The UK and Ireland branch of the New Patriotic Party has isued a statement congratulating the NPP National Chairman Mr. Peter Macmanu on his election as the Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa (DUA) at the end of its Leaders' Meeting held in Accra from the 4th to the 6th of August 2006.

The statement, signed on behalf of the branch by the Chairman, Mr. Hayford Atta-Krufi, who was also attended the meeting also commended the New Patriotic Party for hosting the meeting in recognition of the need for all centre-right political parties in government or in opposition in Africa to come togather to pursue common goals towards a better Africa.

The statement said "We in the NPP UK and Ireland caucaus salute you, Mr. Chairman, for your strength in leadershipin bringing together African political parties that believe in the ideals of a smaller state and a bigger role for the individual, the family and free enterprise. At a time when Communism and the Left seem to be still fashionable in many African nations, we in the NPP have shown that our forebears were right in insisting on centre-right ideals that believe in freedom of the individual, the press, of entreprise and good governance. We in the NPP languished in oppsition for a good part of Ghana's 50 years of political history but we never retreated from our ideals. Since 2001, our nation has re-emerged once again as the pathfinder not in the ideals of freedom fighting and political emancipation [as we led under Nkrumah in the 1960s] but in economic emancipation and genuine fiscal freedom. Many of our partner political parties are still in opposition elsewhere in Africa and we must use the example of the good administraton of the NPP in government to nurture and support these political parties. One thing as clear as day in Africa is that socialism has failed with their dictators stumbling. Many of our political partners are in jail elsewhere in Africa for believing in our ideals and we must not forget them or take our hard won democracy for granted. We in the NPP in the diaspora will do everything to support such political parties which want to set up overseas branches with ideas and expertise. We are sure the delegates have seen the tremendous developements going on in Ghana under the NPP administration and the freedom with which the people of Ghana participate in the national development. This is the spirit of free entreprise at work and we must congratuate ourselves as a nation for finally accepting centre-right policies".

The Democratic Union of Africa is an union of all African political parties that promote greater private sector particication and centre-right ideologies in government. The Conference which was hosted by the NPP drew representatives from the New Coomowealth States of Africa and the UK. The theme of the Conference was "Developing and strenghtening internal capacity of political parties in Africa and was addresed by His Excellency Aliu Mahama, the Vice President at the M-Plaza Hotel in Accra. Rt.Hon Peter Lily, M.P. of the Conservative Party of UK led the UK delegation. He adressed the Conference on "A new deal with Africa - from promiss to perfromance" He touched on such sensive issues that Africa capacity to compete on the world commodity trade such as tariff and other trade barriers and how thiese could be lifted not only between Africa and the rest of the world, but also betwen African countries. He lamented the collapse of the WTO Doha Round of trade talks and stressed on the globalisation and the Global Poverty Group set up by the Conservative Party of UK which he chairs and which aims to champion the cause of internal development under a future Conservative government.

The meeting discussed such issues a corruption which is by far the worst enemy in Africa's economic warfare and suggested ways and means to tackle it. Delegates from Liberia's new government and that of Kenya shared some experiences from their government, while delegates from oppsition political parties such as in Tanzania and Mozambique shared the efforts they are making to make their policies and programmes acceptable to their people. There were also discussion papers on internal democratisation of political parties and the harmonisation of democratice principles. The participants hailed this meeting as a ground breaking one in the sense of Africans beginning to see to themselves as a way of moving Africa forward politically and economically.

Hayford Atta-Krufi, Chairman for and on behalf of NPP UK and Ireland