In a compelling defence of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) track record, Dr Gideon Boako, spokesperson for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has outlined the government’s achievements while making a case for why Ghanaians should endorse Dr Bawumia in the upcoming elections.
Speaking during a media interaction following the launch of the NPP’s manifesto, Dr Boako highlighted several key areas where he believes the NPP has outperformed previous governments, emphasizing the party’s commitment to transparency and delivery.
Dr. Boako began by framing the NPP’s manifesto as a social contract between the party and the Ghanaian people, a document that not only outlines promises but also holds the party accountable for its performance.
He noted that the NPP has consistently provided Ghanaians with a benchmark of its promises versus what has been delivered, a practice he claims no other political party has sustained since the Fourth Republic began in 1992.
He pointed to the performance tracker introduced in 2020 and the updated version in 2024 as evidence of the party’s transparency.
“We encourage every Ghanaian to go through the system. And draw our attention to any anomaly if there is one. And also see what we’ve been able to do. We think in totality, we’ve been able to execute at least 80% of the promises that we made to the Ghanaian people in 2020.
“What it means practically is that we have about 20% of the pledges and the commitments that we made to the Ghanaian people upon which they voted for us that have not been delivered and we have been very clean, we have been very clear, and we have been honest on that. We think that we are not the first political party not to have been able to honour all its political manifestos”.
Dr Gideon Boako, Spokesperson to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
Achievements in Job Creation and Infrastructure
A significant portion of Dr. Boako’s address focused on job creation. He acknowledged the persistent issue of unemployment but highlighted that the NPP government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has created over 2.3 million jobs.
He emphasized that this figure is the highest job creation record of any government since 1992, adding that despite this achievement, the government acknowledges the need for more jobs to address the high unemployment rate among the youth.
“This is a fact, this is verifiable, we’ve put that data out, and if anybody has contradictory data, we will be ready to subject ourselves to such interrogation. But we think that there is still more to be done. Because yes, according to the World Development Index data, we’ve been able to reduce the rate of unemployment from 3% in 2017 to 2019 to 5% in 2016. And even youth unemployment is 6% down from 10%. But there is still more”.
Dr Gideon Boako, Spokesperson to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
On infrastructure, Dr. Boako proudly stated that the NPP has constructed nearly 12,000 kilometers of roads, the most by any government in Ghana’s history.
This figure, he noted includes asphalted roads, newly constructed roads, and roads upgraded to improve accessibility.
“So the 12,000 includes about 2,000 kilometres of asphaltic roads. It also includes roads that have been constructed, you know, tarred, bitumen, there are also different categories, it also includes roads that have been upgraded. Let’s say, bitumen, but have been motorable. So there are different categories. Unfortunately, I’m not able to give”.
Dr Gideon Boako, Spokesperson to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
He also highlighted the expansion of rural telephony, with the number of sites increasing from 78 in 2017 to over 1,000 by 2023, significantly enhancing connectivity in rural areas.
Social Amenities and Public Services
Moreover, the New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Tano South Constituency in the Ahafo Region, Dr. Gideon Boako underscored the NPP’s achievements in improving public services and social amenities.
He claimed that the government has constructed more public libraries, fish landing sites, sanitation facilities, and sports facilities than any other administration since 1992.
“We have constructed more sports facilities than any government since 1992 as far as we are concerned. Because we think that we’ve completed 6 new multi-purpose sports stadiums and 4 ongoing in each. Then in terms of astroturf, as of 2016, there were 3 astroturfs but today we can talk of 150 astroturf for the young people of this country”.
Dr Gideon Boako, Spokesperson to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
He highlighted the increase in public libraries from 61 in 2017 to 105 in 2023, as well as the construction of major fishing harbours and landing sites across coastal areas, which he argued have boosted the local economies and improved the livelihoods of fisherfolk.
In sanitation, Dr. Boako pointed out that the proportion of Ghanaians with access to toilet facilities has risen from 33% in 2016 to 80.8% in 2023, with over 5,400 communities declared open defecation-free since 2017.
He described these improvements as critical to enhancing public health and sanitation standards nationwide.
Energy and Power Sector Management
Additionally, Dr. Gideon Boako also defended the NPP’s management of the energy and power sector, noting that the Akufo-Addo administration has maintained stable fuel supplies, avoiding the fuel shortages that plagued past governments.
He contrasted this with the “dark days” of frequent power outages under the previous NDC’s administration, asserting that while there have been intermittent power fluctuations, the situation has vastly improved under the NPP.
He further argued that the NPP has managed to keep electricity tariff increases to their lowest levels in recent history, adding that between 2017 and 2023, the average annual increase in electricity tariffs was 11.1%, compared to an average of 50% per year during the NDC’s tenure from 2009 to 2016.
Concluding his remarks, Dr. Boako urged Ghanaians to judge the NPP based on its performance and to grant the party another term under the leadership of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
He acknowledged that not all promises had been fulfilled but insisted that the NPP’s overall performance was superior to that of previous administrations.
Dr. Boako expressed confidence that with continued support, the NPP could deliver even more for the Ghanaian people, building on the foundations laid over the past eight years.
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