Kwabena Agyepong
Flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, yesterday unveiled what he described as a six pillar policy plan aimed at addressing the challenges facing the country when selected as the party’s flagbearer.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Accra to unveil his six pillar policy plan towards transforming the country, the former General Secretary of the NPP said the country must pause to reflect whether democracy has delivered the expected benefits for citizens.
He pointed to rising graduate unemployment, poverty, weak public systems, and the existential threat posed by illegal mining (galamsey), noting that the country has not created enough hope with its politics.
Mr. Agyepong proposed comprehensive land reform, including transparent compensation frameworks and streamlined land title registration to unlock capital, reduce litigation and boost agricultural productivity in his pillar one policy plan.
This, he said, would be combined with a youth-led environmental stewardship programme to reclaim degraded lands and water bodies, which will transition the country from subsistence farming to climate-smart, large-scale commercial agriculture.
Touching on pillar two of his policy, which focuses on strict enforcement of spatial planning, building and environmental regulations, Mr. Agyepong pledged zero tolerance for indiscipline and corruption, with the aim of changing the challenges faced by residents in urban centres while revamping rural communities with modern amenities for sustainable development.
Calling for an end to waste, Mr. Agyepong said his administration would introduce rigorous value-for-money audits in public procurement and rationalise government expenditure, promising to complete existing projects before starting new ones, with a strong maintenance culture in pillar three, “Fiscal Discipline and Value for Money”.
Under pillar four, titled “Restoring Meritocracy and Professionalism in Public Service”, he pledged to end political patronage in the civil and public services, ensuring promotions are based on merit rather than connections.
He also proposed to downsize government cabinet ministers, supported by deputies and regional ministers, and announced plans to consult stakeholders on capping the number of Supreme Court judges at 11, while abolishing the retirement age to strengthen judicial independence.
Mr. Agyepong said a simplified national trade licence system would formalise the informal sector to reduce excessive taxation while artisans, traders and small-scale entrepreneurs are empowered with legal protection, access to credit and incentives, to broaden the tax base fairly.
The final pillar which the flagbearer hopeful described as “Empowering Creative Arts and Reigniting Sports”, he believes, would strengthen the creative arts and sports sectors through robust intellectual property protection and grassroots sports development.
He said school sports, colts football, athletics and boxing would be revived to nurture talent, promote enterprise and restore national pride.
“We will bring the passion back to sports by returning to the basics: reviving school sports, colts football, prioritising Soccer Athletics and Boxing, and restoring the sacred link between communities and their clubs. This is about developing talent, promoting enterprise, and national pride,” he stated.
Describing the plan as the “New Dawn Agenda,” Mr. Agyepong said it offered a clear alternative to what he called a “demoralised, despondent and disillusioned” national mood and, therefore, urged the delegates to choose “values over vanity, principles over patronage, and character over chicanery” as they select the party’s next leader.
“The time for a New Dawn, a new direction and a new face is now,” he said, expressing confidence that his leadership would reconnect the party with its base and rebuild trust with the Ghanaian people.
“We stand at a crossroads. This is the choice before us. One path is familiar. It leads to more despair, more of the same that has failed us time and again. The other path I offer is the path of Renewal. It is paved with Competence, Integrity, and Hope,” Mr. Agyepong added.
The New Patriotic Party will hold its flagbearer election to select a candidate for the 2028 general election on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Apart from Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, other flagbearer hopefuls include former Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; former Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum; former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong; and former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah