NPP and NDC: Competitive manifestos

Both main parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) – published their manifestos in mid-August.

Both parties issued substantial manifestos, each weighing in at several hundred pages. Thankfully, both have also produced shorter, summary versions: handy reference guides for voters to assess the merits of each party’s plans if elected. Ghana’s voters are partisan—most will have already decided for which party/candidate they will vote. Yet, there is also a relatively small pool of uncommitted/floating voters who may be persuaded by the manifestos. Let’s look at each of the main parties’ manifestos and see what may catch the eye of the uncommitted/floating voter.

NDC

The much-abridged version of the full NDC manifesto is entitled: ‘Mahama Key Policies #BuildingGhanaTour’. Thirty-two pages long, glossy, fully coloured, replete with bullet points and smiling (would-be) voters, it is split into different policy sections: Economic, Governance, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Process and Manufacturing, Digital and Technology, Environmental and Social.

Perhaps the most controversial and topical section is the lengthy 10-page Economic section. Mr Mahama pledges to kick-start Ghana’s economy after what he sees as years of under-performance under the NPP. For Mr Mahama, a tricky issue is that Ghana will have to deal with economic circumstances beyond its control, whoever wins the election. Deloitte Ghana, a leading international accounting and auditing firm, has stated that while the outlook for Ghana’s economy is in the short to medium term is favourable, there are significant downside risks following the December elections: high inflation and rising interest rates, impacting on private consumption and investment spending in 2025, with consumers likely to face a decline in purchasing power and businesses expecting higher operating costs.

The NDC’s answer is the ‘24-hour Economy’, an economic model with architecture and economic infrastructure working around the clock. The aim is to support 24-hour operation of businesses, factories, government services, restaurants, shops, healthcare delivery, banking and other services.

According to the NDC, a 24-hour economy is necessary to boost economic growth, create employment opportunities and improve Ghanaians’ overall quality of life. Creating such a national environment to facilitate continuous economic activity requires three-way collaboration, adaptability and commitment between government, the private sector and civil society. The United Kingdom and the United States are said to be trailblazers in the development of the 24-hour economy, with great potential for economic growth, job creation and heightened productivity.

How novel is the NDC plan? It is noted that certain sectors of Ghana’s economy already have 24-hour operations. Despite the undoubted promise of the 24-hour economy vision, some are sceptical, particularly opponents within the NPP who question the proposal’s novelty. To convince the doubters, Mr Mahama would need to set out a well-crafted implementation plan, one that does not merely replicate existing practices but also addresses sector-specific factors to ensure the proposal’s genuine impact.

NPP

The NPP’s manifesto seeks to present both the party and the flag bearer’s deep understanding of the issues faced by Ghanaians and outlines proposals to address them. It highlights the leadership qualities of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flag bearer, as a values-based, solution-oriented leader who can bring people together and drive growth and prosperity. The manifesto seeks support for Dr Bawumia’s presidency and for NPP Parliamentary candidates to translate these plans into reality and build a prosperous Ghana.

The manifesto outlines 14 key commitments. The first is to sustain and expand Ghana’s economy. Others include job creation, tax reforms, affirmative action, expanding public infrastructure and building Ghana into a world-class digital economy.

The NPP manifesto claims the current government has created over 2.3 million jobs in the past eight years. The manifesto sets out plans to create new jobs, collaborating with the private sector, in construction and infrastructure development, agribusiness, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), minerals industry and security services. The NPP also wants to recruit more teachers for special needs education, set quotas for recruiting people with disabilities in the public sector, employ more lawyers for legal aid and support businesses to drive job creation via government purchasing power to buy from local businesses and stimulate industrial expansion through a “Buy Ghana First” policy.

The manifesto further seeks to elevate Ghana into a world-class digital economy and Africa’s digital hub. This would be achieved via competitive incentives and strategic investments to foster local talent and nurture tech start-ups, as well as the empowerment of a million youths with enhanced digital skills. The NPP also wants to establish a National Robotics, Engineering and AI Lab, in collaboration with educational institutions and tech companies.

Venture funding and grant support would be provided to encourage tech projects by local start-ups and spearhead the African Union policy campaign for cross-border mobile money interoperability. The NPP also wants to introduce a Digital Residency programme for global businesses, a five-year Digital Nomad Visa and Work Permit programme, and appoint a Digital Ambassador to expand external markets for Ghanaian digital talent and products.

Some Ghanaians question the NPP flag-bearer’s leadership quality and his supposed deep understanding of issues facing Ghanaians. If Dr Bawumia is a solution-oriented leader who can bring people together and drive growth and prosperity, they ask, why is Ghana’s economy in such a mess? Some also question where the claimed 2.3 million jobs are, as well as the sincerity of the NPP’s “Buy Ghana First” policy. If this is the case, why are the NPP’s campaign T-shirts imported from China? Finally, some pose the question: why is Dr Bawumia not doing the things he is promising to do if elected president now?

Conclusion

Both parties’ manifestos are long on promises but rather short on how they would be financed. Since the return of democracy in 1992, the NDC and NPP have alternated in government. Prior to each election, there have been manifestos; some promises have been implemented, others have not. The NPP wants to ‘break the eight’, and enjoy an unprecedented third term; the NDC wants to govern again, having been out in the wilderness for eight years. Ghanaians have a choice: is it better the devil you know (don’t forget the NDC candidate has been in power before), or should they give a new broom a chance to sweep? While each party’s manifestos are slick and professional, scepticism remains about whether either the NPP or NDC can accomplish their manifesto commitments.

The writers are an Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University, UK, and a Political Scientist respectively