While former Minister of Public Sector Reforms, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum, keeps on denying that he has put in any bid to contest the flagbeareship race of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), a leading member of CPP, Comrade Felix Amoah, has appealed to the rank and file, especially delegates for their up-coming National Delegates Congress to endorse Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom as the CPP-flagbearer for the December 2008 Presidential election.
“In same vein I am taking this golden opportunity to appeal to all Ghanaians to consider electing this affable man and astute politician as the next President of the Republic of Ghana come December 2008”, noted Comrade Amoah, who served as a Minister of State under the Limann administration in the Third Republic at a press conference Thursday.
Sharing with the media Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum’s credentials, he said he Dr Ndoum was born into the CPP tradition with his father, Master Yorke, an educationist, serving as the director of the young pioneers in the Central Region in Kwame Nkrumah’s time.
He noted that while studying in the USA, Dr Ndoum wrote several articles in the West African Magazine depicting the Nkrumaist ideas/ideals and that in 1995, he adopted and sponsored five regions with cash, bicycles, t-shirts and other logistics to assist the growth of CPP.
Again, Dr Ndoum also selected and sponsored over 10 parliamentary candidates to contest the 1996 elections, naming the beneficially regions as Western, Eastern Volta, Upper East and Central.
“The National Delegates Congress of 1999 was funded by Kwesi Ndoum to the tune of ¢45 million and this was when he was not contesting any position and was actually out of the county”, Comrade Amoah noted.
He said in the 2004 elections, Dr Ndoum supported, campaigned for and sponsored several contestants with cash, posters, billboards and other logistics.
According to Limann’s Minister of State, Dr Ndoum has also shown exemplary qualities as a Minister in various ministerial positions in the Kufuor administration, including Economic Planning, Energy and Public Sector Reform.
“He led the Ghana team in delivering the unprecedented sum of $547 million from the United States of America’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)”, he stated, adding that he (Ndoum) “led the team to prepare Ghana’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy that has brought many benefits to the economy; and was the chairman of the National Development Planning Commission”.
To Comrade Amoah, Paa Kwesi Ndoum has therefore gained unequalled experience in leadership and governance and acquired tremendous experience and strategy on how to win elections, making him the No.1 choice to lead CPP to victory in 2008.
“Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom won the December Parliamentary election on the ticket of the Convection People’s Party (CPP) to become the MP for Komenda-Edina-Egguafo-Abrem (KEEA).
He won the election convincingly with 30,981votes against the 15,427 votes for his opponent from the NDC.
His 66.8% win compares to the 52.8% of the presidential votes won by President John A Kufuor in the same KEEA constituency to gain a second term”, he added.
Comrade Amoah mentioned that Dr Nduom would be long remembered as the MP who happened to be a Minister of State who questioned the Ghana@50 Secretariat and the nation’s preparedness for the historic Jubilee year of Independence celebrations.
In his constituency, he said Dr Nduom has been an MP with a difference - accountable, transparent and visible in the community and that through him, the name KEEA is recognised in many places nationally.
Touching on some of the projects Dr Ndoum has undertaken in his constituency, Comrade Amoah mentioned building of community libraries and community centres in Elmina and Brenu Akyunim for the Edina Traditional area.
He also mentioned a community library in Agona and a community centre in the Berase Town for The Abrem traditional area as well as a community library in Komenda for the Komenda traditional area and a community library in Abreshia and a community centre at Eguafo in the Eguafo traditional area.
He said Dr Ndoum has made it a policy that any student in his constituency who qualifies and gains admission to a university but has financial difficulties will be given assistance and that through this he has made it possible for a number of students to go to the university.
According to him, Dr Nduom has been instrumental in forging good relationships between Elmina and Netherlands, France and the United States, saying that the town of a province in France is cooperating with Elmina to improve tourism potential, particularly through strengthening the planning and organisation of the annual Bakatue and Edina Bronya festivals.
“As the Member of Parliament and Minister of State, Dr Nduom lobbied successfully to ensure the dredging of the Elmina-Benya Lagoon to improve the fishing industry and the improvement of important roads such as the Ankaful- Amisano-Elmina road, the Agona-Essiam Effutu road, the Komenda junction-Komenda road, the Edinaman Secondary School access road and others”, he pointed out, adding that Dr Ndoum has also seen to the reconstruction of the Elmina bridge.