A group, Zongo Movement For Development (ZOMOD) has hailed the continuous partnership of President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as hope for sustainable Zongo and National development.

In a press statement, the group said it has considered a lot of factors including the fulfillment of the Zongo Development promise, infrastructure and human development in the Zongos as well as a social representation of the partnership between the President and his Vice, and has thus come to a conclusion that Nana and Bawumia are the best pair for the 2020 elections.

“As a Zongo development advocacy group, we welcome the confirmation of the Nana Addo-Bawumia ticket for re-election because we believe, very strongly, that their continuous partnership represents sustainable development for Zongos and the nation as a whole,” the statement signed by the group’s National President Alhaji Habib Issah Cisey said.

It added: “Prior to the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Elections, we looked forward to policies by the various political parties, which would spell out strategies and policies for sustainable development in our highly deprived Zongo communities.”

“While other political parties had no vision and policies for Zongo Communities, it was Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia who announced their intentions to establish the Zongo Development Fund to speed up human and infrastructure development in Zongo communities across the country.

“Five years on; having metamorphosed into a more development-oriented movement (ZOMOD) and having followed closely the actualization of this promise by President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia through the establishment of the Inner Cities and Zongo Ministries, as well as the Zongo Development Fund, we are proud and confident enough to have high hope in the leadership of President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for sustainable development in Zongo communities and the nation as a whole.”

The group said the Zongo Development Fund initiative, which was established through an act of Parliament, represents the President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia’s sincerity towards sustainable Zongo development.

“A non-rhetorical vision is one which is backed by law such as the ZDF. And the sincerity of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia to ensure the bridging of development gap between the Zongos and other parts of the country is clearly evident by the enactment of an act to establish the Zongo Development Fund. This is a clear statement of sincere intent and a well-thought-out move to ensure sustainable development.”

Narrowing its scope to Dr. Bawumia, the group commended him for his commitment towards ensuring sustainable development in Zongos and other deprived communities.

They also hailed his spirit of inclusiveness, particularly in a secular country like Ghana where religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence ought to be promoted.

BAWUMIA AN EXAMPLE FOR INTER FAITH EXISTENCE

The group also reserved special praise for the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his commitment to the development of Zongo and deprived communities, as well as his promotion of inter faith coexistence.

“ZOMOD wishes to particularly commend the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his commitment towards the development of the Zongos, underprivileged communities as well as the country.”

“Dr. Bawumia has provided the required leadership support to his boss, the President, and in the process, he has demonstrated his commitment to the needs of his people and beyond.”

“In a secular country like Ghana, where there is the need for people of diverse religious backgrounds to peacefully co-exist, ZOMOD, has over the past three years, noted with admiration, the Vice President’s ability to respond positively to the calls of both Zongo/Muslims and our Christian brothers, be it in the mosque or in the church.”

Below is the full statement by the:

ZOMOD PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

PRESS RELEASE: NANA-BAWUMIA PARTNERSHIP REMAINS A HOPE FOR SUSTAINABLE ZONGO AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Zongo Movement for Development (ZOMOD) will like to formally congratulate President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia following their acclamation as Flagbearer and Running Mate respectively of the New Patriotic Party for December’s Presidential Elections.

Their confirmation, marks an unprecedented development in Ghana’s democracy, as this will be the 4th consecutive time President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia will be contesting for the Presidency.

As a Zongo development advocacy group, we welcome the confirmation of the Nana Addo-Bawumia ticket for re-election because we believe, very strongly, that their continuous partnership represents sustainable development for Zongos and the nation as a whole.

Prior to the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Elections, we looked forward to policies by the various political parties, which would spell out strategies and policies for sustainable development in our highly deprived Zongo communities.

While other political parties had no vision and policies for Zongo Communities, it was Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia who announced their intentions to establish the Zongo Development Fund to speed up human and infrastructure development in Zongo communities across the country.

After Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia first revealed the Zongo Development Fund initiative when he responded to the NDC Government’s 2015 Budget Statement on December 2, 2015, our movement, then called Zongo Movement for Change (ZOMOC) was the first organization in the country to openly support the ZDF initiative through a press release issued on December 9, 2015.

Even when Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr. Bawumia and the NPP laid out their Zongo development blueprint, some of the leading political parties, which had no such vision for the Zongos, bizarrely ridiculed the policy throughout the campaign. Rightly, our group took them on through various press statements because we deemed their criticism of the Zongo Development Fund policy without an alternative policy, as an insult to the intelligence of the people of Zongo.

Five years on; having metamorphosed into a more development-oriented movement (ZOMOD) and having followed closely the actualization of this promise by President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia through the establishment of the Inner Cities and Zongo Ministries, as well as the Zongo Development Fund, we are proud and confident enough to have high hope in the leadership of President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for sustainable development in Zongo communities and the nation as a whole.

