Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, believes that NPP Flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia should have acknowledged the government’s shortcomings and solicited feedback from Ghanaians for his administration rather than presenting a vision statement full of more promises.
During his address to the nation on Wednesday, February 7, Dr. Bawumia outlined a number of policies he intends to implement if elected President, with a special emphasis on digitization.
He described plans to use technology and the private sector to create long-term employment opportunities, generate revenue, and position Ghana in the modern global economy.
Dr. Bawumia made a number of promises, including doing away with the e-levy, a 1.5% fee on electronic and mobile money transactions over GH¢100 per day, and matching Ghana’s port levies with Togo’s in order to stop smuggling.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, Mr. Cudjoe implied that if he had been Dr. Bawumia, he would have planned to find out what Ghanaians thought about their vision for the nation’s governance. He placed a strong emphasis on accepting the status of the country as it is and encouraging cooperation as a means of developing trust.
“I believe that this is what I would have done if I were Bawumia in terms of presentation and strategy. So, gentlemen and ladies, good evening. It is a pleasure to have you here to hear my presidential speech. Although I appreciate your time, you are already aware of the events that have occurred, so I won’t be telling you what has happened. I understand that you are curious about what I have in store for you, but even with that, I believe that there were mistakes that could have been avoided and that there were things we could have done differently.
However, there are certain things we are looking forward to, so I’ve come to you this evening to ask for your guidance and perhaps assistance in making sure I ask you to tell me what you think I can do to improve your lives and livelihoods, as well as what you would never want to see repeated in my administration.
“I will either leave these contacts with you when I leave here, or I will leave contacts with you so that you can get in touch with these people. Please submit all of your inquiries, suggestions, and reminders of the things you do not want to see my administration repeat,” he said.
According to Mr. Cudjoe, taking this tack would have reduced the negative comments made about Dr. Bawumia and encouraged more positive interaction.
