‘NDC can’t measure up to us’

The Prof. John Evans Mills led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has not yet begun to measure up to what the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government left in 2008, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, has noted.

He said the NPP government practicalised their motto which is “Development in freedom” while they were in power hence increasing the state coffers from US$4 million to over US$16 million before leaving office.

Former President Kufuor

The former president boasted that the eight year term of the NPP government introduced Ghanaians to what good governance was all about, adding that the good governance they introduced was not only accepted by Ghanaians but all over Africa.

Addressing delegates at the just ended national conference of the party, he said the NPP government paid much attention to sensitive areas of the economy to enhance development and raise the socio-economic standards of the people.

“The NPP government ensured that there was great improvement in areas like business, human resource development, education, road infrastructure, industrialization, telecommunication and the promotion of the rule of law among others,” he indicated.

Former president Kufuor noted that because of the good business atmosphere his government created, many foreign banks opened in the country and for the first time in many years, several banks were chasing people to take loans from them.

But, within a short while after the coming into office of the NDC government, ex-president Kufuor noted, that goodwill from the banks had stopped and interest rates from going up.

He said because his government believed in education as the main tool for human resource development, several policies were introduced aimed at encouraging as many people as possible to enroll their wards in schools.

Mentioning some of the roads his government rehabilitated, ex president Kufuor lamented that the great road infrastructure they began had seized because the current government could not raise funds to continue.

With regards to telecom infrastructure, he recounted that the telecom prevalence rate in the country as at the time they assumed office was about 40 per cent with just about 400 to 500 subscribers.

However, the number had increased to 10 million subscribers enhancing better communication in the country.

Former President Kufuor said his government acknowledged the right of people to freely express themselves without fear, intimidation or attack from anywhere hence allowed the proliferation of newspapers, television and frequency modulation stations.

“It is through these avenues that people can insist on probity and accountability, their rights, and good governance,” he explained.

With these achievements, he believed the NPP government gave Ghanaians a taste of real life, adding that it is for all these that they (Ghanaians) are desperately crying for the NPP to come back to power and rekindle the hope and confidence in them.

STORY: FROM JAMES APPIAKORANG JNR., KUMASI