"[The Party's] policy is to liberate the energies of the people for the growth of a property owning democracy in this land, with right to life, freedom and justice, as the principles to which the Government and laws of the land should be dedicated in order specifically to enrich life, property and liberty of each and every citizen".

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction - The NPP

1. The Vision of the NPP
2. The Mission of the NPP
3. Our Motto: Development in Freedom

CHAPTER ONE - THE ECONOMY : BUILDING PROSPERITY FOR ALL

1.1.0 Poor Economic Record : The Cost of (P) NDC Continuity 

1.2.0 Our Commitment to Change 

1.3.0 Objectives of the NPP's Economic Program for Jobs, Economic Security and Empowerment

1.4.0 Specific Policies

1. Economic Management
2. Stabilizing the Exchange Rate
3. Bringing Down Inflation and the High Cost of Living
4. Finance and Financial Services
5. Wages and Remunerations
6. Unemployment and Job Creation
7. Housing and Home Ownership
8. Divestiture and Privation
9. Promoting Investment
10. Promoting Industrial Development

 1.5.0 Small-Scale Business and Self-Employment

1. Boosting Our Exports
2. Tourism
3. Developing Our Infrastructure
4. Integrated Rural Development
5. Developing Agriculture
6. Fisheries
7. The Environment
8. Urban Renewal
9. Management and Development of Natural Resources
10. Exploiting Our Mineral Resources
11. Developing Our Energy Resources
12. Exploiting Our Timber Resources
13. Protecting Our Coastline
14. Science, Technology and Innovation

 CHAPTER TWO - DEVELOPING AND MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES

1. Destruction of Education and Health
2. The NPP's Educational Policy
3. The NPP's Health Policy
4. Population Policy
5. Opportunities for Women
6. Caring for Our Children
7. Sports
8. Culture

CHAPTER THREE - CREATING A VIABLE DEMOCRACY

1. The State of the Nation Today
2. Creating a Viable Democracy
3. National Reconciliation and Unity
4. Justice and the Rule of Law
5. Good Governance
6. Decentralization and Local Government
7. Chieftaincy
8. The Security Services
9. A Motivated Police Force
10. The Prisons and Prisons Services
11. Freedom of Association
12. Access to Information
13. The Media
14. Workers and Unions

CHAPTER FOUR - GHANA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD

1. A New World Order
2. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
3. Africa
4. People of African Descent
5. The Commonwealth
6. United Nations and Other International Organizations
7. Special Relations
8. Post-Apartheid South Africa
9. South-South Co-operation
10. The Non-Aligned Movement

The historical evolution of our country over the last half century has given rise to a political culture in which two strands of political traditions have developed, one in opposition to the other. One strand is the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) socialist political tradition in which the state is considered supreme and all individuals, groups, professional and cultural associations are subsumed and submerged under it. Indeed, the powers of the state are used to ensure that everybody - persons and associations alike - fall into line. In economic management, a major tenet of this tradition is for the state to own and control the resources and the means of production of the economy.

The other strand is the United Party (UP) and its successor parties whose main creed has been the avowal of individual freedom in a liberal democratic state where the development of the individual and of society in a free political atmosphere, under the rule of law, are the principles of the State. Free enterprise, fundamental human rights, and a vigorous pursuit of private initiative are the abiding principles of this tradition.

Over the past four years, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has attempted to project what may seem to be a third strand, making dubious claims to Nkrumaist, socialist roots upon which are superimposed elements of the free market economy of the Structural Adjustment Program as well as the despotism and arbitrariness of the military-led rule of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). The principle of "continuity" which characterizes the NDC has continued the culture of violence and of exclusion, limitations on the independence of the judiciary, and limitation of open discussion and of free interaction between persons and groups which hold different views. As a result of these developments, and glaring inequitable distribution of incomes, our country today is a heavily polarised society.

Our party, the New Patriotic Party, is the successor to the UP tradition and we are proud to offer this Manifesto to our people and to the world as clear statement of our programme and the embodiment of all that our tradition stands for and successive generations of Ghanaians have believed in.

It is a distillation of our Party's philosophy - a philosophy many saw briefly in action in the 27 months of the Progress Party Government in 1969 - 72. The citation from

Dr. J. B. Danquah, the illustrious founding father of our political tradition, clearly summarizes our philosophy and serves to underline the principles and actions of statecraft which our Party will pursue when voted into power.

We commend this Manifesto to you and solicit your vote to enable us carry out a fundamental change in our society and the Ghanaian economy, a change that will be reflected in a lowering of the intolerably high cost of living and a reduction in the depressingly high rate of unemployment, a change that will bring jobs and a living wage for the majority of our people and which will instill in the government and people of this nation respect for the rule of law, for fundamental human rights and freedoms, for the independence of the judiciary, and a belief in the ingenuity, hard work and enterprise of the individual Ghanaian.

Our vision of the future is one of accelerated and sustained economic growth, equal opportunity for all, commitment to law and order and above all a healthy, disciplined, enlightened and caring society.

In the climate of opinion the world over, totalitarianism and the centrally planned economy are in retreat. Liberal democracy and free enterprise are on the ascendancy. These are the values for which our leaders fought and died. These are the values the New Patriotic Party will defend at all times.

The hour for our ideas has struck, and we invite all who share in the beliefs outlined here to join us and vote for the NPP in the coming elections on December 7, 1996. Victory for the NPP will provide the opportunity, once and for all, to resolve the deep, social and economic crises that have engulfed our country.

Your future, your children's future and the destiny of Ghana are in your hands. Act now, join the NPP and be an instrument of change for a better and prosperous Ghana.

  ....................................

PETER ALA ADJETEY

  .................................

J. A. KUFUOR

The New Patriotic Party is the home of all those who believe in the living philosophy of Joseph Boakye Danquah, George Paa Grant, Obetsebi Lamptey, Edward Akufo-Addo, William Ofori-Atta, Solomon Odamtten, Kofi Abrefa Busia, S. G. Antor, J. A. Braimah, Yakubu Tali (Tolon Na), R. E. G. Armattoe and others, all of blessed memory.

These they held and we hold to be true:

• The rights and needs of the individual are paramount as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
• Individuals and societies make a state - states do not make individuals, therefore we believe in freedom of association and expression, freedom from oppression, from fear and from arbitrary arrest.
• Justice is either for all or it is for none. Every Ghanaian is entitled to the protection of the law. The sovereignty of people and state should be anchored in the Rule of Law and the independence of the Judiciary.
• A free enterprise economy is the surest guarantee of economic growth and prosperity. Government must create the environment for business to thrive and for effort and initiative to be rewarded. What a person makes legitimately must never by taken away arbitrarily.
• The individual must be enabled to develop in freedom to attain the highest level which his or her talents permit.
• The provision of quality education, further training and an expanding economy that creates jobs, as well as the provision of good health facilities and medical care for all Ghanaians form the basis for the development of the individual and the nation.

These are the fundamental beliefs of the NPP. They are the beliefs which inspired the Progress Party Government of 1969 - 72 and informed all the policies and programmes of that government. Time has vindicated these economic and social policies, the rural development programme and the foundations we laid for agricultural development. Our beliefs are even more rooted in the wise counsel and critiques which our parent parties - the United Gold Coast Convention and later the United Party - provided in the National Assembly and in Parliament during the 1950's and 1960's in debates on economic and social policies.

Our vision of our country Ghana is that of:

• A stable, peaceful, united and democratic nation dedicated to the promotion of the welfare, freedom and prosperity of its citizens;

• A country whose governance is imbued with the principles of liberal democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and social justice;

• A nation whose economy is propelled by competitive market principles, committed to full employment and the eradication of poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance and where the private and public sectors exist in a mutually supportive partnership;

• A modern, industrialised and advanced society;

• A property-owning, prosperous, contented and educated people living in security and happiness;

• A nation right in the mainstream of world development and proud of its achievements in science and technology, in arts and sports;

• Cities bustling with activities in trade and commerce - the landscape dominated by high rise buildings, happy homes, strong family ties;

• Clean and well-planned rural communities with modern sanitation and gadgetry with rich agriculture and prosperous farmers;

• A people at peace with each other living in security and united in love and dedication to nation.

