A Chapter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ghana has been launched in the northern Italian city, Parma.

Delegates from Chapters of the Party Branch in Italy, including the Palermo Chapter, participated in the event which was marked with speeches towards progress of the Party.

Former Minister for Transport in Ghana (now MP for Bantama Constituency), Dr. Richard Anane, spoke (via telephone) from Ghana to the delegates and urged them to work together in helping to bring the Party to power in 2012. “We have something to hold on (referring to the Party’s previous achievements) and you must work together in helping to ensure victory for the Party in Ghana’s elections 2 years to come,” he told the participants. He denied there are rifts between leading aspirants for the flagbearership of the Party. “What you are hearing is the media which is bringing about these reported differences but I can tell you all the top candidates for the position of flag bearer are working towards the welfare of the Party,” he told his listeners.

The First Vice Chairman of the Party Branch in Italy, Owusu Boateng, also called on members to rally solidly behind the party to ensure victory in the 2012 elections. He said there is a lot of work to be done and efforts are needed from all members of the different Chapters in Italy.

Giving an account of the NPP Branch in Italy, the National Chairman, Alexander Osei Minkah, said the NPP-Italy is a community of Ghanaians who believes in democracy and the rule of law and have come together to form a democratic community to help each other, learn about the laws of Italy to be abiding citizens and to promote NPP in Ghana. “Our prime aim is to support the Party in Ghana to win elections.”

He mentioned in his comprehensive address that the Party Branch in Italy adopts the Constitution of NPP in Ghana and enacts bye-laws that go in line with the laws in Italy. Speaking about the history of the Branch he mentioned the NPP-Italy was established in 2004. “Ghanaians in Italy needed to be motivated to be part of a political group. After all, what is the motivational factor for being part of a political group in a foreign land if it’s impossible to exercise one’s democratic right to decide who should lead his/her motherland?” he asked. Mr. Minkah also pointed out the Party Branch in Italy organised its first Conference in Palermo with the objective of bringing all Party sympathisers together to plan a way forward to revamp activities and elect its leaders. “On March 30, 2010 a ‘Delegates Conference’ was held in Brescia to choose the first democratic leaders of the Branch in Italy. The Party therefore completed the first milestone of moving forward by building the organisational structures,” he said. The Party he indicated is working out strategic plans for its expansion of membership and establishment of new Chapters. To ensure this, the leaders have divided Italy’s territory into 6 zones with a Director and Co-ordinator in charge of each zone. The Party Branch he also mentioned can boast of 10 Chapters across Italy - in the city Palermo, Naples, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Piacenza, Verona, Vicenza, Bergamo and Pordenone - and efforts are being made to increase its membership base targeting 1,000 members by the end of 2011. “We have made our presence known among Ghanaians in Italy and we aim to bring the flag bearer elect to Italy by the mid of 2011. To motivate members we are also working out to invite some leading members of the Party in Ghana for a political rally in Italy by the end of this year where a fund raising network scheme is also expected to be launched,” the National Chairman concluded in his address. As an additional attraction at the event participants witnessed some traditional dances and a mock scene from a village in Ghana performed by the youth.