President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Groupe Nduoum (GN), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has underscored the need for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bring on board the expertise of Ghanaians who can help move the country’s economic agenda forward.
This, he explained, was the only way the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government would achieve the country’s developmental goals, and as well fulfill its campaign promise of creating an-all inclusive governance.
Dr. Ndoum made this observation yesterday when he appeared on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show in Accra to talk about some pertinent national issues.
According to him, he was not happy the way President Akufo-Addo was giving positions to only his party members.
In his opinion, there are equally good Ghanaians from different political parties who must be invited by the new administration to move the country forward.
As an employer, Dr. Ndoum said, for instance, if he had given all positions in his companies to people perceived to be his relations; his business empire would have by now crumbled.
“So it is with government; you want other people to come in, not to take positions but to participate. A nation is like that and should be like that,” he stressed.
On the size of the NPP’s administration, the business man cum politician said, it was too big.
To him, 40 ministers of state can manage the country and not the ‘Elephant’ size of government of President Akufo-Addo which has over 110 ministers.
He maintained that if the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), which he led in the 2016 election had won the elections, he would have used only 40 ministers to run the country and not such a large number.
Some ministries, Dr. Nduom said he would have merged them and scrap some as well.
For instance, he argued that the ministry of local government would not have been necessary if there had been proper decentralisation system.
“If you decentralise well, there will be no room for establishment of ministry of local government. You leave that for the people in the districts, municipalities and metropolitan areas,” he stated.
He, nevertheless, supported the NPP’s campaign promise of allowing Ghanaians to vote for their District Chief Executives (DCEs) as well as municipal, metropolitan and district chief executives (MMDCEs).
Commenting on the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy which will take off September, Dr. Nduom said, he was not clear what the government meant by free SHS.
“We campaigned for free compulsory, continuous education from kindergarten to the end of Senior High School. I want to be told if that is what they mean.
“I have never heard the President or his people talk about compulsory education, and how they will make education compulsory,” he stated.
The astute politician also urged President Akufo-Addo to get out from campaign mood and start acting on his promises.
“The campaign was for 2016; 2017 is for doing [action]. I don’t want to hear we are going to, I want to hear we have started, we are doing, and hopefully, in two-three years I want to hear, we have done this,” he said.