The NPP will use this power within the framework of the following principles:

• that the key to creating prosperity for all is to unleash the energies of the private sector through the development of an entrepreneurial free enterprise economy;

• that the true business of government is the promotion of good governance namely; to create the institutional structures that facilitate individual freedoms, liberty, justice and social equity, and ensure public order and the security of our nation; and

• that the economic role of the government is to provide the social and economic infrastructure and the legal framework for an enterprise economy that will promote vigorous and sustainable economic growth, equitable income distribution, rising incomes, stable prices, full employment and maximum economic security and social welfare.

1. THE MOTTO : DEVELOPMENT IN FREEDOM

The Manifesto of the New Patriotic Party is a declaration for "Development in Freedom". It outlines the steps that our government will take to create an environment that will encourage the individual to develop his or her talent in a liberal democracy and protect and defend the rights of minorities and the socially and economically disadvantaged in the society.

It sets out how our NPP government will actively promote the interest and welfare of the individual and create a free and prosperous society for all.

THE ECONOMY: BUILDING PROSPERITY FOR ALL

1. POOR ECONOMIC RECORD : THE COST OF (P) NDC CONTINUITY

 

1.1.1 Over the past thirteen years, the (P) NDC government has pursued an economic program (euphemistically called an Economic Recovery Program, ERP) whose implementation has impoverished and shamelessly exploited the good people of Ghana. the success of an economic programme is judged by the extent to which it reduces poverty and makes the people economically secure as well as the extent to which benefits from economic growth are equitably shared among the teeming masses. Today the average Ghanaian is worse off that he or she was before the (P) NDC assumed power 15 years ago to commence its long reign of terror. Today the real wage is worth no more than a quarter of its level in 1970 and as much as thirty percent of all Ghanaians live below the poverty line.

 

1.1.2 Under the guise of the ERP, the (P) NDC, through a deliberate policy to fuel inflation, has succeeded in confiscating the savings of pensioners, exploiting workers, the unemployed, the poor and the peasants. The cost of living is beyond the bearable. Households have been decimated; husbands have lost their dignity as they find themselves unable to meet to meet their financial responsibilities - to provide money for housekeeping, pay school fees and meet hospital bills. Wives have had to struggle to fill the void. Children have been alienated and families are dominated by tension rather than peace and love. And such social vices as drug abuse prostitution, child abuse, teenage pregnancy etc. are the order of the day.

 

1.1.3 The (P) NDC had dismissed (and taken away their livelihood and family security) more people than any jobs they have created. With some 150,000 people joining the labour force each year, an estimated 35% of the Ghanaian workforce are without jobs and incomes. Cynically, the (P) NDC is exploiting this national calamity and massive waste of human resources by recruiting the unemployed youth as political thugs to beat, intimidate and murder political opponents.

 

1.1.4 Under the ERP, the implementation of the cash and carry (or cost-recovery) system has put health and education beyond the reach of the people. Educational standards have dropped below acceptable levels. The system is breaking down under the weight of its own ineptitude and lack of motivation. The rural areas are the worse for it. In these areas, thousands are dying from simple curable and preventable diseases simply because they cannot afford clinic/hospital charges. In this country victims of accidents are denied treatment if they have not money in their pocket. In this country today, it is grave diggers who are doing booming business.

 

1.1.5 Under the ERP food shortages have become common place; we have often been on the verge of famine. A sizeable proportion of Ghanaians are harassed by food insecurity. Food prices dominate the cost of living. Along with shelter and clothing, food is a primary need for human survival. The NPP holds the view that the availability of food for domestic consumption must be among the first concerns of any responsible government. Ample supplies at affordable prices is a prerequisite for economic security and a healthy and sound economy. An export-oriented economic strategy which neglects the domestic production of basic food supplies is decidedly political suicide. To neglect the food production sector and create an import dependent economy which is supposed to rely on revenues from "soft" commodity exports is surely the road to stagnation and national disaster.

 

1.1.6 Under the ERP our manufacturing sector has been settled. The dis-establishment of our manufacturing sector through indiscriminate trade liberalization is a retrograde step. It ignores the obvious fact that the cost of doing business in developing countries is high because of poor communications, inadequate and unreliable energy supplies, limited infrastructure, poorly educated work force and small markets. The answer is not to unravel the industrial base but to improve the national infrastructure to raise overall national productivity and efficiency. That is precisely what development means and that is also precisely the route the developed countries travelled. The invocation of the theory of comparative advantage which insists that we should specialize in the production of commodities and raw materials is an invocation of a conspiracy to ensure that we remain drawers of water and hewers of wood. The Asian tigers made it because they determinedly and aggressively pursued industrialization under the leadership of far-sighted governments.

 

1.1.7 Under the ERP Ghana has practically reverted to a neo-colony. All the indices of economic dependence have shot up. Domestic savings have practically vanished, domestic investment is by courtesy of foreigners. Grants have become an important line item in government revenues. The budget itself has increasingly become dependent on donors. Indeed the development budget is donor driven. The good donors and their NGO partners are in control. They determine the priorities, and they finance and execute development projects - from KVIPs, bore-holes, educational infrastructure, and health facilities to mega-projects such as highways, bridges and electrification. Our NDC politicians do well to turn up with fanfare to commission them for political advantage.

 

1.1.8 Ghana's external indebtedness stands now at US$ 5.1 billion, approximately 85% of the GDP. It was only US$ 1.1 billion when the (P) NDC shot their way to power. The World Bank now classifies Ghana as a severely indebted low-income country. Debt servicing amounts to nearly 35% of our total merchandise exports. Ghana has been able to service her debts and maintain high import volumes by recycling loans, namely by borrowing and using new borrowing to service and pay off maturing old debts. This is what is called the Ponzi game - exactly like the Pyram episode where new deposits were used to pay interest due on old deposits. The game collapses when new deposits are not enough to match payments due. Ghana is now in the firm grip of the debt trap. But the (P) NDC government prides itself as being notably "debt-worthy"! It totally accepts the premise that Ghana can only make it by borrowing. It does not recognize the harm that such loose-living does to the national ethic. It does not recognize that by indiscriminate borrowing it has placed a mortgage on Ghana's future.

 

1.1.9 The large inflows of grants and loans to support implementation of the ERP has provided rich opportunities for members of the (P) NDC regime to cheat, wantonly dissipate, abuse and misuse state property and public funds and engage in a life of careless ostentatious living on a scale unprecedented in the history of this land. Its high principles of accountability, probity and integrity are nowhere evident in the actions of government or members of the (P) NDC.

 

1.1.10 There is, of course, a clear relationship between governance and economic performance. The overblown public expenditure programme is explained by corrupt overloading with what the Americans call "pork barrels". This includes using public funds to finance the NDC party, its affiliate organs and subsidiaries such as the 31^st December Women Movement (DWM), to support private armies, and para-military NDC Organizations; and exploiting District Assembly resources through District Chief Executives (DCEs) for part advantage. Corruption in the award of contracts and in the disposal of state enterprises under the divestiture program and tax administration directly lead to reduction in tax revenues and hence necessitating the need to raise taxes. The repeated shameful and incredible revelations contained in the Auditor-General's Reports provide ample evidence of the corruption of the (P) NDC and the hollowness of their principles of accountability, probity an integrity! There is clearly room to reduce taxes and improve economic performance by markedly improving governance in Ghana.

