General News of Friday, 9 November 2007

Source: GNA

Ghana needs a leader with a vision and not a professional

Nkawkaw, Nov. 9, GNA- Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said, the country does not need a professional, a technocrat or a specialist to lead the country but rather a leader with a vision.

He said a visionary leader would be able to initiate meaningful development policies to move the nation forward. "President Kufuor was not a professional economist but with vision he moved the country to the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) programme and came out with much financial resources that had enhanced the nation's development". Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing NPP constituency executives, polling station chairmen and other opinion leaders from six constituencies of the party at Nkawkaw as part of his second round campaign tour of the Eastern Region.

The Constituencies included Afram Plains North and South, Abetifi, Mpraeso, Nkawkaw and Abirem. He said the party's leadership had been chosen through highly contested elections since its formation and urged delegates to the party's December congress to vote for a knowledgeable, experienced and credible person to lead the party. Nana Akufo-Addo who was a former Foreign Minister, said he is a founding member of the party and had contributed meaningfully towards its development and disabused speculations that he is arrogant. He said it was not true that he would arrest and prosecute former President Jerry John Rawlings to bring chaos and instability into the country when he becomes the next president of the country. He said as a former Minister, he led an ECOWAS delegation to Sierra Leon and Liberia to advise former Liberian President Charles Taylor to step down, which ensured peace in that country and would not do anything to destabilize the country.

The presidential aspirant said President Kufuor's administration concentrated its attention on governance and neglected party activities but he would concentrate on party activities and seek the welfare of the members of the party at the grassroots to enhance their development. He said the country could only be developed in a democratic process and would ensure equal justices and rule of law and therefore advised the delegates to vote for someone with a vision who could unite the people to win the next general elections to continue with the good works of President Kufuor. The Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw, Mr Okerchiri Kwabena Adusa advised the delegate's to vote for an experienced person to lead the party to victory in the next Presidential and Parliamentary elections.