Dr Donald Agumenu, a leadership and governance expert, has urged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to take the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) mantra of “breaking the eight” lightly.

He said because they (NPP) had robust strategies aimed at achieving that goal.

Dr. Agumenu, a former special aide to late former President Jerry John Rawlings, said the NDC must devise measures to halt the NPP’s “attempt to perpetrate itself in Power”.

“In spite of the harsh economic situation we face as a nation and the dark storms that have engulfed the NPP in its murky internal politicking, there is no need for complacency,” he said.

Dr. Agumenu said winning power in the 2024 elections required hard work, vigilance and tremendous courage and charged the rank and file of the Party to prepare.

He said the 2024 election presented another golden opportunity for Ghana to show the maturity of her democracy by holding a free, fair and transparent polls and said it was the duty of political parties, the Electoral Commission, civil society, moral authorities and Ghanaians to join forces to accomplish that.

He said Ghana and the rest of West Africa were far behind time in the quest to achieve economic and financial freedom hence every effort must be put in place to sustain and entrench democratic principles to sustain the peace, security and economic development.

He said the lofty ideals in the framework of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area could only be achieved if peace and security were given foremost attention.

Dr. Agumenu called on ECOWAS to fast-track activities that would facilitate more integrated cross-border trade, saying it was the surest mechanism to create more jobs, improve incomes and prosperity.

“The infrastructure network especially roads within the West African sub-region must receive special attention. Togo has done well with the construction of a four-lane road network leading to the ECOWAS border at Akanu near Ghana. Same expansion works should be done in Ghana and Liberia in the Trans West African Highway,” he said.