 

 1.1.11 The (P) NDC have over the 15 years operated an inward-looking system of government - that is government by exclusion. This, they have done to cover up their corrupt misdeeds and to facilitate more thorough and comprehensive looting of the economy. But there is an even greater and more pernicious cost to the nation. Exclusion is a version of Apartheid. Firstly it restricts selection and participation. We are not exploiting the full range of our endowment of plentiful supplies of expertise and talents in the urgent task of nation building. Rather we have put premium on mediocrity and surrendered our destiny into the hands of so-called foreign experts. Hence a large section of alienated influential opinion leaders cannot claim involvement in, or "ownership" of the major policies shaping their destiny which are, therefore, seen as impositions. This weakens the legitimacy base of economic policies. Secondly, exclusion replaces consensus building with confrontation. Both undermine the integrity of the democratic process.

 

1.1.12 In the face of the embarrassing, glaring and conspicuous failure of the (P) NDC to manage the economy, they have turned on a vicious, sustained propaganda machine using state resources and "foreign dignitaries" to chorus orchestrated lies about their non-achievements, rewriting current history to hide their backgrounds and failed accomplishments. They glorify their lies by quoting fraudulent statistics, manipulating baselines and concocting inferences. But our economy is people, not statistics. Statistics do not capture emotional deprivation, nor the pains and sufferings of the people - their failed hopes and frustrations. In this election year, the NDC have shifted their notorious propaganda into visionary realms. Now they are saying we should ignore today's deprivations for a rosy visionary dream of year 2020. They know, of course, that they will not be around by that time and indeed not many of us will survive present harsh conditions to reach dream year 2020 anyway. If in fifteen years of absolute power supported with massive inflows of foreign aid, this is the best that the (P) NDC regime could do for Ghana, the time for change is long overdue.

 

 

 

 

1.2.0 OUR COMMITMENT TO CHANGE

 

1.2.1 The NPP is committed to a complete change from this shameful record and pledges to restore our dignity as a sovereign nation. We will seek to create in Ghana a just and humane society where each is his brother's keeper. We aim to shape the nation's history through faith in one another and solidarity with each other. The NPP will emphasise job creation, poverty eradication, capacity building, rural development, saving and investment. We will encourage innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit and conserve and develop our natural resources.

 

1.2.2 We believe in free enterprise. Profit must not be regarded as something immoral but as reward for productive activity and for assumption of risk. We accept the centrality of markets, but where necessary we must guide the markets to promote competitive flexibility in our economy and security and stability in our society.

 

1.2.3 In a developing country, such as ours, there is no denying the fact that the government is a motive force. Nevertheless, the greater engine for social change and economic progress is the entrepreneurial economy. Hence a need to establish a pragmatic balance between the public and private sectors - not one of rivalry but of complementarily, each supplementing the other in the creation of jobs and incomes. Hence the need to create new economic management structures to ensure closer partnership between the key players - industry, agriculture, trade and commerce and the financial sectors on one hand and the pubic sector on the other.

 

1.2.4 The NPP will seek to bind the government, employers and employees in a negotiated social contract which will balance productivity gains with rewards and incentives in the system. The partners in the contract will operate as a vehicle for regular consultation - not one called into being merely to smother rises. This will ensure improved industrial relations and avoid damaging industrial strifes in our country. It will ensure greater participation by the people, more freedom for the private sector and greater respect for pluralism. We believe that a consensual approach is more productive than the exclusion and confrontational approach which the (P) NDC regime has employed over the years. South Africa showed the way - an impressive example of reconciliation, consensus building and political inclusion.

 

1.2.5 We shall promote good governance, namely and effective relationship between the people and government and the necessary environment for sustainable economic development. We shall ensure that law and order prevails in the society by curbing the rising crime and making the streets safe for our mothers, sisters and children.

 

1.3.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE NPP's ECONOMIC PROGRAMME FOR JOBS, ECONOMIC SECURITY AND EMPOWERMENT

 

1.3.1 Pursuant to our determination to establish here in Ghana a sound and healthy economy that shall guarantee to every citizen, without any discrimination whatsoever, adequate means of livelihood, suitable employment, meaningful access to health car facilities and public assistance to the needy, and in affirmation of our support for private enterprise and individual initiatives for self-improvement and economic security, the NPP will pursue a Twelve-Point Economic Program dedicated to CREATE WEALTH for the people, to provide jobs and economic security and empower the Ghanaian people to take their destiny into their own hands. Our CREATE WEALTH PROGRAM aims to:

 

1. Create jobs for all persons able and willing to work and to

reward each of them appropriately;

 

 2. Reduce the tax burden especially on workers and

pensioners, and on the poor; reduce inflation and

stabilize the exchange rate.

 

3. Empower our women and youth by supporting their

entrepreneurial initiatives;

 

 

4. Accelerate economic growth and development of Ghana in

order to enhance opportunities and raise the

standard of living for all Ghanaians.

 

 

5. Take all the appropriate measures to promote industry

and agriculture by strengthening and promoting

Ghanaian entrepreneurship in order to ensure that

Ghanaians take hold of their own destiny and that

economic growth benefits the Ghanaians people.

 

 

6. Ensure access to health care and quality education for all

and in particular promote science and technology

advancement in Ghana;

 

 

7. Work to promote home ownership among Ghanaians as a

means to strengthen the family, provide economic

security and control street crime and violence as

well as encourage personal savings;

 

8. Ensure an even balanced development of all the regions in

Ghana;

 

 

9. Alleviate poverty and ensure a respectable safety net that

enhances human dignity for the poor and

disadvantaged;

 

 

10. Light the eternal flame of nationalism and build up in

every Ghanaian a strong sense of patriotism and the

capacity to defend and consolidate the

independence of Ghana, the survival of its

democratic system of government and generate a

sense of participation and ownership in its

development, prosperity and progress;

 

 

11. Totally develop the rural areas through the pursuit of an

aggressive integrated rural development

programme;

 

 

12. Husband and protect the national heritage especially the

environment, our land and forests, minerals and timber and all our natural resource endowments;

 

 

 

1.4.0 SPECIFIC POLICIES

 

1.4.1 The specific policies that the NPP government will pursue in specific areas to achieve these objectives are addressed below. These are: economic management, the exchange rate, divestiture and privatization, investment from both local and foreign sources, inflation and the cost of living, unemployment and job creation, wages and remunerations, finance and financial services, and exports. Other areas addressed later in this chapter include the management and development of natural resources; integrated rural development; agriculture; industrial development; tourism; the environment; infrastructure including information, transportation and telecommunications; energy; housing and home ownership; and science, technology and innovation.

 

1. ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT

 

0. For sustainable economic progress to take place we require an enabling economic environment. Despite the existence of all the paper requisites like the legal framework, tax incentives and expressions of goodwill, a wild raging inflation and a constantly depreciating national currency and excessively high interest rates will discourage the investor and harm saving and investment and cause business failures.

 

 

1. The NPP will stop inflating the economy by eliminating the deficit. As a result the NPP will bring down both interest rates and the cost of living, and stop the free fall of the cedi. The NPP will do this by a thorough restructuring of the expenditure programme - pare off the NDC gravy, corruption and waste - and assign higher priority to:

 

1. Social Services - education, including retraining schemes for the youth (especially those out of work), health, social & welfare services, housing & community amenities (especially water), recreation & culture; and

 

0. Economic Development - fuel & energy, agriculture, forestry & fishing, mining, manufacturing & construction, roads & waterways, transport & communications.

 

  

 

1. We will use the budget to attain the following three purposes:

 

1. to stabilize the economy and relieve the ordinary Ghanaian of intolerable hardships;

 

0. to promote a stable economic environment to ensure continual expansion of the economy at a brisk pace and generate jobs for the unemployed;

 

0. to support economic development by channelling resources into investments in growth sectors, and towards capacity building and poverty alleviation.

