In the aftermath of the launch of manifestos by the NPP and NDC over the past weeks and the subsequent "To Lead is to Solve" detailed and all-inclusive media engagement by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic and the flagbearer of the NPP, two buzz and code words that are redefining the future of Ghana are "UPGRADE" from the Dr. Bawumia and "RESET" from H.E. Mahama.

These two positions further elevate the discourse on this old adage in sailing: “You’ll either be ruled by the rudder or you’ll be ruled by the rocks.” "The idea is that if we are not actively directing our path with something we have control over, external forces outside our control will determine our destinies (and that’s usually not good – you’ll end up aground on the rocks.) It is the same with our lives:  you will either be ruled by your internal rudder or by the other forces (and have to pay a high price for the damages suffered.),"
according to Pastor Wayne Cordeiro (2007).

By rule of the rudder, one is taking control of his destiny and constantly upgrading his position and direction to continue to be relevant in the midst of burning challenges, and by rule by the rock one virtually becomes disillusioned, loses control of his density, and threw hands up into the sky and begins to set the buzz word to either a default position or stays at current position without knowing the talents and resources at his disposal to make definitive drive towards elevating his destiny and dignity for the better.

This sailing adage has clarified the positions by Dr. Bawumia in his principles of "UPGRADE" and that of H.E. Mahama in his "RESET" principles in their 2024 Manifestos for the December 7, 2024 general elections. 

The two manifestos are technically reduced to two options for our electoral decisions, i.e. "policies, strategies, and actions for upgrading and resetting the forward march of Ghana's development in the comity of global relevance. My checks for some synonyms for the word upgrade in simple terms are "advance," "promote" "progress" and "scale-up." All these words show signs of growth and for that matter increase in worth and substance.

Upgrade shows a better standard of living and provides the platform for effective performances and a SMART work environment. From software developers' point of view upgrade is a new functionality and release for seamless better performance over the existing state. In the economic development sense, upgrade means improved outcomes in the key economic and financial variables: production capacity, job creation, employment opportunities, incomes and welfare, infrastructure, governance, pensions and retirement, environmental ecosystem, fiscal and financial systems, and socio-cultural values.

Whenever an upgrade takes place, it results in a new construct for POSSIBILITY MINDSET to triumph as Dr. Bawumia and the NPP supporters have been processing and elucidating for Ghanaians to believe and have faith in it. Also, upgrading tenders in demonstrable experience in work and enhanced capacity channeled through a clear perception of issues and trends of development around us, and finally, it brings forth the power of getting immersed in the society and communities we live in more especially when a segment of the Ghanaian society is consumed with the IMPOSSIBILITY MINDSET in both their faith and belief principles that all good and game-changing things are meant for posterity and future people instead of building it today for posterity to drive and leverage on for their living and continue to upgrade and modify for generations after them too.

This captures what President Mahama and his teeming NDC supporters represent. 
To reset is "an act of setting again." It means to correct, install, initialize, adjust, or launch, among others that connote the element of beginning or starting something all over again. In the engineering and technology environment, which is now defining global development, reset means "causing a binary device to enter the state corresponding to 0." Resetting leads to "restoring a device or system to its original state or restart it in case of a malfunction or freeze."

Reset, therefore, connotes an opinionated view with a concluding sense of knowing it all and beginning to live in a ‘comfort zone syndrome’ rather than aspire for greater heights by leapfrogging in a forward march instead of backtracking into the reverse gear simply because you lack the capacity and zeal to understand that higher levels of challenges are a recipe for greater opportunities with the possibility mindset. This is the position of President Mahama and his NDC workforce.

From these analogies, it can be noted that the benchmark indicators for Ghana’s economy to be reset according to the principle of the reset agenda by President Mahama is the original state of the Ghanaian economic system for which he handed over power to President Akufo-Addo on 7 th January 2017. That the original state had such economic indicators of a 3.7% oil-induced GDP growth rate with a monetary value of an estimated US$56.6billion; oil-induced GDP per capita growth of 17% (from $1,266 in 2008 to $1,481 in 2016), 5 years of large-scale national blackout (dumsor)- the first ever in the history of global challenges; 5.2% unemployment rate; and over $13million unpaid allowances due to security service officers who had served on various international peace-keeping assignments for which the UN had paid fully the Government of Ghana; 5.2% personnel remittances as a percentage of GDP; and a collapsed financial sector that created indebtedness to 4.6million people to the tune of over GHS21.6billion and still counting.

The reset is characterized by a lack of chalk and no free education for secondary education; a pro-rata salary system where recruited teachers were paid 3 months for more than one year of work done which famously became V3MSPP - VICTIM OF THREE (3) MONTHS SALARY PAY POLICY; ban on public sector employment that piled up for 4 good years; global corruption perception index (CPI) of 43/100 score with a rank of 70/176 countries, interest payment of roughly 7.3% of GDP exceeding total capital expenditure by roughly 2.15%, and average Treasury Bill rate of 23.4%. Also, the average commercial bank lending rate was 39.5%, about 885 small-medium enterprises (SMEs) investment losses from dumsor amounted to GHS250million (ISSER, 2017); a forest area of land size of 38.4%; electricity access of 79.3% of the population; internet penetration of 28% of the population; among many other variables. 

