the privileged, arguing that its policies have consistently lowered barriers to education, healthcare and enterprise.
“The goal of this tradition is not to protect an elite. The goal is to destroy the barriers that keep people out of one,” he said.
He concluded that the combined legacies of Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo have entrenched a governance philosophy rooted in liberty, constitutionalism and broad-based ownership of opportunity.
“These are not the achievements of a tradition indifferent to ordinary people,” he stated.
“These are the achievements of a tradition that has consistently tried to make ordinary people extraordinary.”
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