 

1. Further, the NPP will:

 

1. Restructure the Bank of Ghana to raise the efficiency of monetary policy and empower the Bank to operate an independent monetary policy as called for by the Constitution;

 

0. Comb the entire government sector and remove subsisting regulations which shackle performance and impede efficiency of government by promoting bureaucracy;

 

0. Restrain the burden of tax increases. Since the VAT everywhere results in higher prices, more unemployment and higher levels of government spending, the NPP firmly opposes the idea of putting VAT on the backs of the Ghanaian people at this time;

 

0. Make the budget truly accountable by ensuring that spending ceilings are not exceeded without Parliamentary mandate;

 

0. Ensure that the government sector contributes positively to domestic savings.

  

 

1. STABILIZING THE EXCHANGE RATE

 

0. From ¢2.75 to US$ 1.00 in January 1982, the cedis has been devalued in dollar terms by nearly 100%. That is to say, the cedis is worth no more than 0.002% of its 1982 value in dollar terms. We accept that in order to remain competitive and promote exports it is necessary to permit market forces determine the exchange rate of the currency. But we know that the market solution would be affected also by capital flight and excessive liquidity in the system. A free falling currency, however, is destabilizing in its effect on the cost of living and on businesses. It promotes such negative behaviour as capital flight and foreign exchange hoarding.

 

1. The NPP is of the view that a continually depreciating currency is as harmful to economic growth as an overvalued currency. The NPP is of the view that a more stable exchange rate would be more supportive of the domestic economy and our determination to expand exports, generate employment, encourage domestic and foreign investment and promote rural development.

 

2. The NPP will pursue policies specifically to stabilize the cedis. This will require fiscal and monetary discipline. The NPP is committed to this.

 

3. As part of the measures to stabilize the cedis, the NPP will develop early warning systems. This will ensure making the timely policy adjustments necessary to maintain exchange rate stability consistent with our long terms goals.

 

2. BRINGING DOWN INFLATION AND THE HIGH COST OF LIVING

 

0. The top priority of the NPP is to stop the wild raging inflation which is tearing the society apart, robbing people of their savings and making the cost of living unbearable. The only people profiting from the inflation are the top hierarchy of the NDC and their insensitive business partners. Who could have imagined a ball of kenkey selling for ¢200 or one roasted groundnut for one cedi!. But that is the relaity of Ghana today. Even the ordinary yoo-ke gari, kenkey & fish, roasted plantain & groundnuts are now hardly affordable.

 

1. At the annual rate of inflation of 70%, the real value (that is the purchasing power) of your money income, salary, or wage or savings is reduced by 41% in one year. If this is maintained the real value of your savings would be reduced by 93% in five years. At this rate, ¢1000 saved today will be worth 7 cedis in purchasing power five years hence. That is how inflation robs the people and decimates the society.

 

2. But the root causes of inflation in Ghana are well-known: (i) excessive money supply caused by printing money to finance the NDC budget deficits; (ii) the continual depreciation of the cedi - the result of the excessive money supply; (iii) high nominal interest rates - currently over 45%; and (iv) high cost of foodstuffs in the markets.

 

3. The NPP is determined to bring the inflation rate down to within 5% per annum. This will be attained by eliminating the budget deficit and hence the need for printing money; by stabilizing the exchange rate; by lowering interest rates which will necessarily follow the decline in inflation and by improving efficiency and competition in the financial sector; and by raising agricultural productivity specially in food and livestock production as addressed below (1.10.0).

 

3. FINANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

 

0. Job creation and economic growth depend very much on healthy and competitive financial services that can respond to the needs of the market. The Progress Party government envisioned the growth of our financial sector beyond retail banking by licensing the first merchant bank and by initiating steps towards the establishment of rural banks and the stock exchange in Ghana. At the same time the PP government set up the Small Loans Scheme to provide financial support for small scale operators in both the formal and informal sectors.

 

1. The NPP government will continue this tradition and initiate comprehensive financial sector reforms with the objectives of:-

 

1. promoting competition and flexibility to bring interest rates down; and

 

0. ensuring that the range of products and services in the sector is extended to meet the needs of the expanding domestic markets including greater lending to small-scale businesses, new entrepreneurs (in particular, women and youth), rural development and for leasing.

 

 

  

1. For further institutional development the Bank of Ghana will be required to initiate a Finance For Industry scheme with the other commercial banks (as share holders) to fill the gap in long-term finance for small and medium-sized companies. In time we envisage that the finane-for-industry scheme will develop specialized services in:-

 

1. long-term finance for medium-sized firms;
0. long-term finance for small firms;
0. corporate finance and management buyouts;
0. venture capital

 

1. in view of the importance the NPP government attaches to home ownership, we will encourage the growth of mortgage banks and building societies. The commercial banks will be urged to establish finance houses as their own subsidiaries which will take money from the money markets and lend to individuals and companies for up to five years to enable them acquire durable household goods, as well as plant and machinery.

 

2. The NPP government will contribute to the recapitalization of the rural banks and support building societies, credit unions, small loans and interest rate subsidy schemes etc., through Business Assistance and Industrial Promotion Trust Funds which we will establish. These Funds will be fed with the proceeds from divestiture sales and the Non-Performing Assets Recovery Trust (NPART) transfers.

 

3. Non-bank financial institutions are powerful transmission belts in a deepening financial system. This sector has experienced considerable growth in line with expansion in capital markets in Ghana. Recent events, however, exposed serious weakness in the regulatory powers available and consider the establishment of an independent regulatory body to oversee this important sector to ensure growth with discipline.

 

4. WAGES AND REMERATIONS

 

0. The time has come to unify the labour market in Ghana and for remunerations across the country to reflect productivity of the worker whether in the private sector or in the public sector. This is intended not only to ensure that the public service is competitive with the private sector and hence able to compete on equal terms for the best brains available but also to ensure high morale and productivity in the public service. The NPP regards this as a matter of urgency.

 

1. On assuming office, the NPP government will set up a high-powered Presidential Commission to work out the modalities to bring this about and also to carry out a thorough re-appraisal of wage relativities within the public service itself. Pursuant to that the NPP will establish within the Public Services Commission a special research division which will continually monitor trends in the labour market and advise on the necessary adjustments required to ensure a fully competitive public service.

 

2. As stated in the section on Our Commitment to Change (para. 1.2.4), in our approach to governance by consensus the NPP will "bind the government, employees and employers in a negotiated social contract which will balance productivity gains with rewards and incentives in the economic system". This will be the vehicle for wage determination under the NPP administration.

 

3. The NPP holds the view that the worker should benefit from productivity gains in business operations; further, that the worker should, at least be paid a living wage. Hence the minimum wage should adjust to reflect improvement in real terms.

 

5. UNEMPLOYMENT AND JOB CREATION

 

0. There is hardly any reliable data source on the unemployment situation in the country. What is indisputable is that employment in the formal sector has shrunk, following retrenchments in the public sector and with the manufacturing sector shedding labour under the ERP. It is believed that the informal sector has widened. But the clear perception is one of massive unemployment in both the urban and rural areas. In the cities the increase in prostitution, street crimes and armed robberies; curb trading and street hawking - with teenagers running in between vehicles on busy street corners peddling dog chains etc. - are indications of the desperation of the people for income-earning opportunities. The unemployment is heavily concentrated in the age-group 18-30. Graduate unemployment has increased alarmingly whilst the JSS and SSS are literally producing "drop-outs", creating a potentially explosive subsector of the society.

 

 

1. The cure for unemployment is a rapidly expanding economy and a fluid labour market with opportunities for skill up-grading. Our economic program is specifically intended to produce such a result. Apart from job openings which an economy expanding under stabilized conditions will generate in agriculture, industry and in the services sectors, our major programmes for road construction and rehabilitation, for urban renewal, sanitation and environmental protection and reclamation, for low cost housing and rural development will generate jobs to absorb large numbers of the unemployed. This will be coupled with training and retraining incentive packages as well as vocational and technical schooling. Further we will provide incentives for self employment and particularly support the informal sector as well as women and youthful entrepreneurs with financing. We will actively seek out and encourage non-governmental and charitable organizations which have expertise and experience in training, re-training and the financing of self-employment schemes.

