As part of measures to strengthen the National Democratic Congress financially, an aspiring candidate, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has pledged to establish businesses for the party across all the various branches.

These businesses he said would be registered in the name of the party in order for the party to generate resources to manage activities of the NDC.

The party he lamented is faced with the challenge of establishing businesses, and also having members managing their own businesses as compared to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), a situation he noted did not augur well for the umbrella family.

He has therefore pledged to help educate, train and provide opportunities for party members to learn vocational and technical skills in the bid to have them generate resources for themselves and the party.

In his view, the youth and women’s wings has broken down and no longer attractive hence his decision to take steps to strengthen these wings to make it attractive like they used to be in the past.

He recounted how former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, led women of the party and provided them with support to set up businesses and how that made the NDC a vibrant political party.

He is also looking forward to establish credit unions to give some financial support to party members.

In the area of education, he has promised to create opportunity for the youth of the party by providing avenues for them to get access to scholarships and financial aid to continue their education at the higher level.

On job creation he said, avenues would be created across all sectors of the economy so the youth would have an opportunity in different areas to choose from when applying for jobs.

The aspirant is one of Africa’s pre-eminent civil servants, and an authority on mass communications who has held several high profile positions in the field.

He is a former Minister of Communication, one-time Ambassador of Ghana to the United States and Mexico, Minister of Education, Minister responsible for Mines and Energy and a member of UNESCO Executive Board in Paris.

He served in the cabinet during the democratic regime of former president Jerry John Rawlings between 1994 and 2000.

Before his appointment at the CTO, he was Chief Executive of his own business consulting firm, Spio-Garbrah & Associates.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah served as a Director of Telkom SA Ltd. from September 20, 2007 to May 1, 2010. He served as Director of Vodacom Group (Pty) Ltd from December 10, 2007 to May 18, 2009.

He served as Member of International Advisory Council at Recipco Holdings Ltd.

He is also the Chairman of African Business Media and the African Cancer Organization. He is also member of the International Advisory Board of the African Press Organization (APO).

Spio holds a BA (Hons), English from the University of Ghana, a Graduate Certificate in International Banking from the New York University, a Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Communications and an MA in International Affairs from Ohio University and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Laws (LLD) by Middlebury University, USA for achievements in the fields of diplomacy, government, education and business.

In December, 2006, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah contested the leadership of Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Managing 8.7% of the vote, he came second to the late John Atta Mills, who subsequently won Ghana’s 2008 presidential election.

Dr Spio-Garbrah remains a leading member of the NDC party.

On 15 January 2010, Spio-Garbrah was elected a vice chairman of the NDC, and subsequently named Director of the Communications directorate of the party.

In 2011, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Christian Action Faith Ministries International.

This is a global charismatic movement with millions of members across the world. This appointment makes Spio-Garbrah the first person to occupy such a role in a Christian denomination in Ghana.

In July 2014, the NDC stalwart was nominated as Minister for Trade and Industry by former president John Mahama.

He took over from Haruna Iddrissu who is currently the Minority leader in Parliament.

Spio-Garbrah is in the presidential race of the NDC seeking to be the flagbearer of the party. He is contesting against John Mahama, the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Sylvester Adinam Mensah.

The rest are the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Professor Joshua Alabi; a banker and oil and gas consultant, Nurideen Iddrisu; former President John Dramani Mahama; Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin; Sylvester Mensah.