..,Calls for collaborative approach
President of IMANI Africa, has voiced his disappointment in the vision statement presented by New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, urging a more inclusive and collaborative approach to governance.
Franklin Cudjoe, believes that Dr Bawumia, should have acknowledged the government’s shortcomings and sought input from Ghanaians, instead of offering a vision statement laden with promises.
During his address to the nation on Wednesday, February 7, Dr Bawumia, outlined ambitious policies centred around digitization, with a focus on leveraging technology and the private sector to create sustainable employment opportunities, generate revenue, and position Ghana in the global economy.
Among his pledges, Dr Bawumia, committed to abolishing the controversial e-levy, a 1.5 per cent charge on electronic and mobile money transactions exceeding GH¢100 per day, and aligning Ghana’s port charges with those of Togo to combat smuggling.
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On Citi FM’s Big Issue programme last Saturday, February 10, Mr Cudjoe suggested that Bawumia, should have taken a different approach to engage the public.
He proposed a scenario where Bawumia would address the nation by acknowledging past mistakes and actively seeking input from Ghanaians for the vision of his administration.
“I think by way of presentation and plan, if I were Bawumia this is what I was likely to do. So good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am glad you are here to listen to my speech for the presidency. I thank you for your time, but I am not here to tell you what has happened already because you already know them. And I know you want to know what I have in store for you and I think that even with that I will think that yes there were avoidable mistakes and there were things we could have done better.
“But there are things we are looking forward to for which I have come to you this evening to ask for your advice and maybe help in making sure that I ask you to tell me the things you never want to see repeated in my administration and the things that you think I can do to impact your lives and livelihoods.”
“When I leave here, I am going to leave contacts with you so that you contact these persons or I am leaving these contacts with you. Send all your questions, recommendations and again the things you don’t want to see happen again my administration,” he stated.
Mr Cudjoe, believes that such a transparent and collaborative approach would have minimized criticisms and fostered more constructive engagement from the public.
Meanwhile, Fuseini Issah, a former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North, acknowledged that Vice President Bawumia, has significantly enhanced the visibility of his office, particularly through the country’s digitalization agenda.
He emphasized that Bawumia’s visible roles set him apart from his predecessors.
Mr Issah, said the Vice President was now well-noted for the country’s digitalisation agenda.
“For the first time, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has brought some visibility to the office he occupies more than any other Vice President that we have seen since 1993.”
“Why because he has assumed very visible roles…Today he is synonymous with this digitalisation agenda,” he stated.
However, Inusah Fuseini, a former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, expressed disappointment in Bawumia’s vision statement, describing it as a repetition of unfulfilled promises made by the Akufo-Addo government.
Fuseini stated on The Big Issue that Bawumia’s speech merely “rehashed promises the NPP government had said to Ghanaians and were not fulfilled,” expressing his dissatisfaction with the content of the address.
The NPP flagbearer in outlining a series of policies he plans to implement if elected as President prioritized digitization, Dr Bawumia expressed his intention to leverage technology and the private sector to create sustainable jobs, generate revenue, and establish systems that would advance Ghana into the modern global economy.
Inusah Fuseini, who is also a former Member of Parliament for the Tamale Central constituency, the NPP’s presidential candidate merely reiterated promises that the government had previously made and failed to fulfil.
The former minister observed that Dr Bawumia “rehashed promises the NPP government had said to Ghanaians and were not fulfilled…We are disappointed in Bawumia’s speech.”
