The time has come. The NPP manifesto launch is on. Several hundreds of party supporters have defied the stormy morning rains and have made their way to the Trade Fair Centre.
All who matter in the NPP, except of course the suspended three and top national executives, Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong and Sammy Crabbe have been spotted at the venue of the manifesto launch with a commitment to work towards winning the 2016 elections.
The blue, white and red colours of the NPP interspersed by the national colours are flying at the precincts of the Trade Fair Centre as thousands sing and dance to party campaign songs.
They are also shouting change is coming! The time has come!
The venue is also a sea of security personnel, armed to the teeth and subjecting supporters to heavy security search with a view to maintaining law and order at the venue.
The manifesto launch is in two folds; a closed door stakeholder briefing of the manifesto to Civil Society and Identifiable Groups, Embassies and Diplomatic Missions and Political Parties at the Unique Events Palace and a mammoth rally to be attended by thousands of party faithful.
The stakeholder briefing has begun with former President John Agyekum Kufuor chairing the occasion which has in attendance a number of founding fathers of the party and former Ministers of state.
Mr Kufuor opens the stakeholder engagement with remark that the NPP’s manifesto is vehicle for development not scholarly work of promises.
With the help of a stick, but motivated by promise and a burning desire to return the NPP into office, Ex-president Kufuor mounted the podium with a charge to all Ghanaians to undertake to allow the NPP take over the affairs of Ghana and ensure that the country is brought back onto a solid path of development.
He is welcomed with a thundering round of applause and deafening shouts of “papa odenden” [welcome daddy].
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP’s running mate takes over the podium to a rapturous applause by the heavily partisan crowd.
He outlines the economic vision of the future NPP government if voted into power in the December elections.
He mocked what he says is the president’s lack of understanding of economics of the time which has manifested in the NDC’s misinterpretation of the latest rating by the international Credit Ratings Agency Moody’s.
Science and Technology Policy
Prof Frimpong Boateng, a heart surgeon and former Chief Executive of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital takes his turn with a promise to transform the technological base of the country. He appears dehydrated and takes in water. He cuts short his presentation and taken off stage.
Youth Policy
Maxwel Kofi Lugudor, the NPP Parliamentary aspirant for Ketu South mounts the podium to spell out the youth policy of the NPP under a Nana Akufo Addo government. He dazzles the crowd with his native ewe language and a song of arise Ghana youth which gets the crowd upstanding and singing in unison.
An unknown breed, passionate for change, Lugudor borrows a famous “small man, big vision” quote by the NPP flagbearer and promises to do the unthinkable- unseat the incumbent MP Fiifi Kwetey.
Policy for Women’s and Childrens Affairs
Hajia Alima Mahama takes her turn. She says the NPP is the champions of womens affairs having set up the ministry of Women’s and childrens affairs during the tenure of president John Kufuor.
She also cites the domestic violence act, passed by the NPP government and rigorous policies initiated to fight the canker of domestic abuse. She also mentions micro finance given to women traders and womens groups in order to empower women across every part of the country. Thanks to what she says is the incompetence of the NDC, all these initiatives have collapsed. An NPP under Akufo-Addo will change all these and empower women.
Nana Akufo-AddoÂ
The time many have been waiting for arrives. The NPP flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo is invited to seal the policies spelt out by his potential ministers of state with a vote of confidence in the manifesto.