A non-rhetorical vision is one that is backed by law such as the ZDF. And the sincerity of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia to ensure the bridging of development gap between the Zongos and other parts of the country is clearly evident by the enactment of an act to establish the Zongo Development Fund. This is a clear statement of sincere intent and a well-thought-out move to ensure sustainable development.

Having demonstrated this sincerity, ZOMOD’s belief in the Nana Akufo-Addo – Bawumia partnership has been further strengthened, and we believe they remain a strong hope for the sustainable development of Zongo and deprived communities.

3 YEARS OF ZDF; SO FAR SO GOOD

As a group which vigorously defended the proposal to establish ZDF, especially against marauding attacks of its feasibility by the NDC, we are thrilled to commend President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia for what has happened so far under ZDF in many Zongo communities.

Apart from numerous visible infrastructure development such as building and renovation of classrooms, clinics, roads, drainage systems, mosques, roads, bridges as well as provision of boreholes, libraries, ICT centres, modern football fields, etc., the ZDF, in the past three years, has undertaken the biggest human resource development in Zongos and inner cities in the history of the 4th Republic through education.

Currently, 40 underprivileged students purposely selected from Zongo and deprived communities are in Cuba studying medicine through a scholarship by the ZDF. Apart from this, thousands of Zongo children, are currently benefiting from the Free SHS policy introduced by President Akufo-Addo. Still on education, the administration of President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia has also restored allowances to Arabic instructors at various Islamic Schools (Makaranta) in Zongo communities. It is important to note that this allowance was cancelled by the erstwhile government led by Mr. John Dramani Mahama.

Many youth have also been given various vocational training across Zongos in the country.

ZOMOD, and indeed all progressive-minded members of Zongo communities are thrilled by the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia government’s focus on human resource development in Zongo communities because education is the catalyst for development and poverty alleviation.

The 40 medical scholarships granted to brilliant but needy students from Zongo communities across the country is a clear indication of the sincerity of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia for sustainable development in Zongo communities.

They could have chosen to just take the people of Zongo for granted by sharing cheap goodies such as rice, sugar and milk, as some people did in the past and continue to do, but they have decided to establish a statutory fund, which will finance and sustain infrastructure development, as well as the education of brilliant but needy students, who, hitherto, would’ve have missed the opportunity of furthering their education due to lack of support.

BAWUMIA, A SHINING LIGHT, WHO INSPIRES RELIGIOUS COEXISTENCE

ZOMOD wishes to particularly commend the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his commitment towards the development of the Zongos, underprivileged communities as well as the country.

Dr. Bawumia has provided the required leadership support to his boss, the President, and in the process, he has demonstrated his commitment to the needs of his people and beyond.

In a secular country like Ghana, where there is the need for people of diverse religious backgrounds to peacefully co-exist, ZOMOD, has over the past three years, noted with admiration, the Vice President’s ability to respond positively to the calls of both Zongo/Muslims and our Christian brothers, be it in the mosque or in the church.

His insistence on including non-Muslims who live in Zongo and other deprived communities in the 40 students who were accorded Zongo Development Fund scholarships to study medicine in Cuba, clearly shows the kind of inclusive person Dr. Bawumia is.

Dr. Bawumia is a shining example who has reflected positively on our remarkable coexistence as people of diverse religious backgrounds. We urge him to continue to strengthen his ties with his boss, the President so that together, they will continue to remarkably reflect our society.

2020 ELECTIONS – A CONTEST OF RECORDS IN ZONGOS

As the nation gears up for the 2020 Presidential elections, it is important for other political parties who have made it a habit to play tribal cards as their main campaign tool to note that Zongo communities are wide awake and have grown above such cheap campaign tactics.

Thankfully, both candidates of the leading political parties, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Dramani Mahama have been Presidents before and the 2020 campaign in the Zongos will be about records of real, visible and sustainable development.

The good people of the Zongos have seen how both parties handled respect for elders, how they managed infrastructure development, how they supported human resource development, how they supervised the annual Hajj pilgrims and how both leaders and their governments laid out sustainable development policies.

Once again, we congratulate President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Bawumia for their confirmation. In shaa Allah, we look forward to more progressive policies for sustainable development in Zongos and our beloved country Ghana in their re-election manifesto.

Finally, we wish to take this opportunity to urge people in Zongo communities, and Ghanaians in general to continue to adhere strictly to all the COVID-19 safety protocols, especially as they go through the process of registering for their voter’s identity card.

Thank you.

SIGNED

ALHAJI MOHAMMED HABIB ISSAH CISSE

(NATIONAL PRESIDENT)