 

6. HOUSING AND HOME OWNERSHIP

 

0. One of the principal aims of the NPP is to promote home ownership among Ghanaians. Our reasons are many. A home is not just a personal investment; it is a commitment to the community. It is also a visible component of upward mobility. But more than that, a home strengthens family ties through the promotion of a sense of security and stability. This helps community solidarity by minimizing street crimes and violence.

 

1. the congestion taking place as a result of rapid urbanization and high rents points to an acute shortage of housing in Ghana. This situation calls for a large expansion in the provision and supply of rental units and employee housing. It is our aim to help both organizations and individuals in the private sector engaged in housing development as well as organizations in the state sector to vigorously expand construction of low cost houses for rural and urban workers. The deplorable deterioration of the rural housing stock is a reflection of the drying up of rural saving resulting from the implementation of the ERP.

 

2. Apart from difficulties with finance, the major impediment at the heart of our housing problem is Ghana's inability to produce building materials to support the housing industry. We do not produce enough cement, iron rods, glass, nails, faucets, door knobs, roofing sheets, tiles, nor paint. At the same time, we have not learned to utilize locally available materials for home construction. The effect of these two crucial factors is that we import most of our building materials at cost that only a few can afford.

  

3. The NPP proposes to launch a special Housing the People scheme which shall focus on low-cost housing, urban renewal and rural housing. Under the package employers shall receive tax credits for implementation of housing schemes for their workers. Construction of owner-occupier houses will be treated as new investment for tax purposes. Interest charges on mortgages will be tax deductible. A home ownership mortgage insurance scheme will be established, whilst mortgage banks will be encouraged. The Social Security and National Investment Trust (SSNIT) will assist in the development of local building materials, participate in mortgage insurance for workers and collaborate with Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC), State Housing Corporation (SHC) and Tema Development corporation (TDC) in programmes to provide housing for urban and rural workers.

 

4. The scheme will review existing laws pertaining to land acquisition and rules regulating construction activities and remove constraints on housing development such as land disputes and litigation, and corruption in land administration and other abuses inflating construction costs. In addition, the scheme will actively promote industries that exploit local raw materials to produce low cost houses and step up research efforts to find ways to use local materials in residential construction.

 

7. DIVESTITURE AND PRIVATIZATION

 

0. The NDC government has listed over 300 State-Owned enterprises (SOEs) for privatization. There are various ways to effect divestiture. These include mass privatization through the coupon or voucher system, public flotation, private placing, trade sales or tender, management buyouts and various combinations of these. The cardinal principle, however, is that the divestiture mode applied should, in each case, achieve the best result for the nation in terms of enterprise survival and contribution to national development.

 

1. So far 159 of the SOE's have been divested - 42 of them by liquidation, 72 by outright sales, 26 by sale of shares whilst 14 and 5 have gone per the joint-venture and lease modes respectively.

 

2. Whilst the NPP is not opposed to the principle of privatization, it is appalled by the corruption, lack of foresight and commitment to the national interest shown by the NDC government in the pursuit of privatization in Ghana. This includes the reckless use of divestiture receipts as ordinary revenues for recurrent spending instead of as capital receipts.

  

3. The NPP is of the view that priority must be given to Ghanaians in the disposal of state enterprises, since it is their savings which created them in the first place, hence special funds must be created to make this possible. Sales of assets to foreigners should not be regarded as foreign investment. It merely means transfers of ownership or claims on existing assets to foreigners.

 

4. Secondly, SOEs which are natural monopolies (electricity, water, post & telecommunications etc.) and education and health which were established to render service should be distinguished from the commercially-oriented and treated as such. In all such cases the public interest should be taken to ensure that we do not substitute private monopoly for public monopoly. There will be need, therefore, to establish a regulatory authority to protect public interest in the setting of prices and tariffs on the products and services of these concerns.

 

5. Thirdly, natural resource-based SOEs in the mining, timber and agricultural sectors have to be given special consideration in view of the impact of their operations on the environment.

 

6. In view of these considerations, the NPP government will undertake a close and thorough review of the divestiture program, to ensure transparency and protection of public interest and empowerment of the Ghanaian people.

 

8. PROMOTING INVESTMENT

 

0. We advocated the promulgation of an investment code that equalised investment opportunities and incentives for both domestic and foreign investors. We advocated the creation of a one-stop investment promotion centre. Nearly all these have been attained but more cleaning is required to remove obsolete legal and bureaucratic impediments in the way. The NPP government will take this up as a matter of urgency.

 

1. The Constitution enjoins the Government of Ghana to encourage foreign investment within the Ghana subject to any law for the time being in force regulating investment in Ghana. As the Party most supportive of private enterprise in Ghana and the most foreign investor-friendly, the NPP genuinely extends a hand of welcome to the foreign investor.

 

2. The NPP extends a hand of welcome to and support for the numerous Ghanaians in the diaspora to channel their remittances into concrete productive investment projects to help generate jobs. The NPP government will consider special incentives to facilitate this type of investment flow.

 

3. We will tap the resources of all local investors who up to now have been treated as the "enemy of the people" by the (P) NDC, only to be replaced by new ones friendly to the NDC as part of the policy of exclusion. With attractive incentives they will be encouraged to identify with our mission to bring prosperity to the people of Ghana. We shall look to the Ghanaian business community to realise our dream of prosperity for Ghana.

 

4. The NPP proposes to complement the Export Processing or Free Port Zones with Enterprise zones and Industrial Parks within Ghana. These should provide further incentives for foreign investors. The NPP target priorities are the capital goods and export sectors.

 

5. Further, we will continue to provide investment incentives by offering tax holidays and guaranteeing the repatriation of profits and dividends. We will encourage foreign partnerships and joining ventures on projects requiring very large capital outlays.

 

9. PROMOTING INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

 

0. A striking impact of the ERP on the economy is the shrinkage of the manufacturing sector's contribution to national income and employment in Ghana. This fell from 9.3% of GDP in 1988 to 8.0% of GDP in 1996, according to provisional figures released by the Statistical Services. This is clearly the result as much of the anti-business and hostile stance of President Rawlings as of over-liberalization, inflation, high interest rates and the ever-falling cedi. The collapse of Ever-Ready Ghana Ltd. Producers of ever-ready dry cell batteries and the difficulties of the manufacturers of textiles, garments and plastic containers illustrate the chaos prevailing in the manufacturing sector.

 

1.4.10.2 The NPP is determined to reverse the declining state of manufacturing in Ghana. This is not only to generate jobs but to ensure that Ghana is able to take advantage of the technological explosion to compete successfully in the world market and provide a sound and stable base for the Ghanaian economy. Presently, a large part of the manufacturing capacity is obsolete, requiring retooling and technological renewal.

 

1.4.10.3 The stabilization of the cedi, the decline of inflation and lower interest rates should provide a stable environment of favourable for industrial growth. But the NPP policies for industry revival and growth should provide incentives for rapid response. Under our Industry Revival Scheme the NPP government will provide incentives to take risk, to expand businesses, to create new jobs. This will include increased access to capital for business start-up for expansion and for exports. There will also be opportunity capital for women and the youth as well as capital to bring new products and new technologies to the market.

 

4. Under our industry revival scheme Enterprise zones and Industrial Estates will be established as domestic complements of free ports. Regular supplies of electricity, water and telecommunication services will be guaranteed to these zones. As part of the package tax breaks or credits will be provided for research and development, for successful technological transfers and for adoption of new technologies, for new investment and rehabilitation transfers and for option of new technologies, for new investment and rehabilitation of machinery as well as for job training and additional employment. Firms providing housing schemes for employees will also be granted tax credit.

 

5. The NPP will ensure that Ghana does not become a dumping ground for shoddy goods and toxic materials. Under the concept of efficiency equalization, import competing firms and exports of manufactures will be supported.