In summary, the net effect and impact of the economic variables handed over by President Mahama was his honest admission that "we have chewed the meat and
are left with only the bones," to wit "ya we enam no na aka dompe." On the other hand, Dr. Bawumia’s upgrade principle has the position that Ghana can work to scale up the current GDP of US$76.37billion (2023) and the GDP per capita of US$2,238.2 (2023) to create greater jobs and income opportunities; reduce the unemployment rate of 3.1% further down; digitize the entire economic ecosystem to induce enhanced revenue and income creation; expand the 35.1% forest area of land size through afforestation and reclamation; global corruption perception index (CPI) of 43/100 score with a rank of 70/176 countries (2023); advance electricity access 86.63% of the population and improve internet penetration of 71.9% of the population, avoid completely indebtedness to the V3MSPP; payment of the over GHS21.6billion financial sector indebtedness to the 4.6million people; effective identification of Ghanaians through the ECOWAS Card which is now operating on ICAO travel system for citizens without passports to travel home to Ghana.

The future of the reset agenda has a 24-hour economy where discos and nightclubs will operate 24/7. The key products of the reset economic policy drive are all-night waakye business, reduced electricity rate for those working during the night but higher cost for day operations, raising of animals kingdom for aircraft to be deployed to feed them, rearing of ‘nkokobuo nketenkete’ in which in difficult times we are told that the birds could be sold to raise income (principles of spending your economic assets base). The reset further
brings to the table the question: how can someone who was Vice President and President for 8 years could not manage the economy to generate revenues for resourcing the energy sector and therefore causing the largest catastrophe of dumsor for 5 years can now convince you that he can use four years to sustain and enhance on improving electricity access and ensuring that lights are on for 24/7?

The upgrade agenda has the “…lead to solve” mindset (the Bold Solutions) that will provide opportunities to sustain and increase the employment of the public sector workforce having cleared the 4-year batches (2013-2016) that President Mahama left in 2016. It will leverage digitization as the fundamental tool to drive economic development and to ensure inclusivity; scale up industrial modernization and growth as well as pitch the process of economic, social, and cultural development on technology; credit scoring system that frees cash resources for individuals to build assets and investment over long periods of time and hence provides financial space for everyone; and tax amnesty and same rate tax to engender tax administration confidence, seamless and easy tax principles that target wider base to foster enhanced domestic revenues and reduce dependency on external funding for basic services and social amenities; among others.

The two leaders have simplified the choices for 2024 for us as voters and citizens. The Bawugrade (Bawumia’s upgrade) or the Mahaset (Mahama’s reset) agenda are the choices available now. No third option. If you believe that Ghana has not moved from ground zero and up in the comity of improved human
development capital index (i.e., improved health and life expectancy, greater access to education and knowledge acquisition and deployment, increased working environment and job opportunities, incomes, social welfare system, pensions, and retirement incomes, enhanced standard of living), etc., that have collectively built an overarching public wealth as against individual wealth (to create, loot and share) for which we need to work much harder to expand the fortunes then vote for the Reset Agenda.

However, if you think we need to expand and upscale the current economic indicators where greater public wealth is built over the years which MUST be consistently and committedly processed to maximize for the greater good of all,
then vote for the Upgrade Agenda. However, I am convinced that Ghana is far positioned to MOVE FORWARD THROUGH the UPGRADE AND SCALE-UP with digitization, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), and effective individual credit scoring as the foundation for such economic development. We cannot reset for a 24-hour economy that will bear the fruits of nkokobuo nketenkete, 24/7 discotheque, casinos and clubs, night waakye business, and reduced electricity cost for night work without knowing that for any business to be effective 24/7, it is a function of demand and supply of its products.

It can never be driven by any form of policy and legislation. I urge the voting public to note that among the 14 Deming Success Points that rebuilt the Japanese economy after World War II destruction that thought in leadership and management models were: (i) constantly improve forever every process (which has become known as the “Kaizen Principles”), i.e. upgrade, (ii) implement leadership (participative management and transformational leadership), (iii) implement education and self-improvement (build on workforce skills to be adaptable to change), (iv) eliminate fear (build attitude of possibility in a can-do spirit), and (v) make "transformation" everyone's job (use effective change management principles to introduce new philosophy and ideas). None of the 14 points elevates resetting as the best approach to economic advancement.

It is therefore worthy to note that these are the bold solution principles that Japan was taught and bought into. Today, though, Japan is an economic giant and global power in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. And this is what is driving the “IT IS POSSIBLE” mantra to continue instilling the belief of working on the framework of the ‘Ghanaian can do it better’.