A flagbearer-hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said that if he was elected to lead the party, and subsequently as President of the Republic of Ghana, he would see to it that the UP tradition funds its own political activities without necessarily relying on the seat of government for support.
Making the NPP financially independent by running commercial businesses, he underscored, was one of his priorities, stressing that the feat, when achieved, would create sustainable jobs for the teeming unemployed youth and party activists.
Anything short of this, according to the former two-terms Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, would render the national leaders of the party puppets and open them up to manipulations from the seat of government.
This vision, he admitted, would require discipline and lots of commitments and dedications to implement, noting that his track record bore testimony of being disciplined, committed and dedicated to any cause he implements.
“The laxity in party indiscipline and the wanton open declarations by senior party members and the general discontentment of the party grassroots are all as a result of the party’s failure to indulge in commercial activities and to also create employment for its grassroots people. This must change and I am ready to change that,” he noted.
Dr. Akoto made this observation when he interacted with a section of the media at his campaign office in Accra on Monday, August 21, 2023, over his vision for the party, and the country in general.
He noted that a party of over six million following should not despair in poverty, but rather be able to do good business and create wealth for its people.
He cited cases in South Africa like the ANC to corroborate his claim.
“The ANC in South Africa owns commercial business and are able to generate enough money to pay their activists. They own shares in companies in South Africa and around the world. This is what I want to do with the NPP. I am a Catholic and the Catholic Church also owns Quality Insurance in Ghana here. If we want to grow as a party, this is what we have to do and I am committed to doing it for all to enjoy,” he noted.
The commercial businesses he hoped to establish, he noted, would generate revenue to run the party as well as provide gainful employment opportunities for its members to alleviate their plight.
This ambitious plan, he added, was the best sustainable means of effectively managing the party at all levels.
He wants the party delegates to reward him with their votes both in the Super Delegates Conference and the National Delegates Conference for him to become flagbearer of the party to enable him to implement his vision.
By Stephen Odoi-Larbi
