Overview

The NDC, for 8 years, between 1992 and 2000, did its utmost best to reconstruct the nation’s foundation and build on such a foundation. The opportunity beckons once again for the NDC to seize the moment that a certain victory in this year’s election will bring to our great party to put Ghana back on its reconstructive path and work towards building a Better Ghana. “A Better Ghana”, because the current rulers have failed us miserably. In the areas of the economy, employment, the environment, health, education, the utilities – you name it – failure is the best mark that can be given to the NPP Government. Allowing the market forces free and unrestrained rein to give direction to our development agenda has failed to give employment to willing workers, leaving a nation grappling with a large section of its population very despondent.

Life under the NPP Government is demanding from the unemployed and the wage-earner the surrender of their hard-won standards of living. It is restricting and abandoning those social services which are essential features of a democratic society.

Those currently in charge of managing the affairs of state have certainly not done a good job of it in spite of their claims that the economy is on track. The facts and figures paint a very bleak picture of an economy that is not on track.

A recent WHO Report ranked Ghana as the second filthiest nation in West Africa and the fourth filthiest in Africa – failure

After the NDC Government had virtually eradicated the guinea worm disease by the end of 2000, Ghana is currently ranking second behind war-torn Sudan in terms of guinea worm infestation – failure

Water and electricity supply are extremely erratic or non-existent in some cases. It is very common these days to see people using lanterns in the city of Accra and with gallons trekking for hours in search of water – failure.

The quality of education is at an all time low with 50% of JSS students who last year sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations, failing “beyond pardon” – failure.

Things need to change and change is what the NDC is promising this country as can be seen in the pages of this Manifesto. As our teeming supporters now love to chant: “Yeresesamu”. The NDC believes that we must place the needs of the working people before the needs of those who already have more than they need.

We are certainly not against wealth accumulation by individuals and groups but as a Party that is anchored to the social democracy philosophy and espouses the tenets of our ideology unashamedly, all our efforts must be geared towards protecting and supporting the vulnerable, the disadvantaged, the marginalised and the have-nots in society.

The youth in particular will be at the core of policy initiatives because we need to restore hope to them by investing in them and creating sustainable opportunities that will inure to their benefit and fill them with a sense of belonging such that they will be committed to the Better Ghana agenda not only for their benefit but also for the benefit of the generations that will come after them.

There is more than enough evidence that point to the fact that under the NPP Government, a whole generation is being bequeathed with hopelessness, despair, drugs, immorality and crime and we must rescue them from their precarious and frightening dead-end lest we kill their future and kill the future of our dear country.

The NDC government will measure its successes (not that we are going to be obsessed with touting such successes) in the extent to which we shall be able to implement the policies contained in this Manifesto that will benefit the vast majority of Ghanaians by way of job creation and infrastructure expansion and the extent to which we will be able to provide Ghanaians with the needed social services.

The provision of security to Ghanaians, ensuring justice for all, making the laws of the land work without fear or favour, as well as a committed approach to ridding Ghana of the drug menace, will feature prominently on the NDC’s agenda.

The NDC seeks a majority from the electorate upon the basis of a coherent and definite programme. We reaffirm our conviction that Social Democracy provides the best solution for the evils resulting from unregulated competition and the domination of vested interests. It presses for the extension of public-owned industries and services operated in the interests of the people. It works for the substitution of co-ordinated planning for the anarchy of individualistic acquisitions.

The NDC insists that we must plan a growth path that will lead to building a Better Ghana in which all with potential will be able to prosper. With zest, zeal, commitment, vision and love for country, a Better Ghana can, and will, be built.

This Manifesto is the NDC’s roadmap to building a prosperous Ghana. I am confident that with the Open, Honest Transparent and Humble Leadership I pledge to provide, together with our Team, the NDC and well-meaning Ghanaians, including those belonging to other sides of the political divide, we shall be able to build “a Better Ghana”.

This NDC Manifesto was created by Ghanaians of all walks of life and regions who spoke to Prof. Mills on the door-to-door tours. The policies and pledges contained are built upon the difficulties and challenges Ghanaians find most important.

The NDC Manifesto is dedicated to those who work and contribute to their families, businesses and communities, but are blocked from social and economic openings. It seeks to empower every Ghanaian to access the necessities of life in security and play a meaningful part in developing our country.