At the Annual Delegates’ Conference of Ashanti Region, the delegates made it clear that the Ashanti region, the world bank of the NPP is solidly behind Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, not only to win the NPP Presidential primaries but also to become the next president of Ghana.
I was personally impressed by the analytical Prowers of most delegates in several areas. In this article, I will attempt to share some of the things which delegates brought to my attention in our interactions which for most of them is the reason they will choose Alan Kyerematen to lead the NPP to victory come 2024.
Before I proceed to outline the points let me share one mantra which delegates had coded. The mantra is “ALLOW CASH IN” I sought to establish the meaning of the phrase and was told that Alan Kyerematen as president of Ghana means cash in the pocket of the nation
To most Delegates, the next National Presidential Elections will be about: A strong base for votes, Jobs, Industrialization, Continental –Trade, practical Entrepreneurial Development, among others.
Some delegates suggested that, for the NPP to present a solid winnable candidate to break the 8, there is a need to look at the current voting parting of the nation. They argue that according to the 2021 Ghana statistical service records, about 47.5% of the country are Akans, 17% Dagbani, 14% Ewe. 7% Ga Adangbe, 6% Gurma, 4% Guan, 2.5% Gurusi and 1% Bisa. It is therefore out of order for anyone to assume that it is a crime for Akans to have all the opportunities which position them as rightful King-makers of the nation. Some said it is not bad for the NPP to be called an Akan party, rather, the party should find ways to continue holding the Akan constituencies together. This they believe if done well will continue to see the NPP party winning elections in Ghana.
Again, others believe that if there is the slightest possibility of religion playing a role in the 2024 elections, then it must be noted that the records show that 71.2% of Ghanaians are Christians, 17.6% are Moslems, 5.2% are traditionalist, 0.8% belong to other religions and 5.2% could be classified as an atheist. One Moslem brother suggested that it will be better to present someone who belongs to the ethnic and religious majority to amass more votes because breaking the 8 is an epic solemn war that we cannot underestimate in any shape or form. In his words, ‘’the NPP must leave no stone unturned in preparing a candidate with the right mixture of votes for victory, not for trial and error’’
On Jobs, they say that looking at the fact that under the 1D1F initiative alone, Alan Kyerematen has been able to provide, we can see that About 104 factories are currently in operations, 150 factories are under construction whiles 20 are at a mobilization stage These have directly and indirectly created 150, 975 jobs; and cumulatively is estimated that 280,000 jobs will be created when all is done. If the one who is behind all these, as well as bringing giant automobile companies to Ghana, bringing the Continental Head Office of Twitter to Ghana and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Headquarters to Ghana, is saying he will provide more jobs for our youth, whose’ most pressing need is jobs, why should we deny him the opportunity to serve his country in that regard?
One delegate I spoke with who is also an economics teacher established that in the part the role of trade in stabilizing the currency and ensuring a buoyant economy seem to have been under-estimated, but the time is now ripe for an economist who is also an international trade expert to give us the perfect blueprint for economic development, using trade and industry as a foundation. According to him if we harness our potential in trade, it will not only help Ghana but Africa as a continent, he paraphrased Alan as saying once that The most developed regions of the world are the regions with the highest level of market integration and adds that regrettably Africa still remains the least integrated region in the world; that is less than 5% of total trade happens among ourselves as Africans, If we could improve this to an acceptable percentage, then we are certain the poverty situation in Africa will be cured completely. After saying all that, he asked me, “why should the person with all these ideas not be made president in an economy that obviously needs his skills?’’
Another area which delegates said was a massive strength of Alan Kyerematen to break the 8 is his level of acceptability among the youth, no wonder countless youthful groups are established to support his course. Well perhaps because some have said Alan is the Hope of the Youth. Therefore in an economy that is largely considered to be youthful, it is just proper to parade a candidate who is loved by the youth.
When Hon Boniface Abubakar Siddique arrived at the conference to represent Hon. Alan Kyerematen, the euphoria and massive shout amidst drumming and dancing by all the young people present sent a loud note to every delegate that the voice of the youth is an Alan President for Ghana. The former lawmaker joined the young men to sing Alan-composed ‘Jama’ songs after which he was accompanied by a crowd of young people to the conference. When he left the conference, he joined the young people again at a place where a group of young volunteer doctors and other health professionals had gathered to organize free health screening for delegates to appreciate them for the good work they are doing to commemorate the birthday of Hon Kyerematen.
When all was said and done, one big cake was cut amidst chants of a new song for Alan Kyerematen. Indeed the euphoria at Ejisu was clear, that Ghana can’t wait to see Alan Kyerematen as president.
Your servant took the liberty to share tracts with delegates and most of them were excited to see The Alan News in circulation, some even wanted more copies to be sent to their constituencies. As a young man, I couldn’t help but feel goose pimps all over me with the massive show of love by the people of Ashanti for their noble son Kwadwo Kyerematen.
We are told of the EC creating new constituencies after the Population and Housing Census and close to 13 new constituencies will be in Ashanti Region alone. The matter is simple, the voice of Ashanti is the beloved voice of Ghana. Ghana has spoken and the words are simple.
