PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY TO PROSPERITY
For The Daily Statesman December 19 2016
The New Patriotic Party’s Thanksgiving Service at the Accra Stadium on Sunday, December 18th, 2016, was yet another event graced by the presence of Ghana’s president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, and another solidifying moment in the country’s faith in his ability to lead with insight and positivity.
Change is the new theme for Ghana. Under Nana Akufo-Addo’s painstakingly honed intuit, together the people and the government can move forward towards development, unity, and stability. During his speech on Sunday, he reiterated his commitment:
“My personal journey to this day has been a long, long one: a journey of over four decades, working shoulder to shoulder with fellow patriots and nationalists for democracy in our beloved Ghana. Our stamina has been tested.”
Victory did not just fall in the NPP’s proverbial lap. Persistence, a quality too often corrupted by discouragement, laziness, or loss of interest, is a quality Nana Addo has proved is a part of his very being. He has illustrated his dedication to Ghana, through years of toiling, by reaching a point where he has the ability to build the country up from it’s governing predecessor.
“We kept our heads up, and squared our shoulders, and set forth with firmness and unwavering conviction. We did not blink,” Akufo-Addo said of the way in which his party faced obstacles on their journey to victory.
“…we never lost hope. We learnt from each mistake and we soldiered on, in the belief that in His own time, we will get there, better prepared.”
Mistakes are not failures. Mistakes are learning tools. Could the president-elect have a more positive outlook on how to run a country?
An uplifting tone has been set for the next four years, and with a track record like Nana Akufo-Addo’s, achievement isn’t feasible, it is palpable. Persistence will play it’s role here.
In past speeches, Nana Addo has urged people to forgive others in opposition, or who have done wrong. It is the only way to move forward. Holding grudges and seeking vengeance is negative energy and wasted time. Forgive and move forward. We have four years, but that time will come and go before you can say “Onaapo”. Let’s follow Akufo-Addo’s lead and focus our efforts on positive change.
The NPP have packed a tight schedule into their Manifesto for 2016– no wiggle room for rehashing old disputes. Although the past government may have held a casual attitude towards corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and impunity, this will end come January 7, 2017, when Nana Akufo-Addo is sworn into office. One of the points in the NPP’s Manifesto is to reduce taxes on electricity tariffs immediately after assumption of the office, to bring relief to households and industries. The energy crisis is a long-standing issue, and this is the first step in a detailed plan to solve the problem long-term. The NPP has elected, as one factor of the solution, to use solar power where possible, showing that they are looking towards innovative solutions that are not only economically and financially sustainable, but environmentally as well.
Going forward, two other outstanding pledges the NPP has made will, upon their implementations, create room for the type of growth that Ghana has been needing for too long now.
One-District-One-Factory: establishing one factory in every district will create pools of employment in the agric sector. This will modernize agriculture, improve production efficiency, achieve food security and profitability for farmers. This will be supported by another pledge of the NPP: One-Village-One-Dam.
In the three Northern regions, one dam in each village will provide farmers with the irrigation systems necessary during droughts to provide crop preservation.
The NPP has a well-rounded, innovative, and detailed manifesto that is inclusive of everyone, without regard to religious, political, or social background.
From providing free SHS for students and Freedom Cards to the aged, from improvements in transport fees, employment rates, environmental impact, agriculture, healthcare, education systems, the energy crisis, infrastructure development, and abolishment of corruption, among other issues, Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP have laid out an impeccable strategy to lift Ghana from its debilitating challenges and put it on a path of sustainable development and prosperity. Their persistence will see it through.
in it to wing it 