 

6. The Finance-for-industry scheme (para. 1.1.4.3) and the Business Assistance and Industrial Promotion Trust funds (para. 1.4.4.5) have been specifically designed to ease access to credit to all levels of the industry sector.

 

1.5.0 SMALL-SCALE BUSINESS AND SELF-EMPLOYMENT

 

1.5.1 In the free enterprise economy the real engine of growth is small businesses and self-employment. They fill a critical role. But they are, usually, vulnerable with high mortality rates, being the sector most severely affected by inflation, exchange rate depreciation and high interest rates. In our country small businesses and the informal markets generate most jobs but their growth and development are constrained by lack of access to credit and insufficient support from government.

 

2. Our Industry Revival Program will pay special attention to this sector and seek integration of the formal and informal sectors to ensure expanded internal markets and more jobs. In addition to vigorous entrepreneurial and tailor-made managerial training programs, access to credit to this sector will be eased by the measures proposed in pars. 1.4.4.3 and 1.4.4.5 above, in particular start-up credit, interest rate subsidies etc. and other pro-small business and self-employment fiscal measures that the NPP government will put in place.

 

 

0. BOOSTING OUR EXPORTS

 

1. In recent times countries with the best development record happen to be those with high export performance. Rapid advances in information technology have turned the world into a global market. We must recognise this trend and design strategies to take full advantage of them. The economy of Ghana cannot be isolated from the rest of the world economy. Our exporters must be able to go out into the world and compete in order to increase our market share in products and services which we are better placed to produce. Herein lies the key to our prosperity as a nation.

 

2. The NPP government will do everything possible to assist Ghanaians exporters to compete successfully in export markets. We shall exploits the advantage of Ghana's membership in international maritime organisations to negotiate favourable shipping rates for both exporters and importers.

  

3. In recent years, as a result of private sector initiative some enterprising Ghanaians have succeeded in making breakthroughs in the export of non-traditional products such as fresh fruits and artisanal products. It is a matter of regret that by a combination of misguided politics, inflation, credit squeeze and undeveloped infrastructure this spurt of initiative is waning.

  

4. The NPP will launch a major development program to accelerate the growth of exports in general and non-traditional exports in particular. This will include strengthening the Export Promotion Council as well as supplies of basic export promotion infrastructure. The NPP will initiate the establishment of an Export Development Fund to assist private entrepreneurs further invest in the export sector. We shall remedy the situation where exporters are unable to access short term credit funds as well as review the operations of the Export Credit Guarantee Fund to finance export production and marketing.

  

5. We are mindful of the "dumping practices" of many trading nations and we will take effective measures to ensure that local enterprise are not exposed to unfair competition in our domestic market. We will actively participate in world trade for a such as GATT to seek improved access for our products in the markets of the developed countries.

  

0. TOURISM

 

1. The NPP shall encourage international tourism through schemes that ensure that the sector is a net foreign exchange earner. Such schemes shall include tour packages sponsored by both local tour operators and international organisations and the production of souvenirs by the local communities. We shall also encourage tourist from the sub-region. These forms of tourism are less susceptible to recession.

 

2. We will assist the private in developing the tourists industry by actively promoting Ghana through our foreign missions. We shall remove constraints and simplify entry procedures and requirements for visas. The current frustrating procedure and reporting requirement for visitors shall be removed. We will encourage local production of films as a method of promoting Ghana.

 

3. The NPP government, on its part, shall undertake to improve the tourism infrastructure in the country including access roads to tourist sites, lodgings and communications.

 

1.8.0 DEVELOPING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE

 

1. Our physical infrastructure, comprising the transportation network, telecommunications facilities and information networks, is the base for efficient commerce and industry, the health and safety of our people, and our international trade. We will work with all levels of government and the private sector to improve this infrastructure.

 

2. Transportation

 

0. The proper functioning of the transportation infrastructure comprising, land, air water and sea is crucial for economic growth and poverty alleviation. This is particularly true for jobs, trade, commerce and public administration. In Ghana, inland waterways and sea transport are largely for bulk movement of freight and international trade. Because of the smallness of the country and limited markets, air transport is relatively less cost effective. Transport by land (road and to a lesser extend railways) is the main mode of transporting goods and people in Ghana.

 

1. Under the ERP ports, harbours and the rolling stock of Ghana railways have been rehabilitated with external loans. This still leaves an urgent agenda for further development and rehabilitation in order to advance and consolidate economic growth in Ghana.

 

2. Since the Progress Party (PP) government of Dr. Busia, the road network has not been extended in any significant sense and even though loans have been contracted for rehabilitation works most of the trunk and urban roads are in a state of disrepair whilst much of the feeder roads constructed under the PP rural development program has deteriorated beyond motorable. The NPP government will proceed with road development and extension as well as up-grade and rehabilitate the existing network. Our objectives are to open-up the country to facilitate economic and social development (agriculture in particular), reduce travel time, more closely link-up the country, promote tourism, reduce vehicle maintenance costs, prolong useful life of vehicles and reduce transport charges for both cargo and travellers.

 

3. For the above purposes, we envisage a three-point road development and rehabilitation program as follows:

 

1. to link-up the Regional capitals with direct road connection;
0. to raise the status of existing roads connecting the Regional capitals;
0. to decentralize the management of the road and highway system.

 

Under the decentralized road and highway management system, roads shall be designated as:-

 

1. National Roads - three will include international highways and roads connecting regional capitals.
0. Regional Roads - these will comprise roads connecting districts capitals within the Region.
0. District Roads - roads within the district.

 

1. The appropriate level of authority will be responsible for the designated segments. The decentralization to the Regional and District levels is intended to bring road development policies more closely in line with local priorities and ensure effective use of resources.

 

2. As a matter of urgency the NPP will ensure faster road communication between the South and North of Ghana by upgrading all the connecting roads. This will include the Tamale - Bolgatanga - Wa - Tamale road circuit. A Western road link between Sekondi-Takoradi and Wa in the Upper West Region will be tackled as part of our program to open up Western Ghana.

 

3. We shall encourage research on appropriate road design, construction techniques and methods more suited to our climatic and special conditions.

 

4. Air links between the major centres will help tourism and business, and facilitate other social activities. The NPP government will study the feasibility of developing the Kumasi airport to receive international flights whilst the regional airports at Sunyani, Takoradi, Tamale and Ho will be developed and equipped.

 

5. The NPP government shall update the studies and programs aimed at harnessing full potential of the Volta Lake and the Volta Lake Transportation system. Our aim is to increase the navigational corridor of the lake to allow for improved and safer lake transportation and provide an international link with neighbouring Burkina Faso.

 

6. The rapid growth of Accra, the nation's capital has clearly exposed the threat and social and economic cost of congestion One does not need much imagination to see that inner city transportation will be congested to a crisis point a decade from now. Hence advance arrangements require to be put in place to solve the looming crisis in public transportation in Accra. The NPP will encourage private entrepreneurs to consider a railway commuter system for Accra.

 

3. Telecommunications

 

0. This is the information age and Ghana should not allow itself to be by-passed by the new technologies. We should, as a matter of urgency update our telecommunications infrastructure to link up the entire country and with the world outside. The extension of telephone, telefax, internet, radio and television communications throughout Ghana will be essential for economic growth, for the social and economic transformation of the rural areas, for reduced commuting, for national integration and security, for international and local trade and commerce, for our export competitiveness, for exchange of information, and for capacity building through all kinds of learning. The opportunities are immense. The NPP government will lead the country into the mainstream of the information age.

 

1. Today the policies of the NDC government are impeding telecommunications progress in Ghana. Existing legislative and regulatory market allocation schemes, by limiting participation in segments of the telecommunications marketplace, are counterproductive. The NPP will liberate these powerful future-oriented technologies and make it possible for Ghanaian consumers to enjoy the benefits of truly competitive choices at lower prices.

 

9. INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

 

0. Our integrated rural development program will not only aim at exploiting rural resources but also at raising the capacity of the rural economy for self-sustenance, empower rural entrepreneurs and ensure improved standards of living for rural residents.

