By Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe

The flagbearer of the NPP for elections 2016, Nana Akufo-Addo, is reported to have said on his campaign tour of the Northern region that "the NDC will steal my ideas." It is only fair that this statement is subjected to a small fact check, so as to see who is stealing the ideas of the other.

In a Daily Graphic News Report for 31st March, 2014, then Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, urged the board of the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service (GRATIS) Foundation to swiftly deal with issues of corruption within the foundation.

He further stated "government intended to position GRATIS to work with the National Board for Small Scale Industries on the implementation of the Rural District Industrialisation Initiative (RDII). That initiative, he said, would be piloted in 30 districts countrywide.”

He explained that under the District Industrialisation Initiative, the industries would be established based on the comparative advantage it had in respect of natural resources for which value could be added.

The initiative for rural industrialization based on the comparative advantage can CERTAINLY NOT BE THE IDEA OF NANA ADDO.

Nana Addo announced this so called initiative during his recent campaign tour of Central Region. By that time President John Mahama had already revamped the Komenda Sugar Factory. It is as a result of this that Nana Addo quickly got this' promise' through.

If he had this idea, why didn’t he promise this in the 2012 elections campaign? Or he just realized the need for rural industrialization?

This government through the Produce Buying Company has already worked on the SHEA NUT FACTORY IN BUIPE, because they have the COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE THERE; I mean the raw material, not about dog meat factory as claimed by Anthony Karbo, aide to Nana Akufo-Addo.

In a Daily Graphic story dated 13th July, 2016, by Asare Boadu and Vincent Amenuveve, it was reported that "President John Dramani Mahama last Monday cut the sod for the construction of the Tamne Dam in the Garu-Tempane District of the Upper East Region.

Water from the dam is expected to irrigate about 3,250 acres in the district and promote an all-year-round farming. Water from the dam is expected to irrigate about 3,250 acres in the district and promote an all-year-round farming.

“It is expected that about 5,400 direct and indirect jobs would be created following the construction of the dam. The employment that would be generated as a result would boost farming activities in the Bawku Municipality and the Garu-Tempane, Binduri and Pusiga districts."

A similar dam is to be constructed at Pwalugu all in the Upper East region.

About 48 DAYS LATER ON THE 28TH AUGUST, 2016, at Bolgatanga in the same Upper East Region, Nana Addo made a campaign promise of ONE DAM, ONE VILLAGE, if he is voted in power.

Clearly what he is promising to do, with respect, President Mahama is doing it already.

Of the candidates stealing each other's idea, WHO STOLE WHOSE IDEA?

Many such dams already exist in the northern part of Ghana and some other parts of Ghana.

Currently ongoing is the rehabilitation of the dam at Keyime near Ziope in the Volta region and many more in the North Tongu area.

There is no policy originality and clarity in what Nana Addo is promising.

On the ONE DAM, ONE VILLAGE, Nana Addo again demonstrated great lack of understanding and clarity of thought. It has to take his aides to now try to fine tune the promise. Mustapha Hamid on Citifm stated that "the dam here mean boreholes, receptacles or mini dams. And that in some communities, it will be clustered, meaning it is not exactly ONE DAM PER VILLAGE, because there are over 6000 villages in the North."

The people in the North certainly have varied needs, some really want big dams for farming, some want mechanized boreholes for good drinking water.

His Minority Spokesperson on Agric, Dr Akoto on Joy FM even confused the issues when he admitted, "it is not possible for Nana Addo to get a dam in every village in the North."

No wonder we are being told that, "when Nana Addo met the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, one of his aides whispered into his ears that the people need a dam, hence the promise of ONE DAM, ONE VILLAGE.

Clearly, this was not a well thought through promise; it was a knee jerk pronouncement to deceive the people.

Nana Addo has to rely on his aides to tell exactly what the promise is. No OWNERSHIP of the IDEA demonstrated by his lack of policy clarity and abysmal lack of clarity of thought on these ideas. These are not his IDEAS!

On the ONE MILLION DOLLARS PER CONSTITUENCY, it is clear the NPP guys have mis-diagnosed the problems of our people. The needs of a constituency like AYAWASO WEST WUOGON OR DOME KWABENYA in Greater Accra, are most definitely different from that of a constituency like BINDURI OR TALENSI in the Upper East Region.

In the Dome Kwabenya constituency, currently, with the increasing population growth due to new settlements coming up, President Mahama is constructing a 100 bed Hospital just behind the Atomic Clinic, that project is certainly not ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

The asphalting of the roads from Saint John Junction through Dome Market, Dome Crossing through Atomic to Haatso to the Legon Botanical Gardens is not a ONE MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. The construction of the Community Day School just by the Atomic Police station is certainly not ONE MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT.

It is even erroneous to state with ONE MILLION PER CONSTITUENCY, it must be need based, firmed on proper assessment.

The NDC government believes and has 'practicalized' infrastructure for development. Check the GREENBOOK.

Former President Rawlings came with VAT which was opposed by the NPP. Yet, through VAT, we have GETFUND, NHIS, and now Ghana Infrastructure Fund.

Can you count the number of schools built under GETFUND? Health financing through 2.5% VAT? Ghana Infrastructure Fund for providing a sustainable funding source for infrastructural development in Ghana? These are well thought through, methodical approaches to development.

That is PRESIDENT MAHAMA for you.

Say No to the NPP cynics. This is just my preliminary observations.

God bless Ghana.