 

1. Rural development was the central piece of the development strategy of the Progress Party administration 1969-1972. Not even the worst Busia hater can deny that. In a torrid space of 27 months the Busia government carried development and modernization to the remotest corners of rural Ghana through a rapid build-up of the rural infrastructure - feeder and access roads, housing, markets, water, electricity, health centres ad clinics, electrification, rehabilitation of schools, transport and communication services, emphasis on agro-industries and provision of finance through the small loans scheme and the envisaged rural banks. The PP record in rural development stands unrivalled.

 

2. Likewise rural development is the king-pin of the NPP development strategy. Our concern for the rural areas underscores our determination to eradicate poverty and to provide a sound basis for our economic development. The NPP, like its predecessor the Progress Party, believes that we can only build a prosperous nation by bringing prosperity to our villages and hamlets where the majority Ghanaians live. The NPP government will redesignate the Ministry of Local Government as the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government to highlight our emphasis on rural development.

 

3. The NPP will bring prosperity to the rural areas by boosting agricultural production and promoting rural industry. We believe that the Ghanaian farmer and artisan in our villages who have created most of the wealth of this country since time began, will continue to do so for a long time to come. We will place them at the centre of our efforts to develop the country. Details of our agricultural strategies are spelt out in section 1.10.0.

 

4. The NPP will intensify the rural electrification programme with the aim of providing electricity supply to every village in the country. Our rural electrification programme will be a means of boosting rural industry. This will be facilitated by the rehabilitation and expansion of existing electrical installations in the districts.

 

 

 

5. The NPP recognizes that physical infrastructure is vital for the overall development of the rural areas, and agriculture in particular. This includes market as well as transport infrastructure. The rural markets for selling farm and other produce are devoid of all basic amenities. The Party's strategy will be to encourage private enterprise to link up with District Assemblies to set up Market Development Companies to ensure the systematic provision of necessary amenities at affordable prices. The Party will improve, maintain and expand the feeder road network throughout the country. The telecommunications system will also be improved. Our immediate priority will be to rehabilitate the crumbling rural infrastructure of roads, schools, health posts and housing and the provision of good drinking water.

 

6. The NPP government will adopt measures for rejuvenating the cooperative movement into a dynamic organization for rural farmers and traders. We will encourage the mobilization of rural savings to increase the availability of rural credit and funds for communities in the rehabilitation and provision of social amenities and economic infrastructure. This will create jobs to reduce unemployment and under-employment among the youth in the rural areas.

 

7. The object of the NPP integrated rural development program is not tokenism nor cosmetic vote-catching projects nor corrupting bribes in cash and kind - rice, soap, sardines etc. - in which the NDC have specialised for short-term political advantage. The NPP condemns the callous exploitation of the poverty and ignorance of the rural folks by the NDC machine as wicked and immoral. For the NPP, rural development means creating wealth and jobs in the rural areas. This reqires a concerted program to develop both the natural and manpower resources of the rural areas - to make the rural economy self-sustaining and communal and social life there both enriching and ennobling. That is the way to stop the urban drift and eradicate poverty. Hence our concern to raise the quality of rural schools and health; to supply feeder roads and markets, and the electricity to power rural industries and communications to link up the country. Our integrated rural development program includes arrangements to provide finance for rural entrepreneurs, low cost housing facilities and development of agro-processing industries and efficient and large-scale agriculture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE

 

0. Our priority is agriculture. It is the sector which props up the economy as a whole. It has a strategic role. It is also the key to rural prosperity. Our agricultural policies will be driven by:

 

1. the urgent need for food security;
2. the urgent need to achieve balance between food production and the production of raw materials and export commodities.

 

1. The poor state of agriculture is, undoubtedly, a major reason for the poverty of this nation. As a rural enterprise, agriculture has not been fully supported and nurtured. The Structural Adjustment Program that has been implemented for over a decade has pursued policies that have generally impoverished the rural people. The removal of subsidies on agricultural inputs, the abolition of minimum guaranteed prices for agricultural products, the discontinuation of institutional lending to agriculture and the rapid depreciation of the cedi have all interacted to escalate agricultural input prices which output prices have lagged woefully behind in real terms. The cumulative effect of the negative impact of the (P) NDC policies is the declining role of agriculture in the economy due principally to low productivity within the sector and the reliance on imported food items that could have been produced locally.

 

2. On assuming office the NPP will launch a major agriculture development initiative - the Food for the Nation and People Plan (FNPP). This will aim to double food and livestock output in Ghana in five years. The target food crops shall be rice, yams, maize, cassava and plantain. For livestock development the focus shall be on cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. The primary objective of FNPP is to provide all Ghanaians with cheap food and food security by way of adequate and nutritionally balanced diets at affordable prices. The Party will also aim at increased production of raw materials to feed domestic industry and to substitute for imports at competitive prices. FNPP will aim also at encouraging the sector to diversify our export base and to provide employment and income to large segments of the population to enable them have access to domestic and foreign food supplies. The Afram Plains in the Eastern Region and the three regions in the North and Brong-Ahafo will be designated the food and grain baskets of Ghana and receive special program attention under the FNPP.

 

 

 

 

3. A main strategy of FNPP will be to encourage a mutually beneficial relationship between small-scale farmers on the one hand and integrated modern specialized large-scale farmers on the other. Under the FNPP the party will provide financial support to encourage the establishment of large, modern, specialized commercial farms by private entrepreneurs. Such commercial farms will be diversified to engage in primary agro-processing. They will be located in the rural areas to integrate the activities of the rural farmers into their own production plans, that is, to act as vehicles for the introduction of innovations in farm management practices and improved technologies to the farmers around them (out growers) and serve as the marketing outlet for these farmers. This strategy should provide solutions to the twin problems of markets and agro-processing.

 

4. A major objective of FNPP is to reduce the hazardous dependence of Ghanaian agriculture on climatic conditions and enure agricultural production under controlled and predictable conditions. Hence we will implement an accelerated irrigation program. This will include the development of mini dams to tap and conserve water from streams during the rainy season for irrigation purposes. Rivers with irrigable potentials will be tapped. In this connection the NPP will spare no effort to bring to fruition the project for the irrigation of the Accra plains.

 

5. We will restore subsidies on agricultural inputs, ensure an effective agricultural input supplies policy. We will seek to raise productivity through effective science education and extension. We will build up the required agricultural infrastructure to facilitate marketing and storage and reduce wasteful post-harvest losses. The NPP will institute guaranteed minimum prices for food crops, such as maize managed through strategic food reserves. The NPP will raise government investment in the agricultural sector. To this end a specific proportion of total public investment will be devoted to agriculture as a firm commitment of government policy.

 

6. To buttress our main strategy and to encourage the reorganization and modernization of peasant agriculture, the NPP will, under the FNPP initiate a policy to consolidate land into blocks of farms of mono-crops in our villages. This will not only facilitate the transfer of technology to the rural farmers by extension agents, but will also help do away with the age-old shifting cultivation that results in scattered farmsteads and rapid land degradation. Block farms will also enhance the communal spirit in the rural areas.

 

 

 

 

7. To promote environmentally sound production systems, the FNPP will encourage an intensive, integrated crop/livestock husbandry system which will allow the introduction and intensive use of new forage and green manures and the production and use of organic manures. The system will also lead to recycling of plant nutrients in the form of animal manure and night soil to maintain soil fertility.

 

8. To stabilize both farm output and incomes, the NPP will provide incentives by way of ensuring an increase in the quantity and reliability of input supply and through output pricing that will ensure that farmers do not suffer a disincentive from productivity gains. In this regard, the NPP will encourage and support on-farm storage as a way of holding stocks for the purpose of minimizing extreme variations in food prices throughout the year.

 

9. The NPP will strengthen institutions that provide and deliver services to the farmer. Agricultural research will be strengthened to enable it play the role of generating high yielding and high quality crops and livestock and making innovations that increase the production and productivity of farmers. Our agricultural strategy will rely heavily on extension workers who will teach largely illiterate farmers the use of modern methods and the correct application of inputs. Training and human resource development are crucial to the strengthening of these institutions and will be accorded all the necessary attention.

 

10. The NPP government will ensure the revitalization of our ailing commercial fishing industry. Our artisanal canoe and inshore fishermen will be assured of adequate and timely supplies of operational inputs. Priority will be given to the rehabilitation and expansion of the Elmina fishing harbour while the feasibility of constructing additional fishing harbours in areas such as Mumford and Sekondi will be given due attention. We pledge to rescue the dying fishing villages and towns along the coast. The NPP will also provide special incentives for fish farming in general and its integration into small scale irrigation schemes. Our policy for the total development of the fisheries sector is detailed in section 1.11.0.

 

11. The NPP will initiate policies in the area of agricultural mechanization aimed at reducing the drudgery associated with hoe and cutlass agriculture. Priority will be given to the manufacture of the appropriate equipment and to the use of animal traction where technically feasible. Large-scale integrated private farms will be assisted to acquire the full complement of plant and machinery required for their successful operation.

 

12. In spite of recent attempts to increase the share of the cocoa farmer in the export price of cocoa, the farmer still receives less that 50% of the world market price. Such a high level of taxation has discouraged cocoa farming. The NPP government will encourage remunerative prices to the cocoa farmer through the competition resulting from the privatisation of the domestic purchasing of cocoa. The NPP will move forward to privatize the external marketing of cocoa under conditions which will ensure maintenance of quality control and development of cocoa processing and related activities.

 

13. We shall strengthen research and extension facilities and services in the cocoa industry as well as for other cash crops such as coffee and shea nuts, colanuts, coconuts etc., in order to increase yields.

 

14. In recent years private sector initiative has succeeded in making some breakthroughs in the export of non-traditional products like pineapple and other fresh fruits and vegetables. We shall launch a major development programme to accelerate the growth of such exports. As an example, we shall encourage the establishment of large-scale cassava plantations; the products will be processed into cassava chips and starch for export and also for local consumption. We shall construct specialised storage and handling facilities in Accra and the other regional capitals for use by the private exporters. We will institute an Export Promotion Credit Guarantee Scheme to finance export production and marketing.

 

15. The NPP will also promote the expansion of crops like cotton, bast fibre and rubber which are raw materials for local industry. To make these locally produced crops compete more successfully with those from other parts of the world, we will seek improved technology to attain high quality and productivity.

 

9. FISHERIES

 

0. The contribution of the fisheries sub-sector to the economy is significant. Inclusive of the about half a million fishers, fish processors, traders, boat builders etc. and family members nearly two million of the Ghanaian population depend on the sector for their livelihood. The sector contributes about 5% of Ghana's GDP. It is now the most important non-traditional export. Fish is the preferred source of animal protein in Ghana. with estimated per capital consumption of about 25kg per annum, fish accounts for 60 percent of the animal protein intake in Ghana.

 

 

 

 

1. The sector which comprises a range of fishing enterprises and technologies from the subsistence, traditional to the modern industrial exploiting fish stocks in rivers, lakes, coastal lagoons and shallow seas and offshore on the high seas is confronted with a myriad of problems, including low productivity, high input costs, low infrastructure, unstable prices and under-developed marketing and credit access. Effective intervention will require to address the specific problems of each of the operating enterprises. For instance the problems of the operators of the nearly 10,000 wooden dug-out canoes of which only half of them are motorized accounting for 65 percent of the total volume catch differ from operators of the fleet of about three hundred diesel engine inshore vessels which account for about 5 percent of total catch. The fleet of about forty large distant water freezer trawlers and shrimpers which also accounts for about 5 percent of total catch confront a different set of problems altogether. The NPP is determined to tackle these problems with a view not only to raising the fishery sector's contribution to GDP and the income shares of the fisher folk but also to raise nutritional levels of the population at cheaper cost as well as contributing significantly to the balance of payments.

 

2. The NPP has taken note of the dwindling marine resources. We will institute measures that will regulate marine and inland fishing. We will introduce a sub-sector monitoring, control and surveillance system which will involve the fishing communities themselves. The NPP government will assist the private sector in the modernisation and development of the fisheries sector. This will include the development of the infrastructure including fishing harbours, and landing sites for artisanal fishers and the provision of storage facilties to improve preservation and regulate supplies to the market.

 

3. The prospects for increased production of tuna for export are considerable; also the potentials for inland fishery as well as fishery in the Volta Lake. Equally the prospects for aquaculture development are considerable. The NPP will encourage all private sector endeavours to exploit these fishery potentials. In this connections with NPP government will support and strengthen the fishing communities and existing co-operatives and improve their access to credit. In line with restoration of subsidies for vital agricultural inputs, suitable arrangements will be made to ensure regulated supplies of pre-mix fuel for the sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Inclusive of par. 1.10.11 above NPP objectives in the fisheries sector are to increase production for local consumption and export on a sustainable basis, develop resource management plans for the entire sector, and integrate fishing activities in the farming system through the promotion of aquaculture. To attain these objectives the NPP will implement the following reforms:-

 

1. Pursue a strong private sector oriented strategy through divestiture of public sector commercial assets and concerns either in direct production or in supplies of fishing

gear etc.;

 

2. Remove bottlenecks to increased exploitation of tuna resources, so as to increase exports;

 

3. Promote through extension and other support services private investment in aquaculture especially in the hinterland;

 

4. Empower the co-operatives in the fishing communities with the resources necessary to sustain expansion and modernisation of their operations;

 

5. Promote joint-ventures between Ghanaian and foreign investors in trawl fishing so as to obtain foreign fishing rights for the Ghanaian trawler fleet;

 

6. Up-date the fisheries law so as to ensure a strong regulatory framework for management of fisheries in Ghana.

 

9. THE ENVIRONMENT

 

0. Our natural environment of biological resources (plants, animals and micro-organisms), mineral resources, soil water and ocean resources, the atmosphere, and the man-made environment of settlements, public buildings, civil works and means of transportation are all under threat. Our very existence, the quality of life and our standard of living depend, both in the short and long-term, on a delicate balance between ourselves and the natural environment. It is to be noted in this connection that at least 40% of the world's economy and 80% of the needs of the poor are derived from biological resources. Therefore the protection of our biological resources is of special importance. Hence the need for conscious and careful environmental management.

 

 

 

1. As a result of environmental recklessness under the (P) NDC deforestation, land degradation and erosion, water and air pollution, poor sanitation and bad waste management constitute very serious environmental issues in Ghana today. There are also cases of land degradation through natural causes and the longer-term effects of human activities, such serious soil erosion along our sea shores. There is indeed an alarming rate of environmental degradation. Underlying these worsening trends is the country's rapid rate of population growth which increasingly puts heavy demand pressure on natural resources. The management of the impact of human activities on the environment therefore requires greater effort. The NPP will introduce measures to create a healthy balance between environment and development. Special attention will be paid to the exploitation of our agricultural, forest, energy and mineral resources, inland water and offshore resources and their effects on the environment.

 

2. The NPP will take specific actions on efficient use of energy both at home and in industry, on waste management and all kinds of pollution. The 'polluter pays" principle will be applied, whenever the polluter can be identified, especially in industry. The NPP will provide strong support to the Environmental protection Agency and its network of support institutions to competently monitor the environment, implement preventive and control measures and propose special actions to government.

 

3. All local communities and the private sector will be involved in the management of land and water resources and will be provided with more infrastructural and operational resources, as opposed to the concentration of such resources at the central policy level.

 

4. The NPP will offer incentives and rewards for maintaining clean industrial establishments, for "greening:" degraded lands and other activities which set good examples in the protection and restoration of the environment. The NPP will also encourage and co-operate with NGOs which promote environmentally friendly activities. Industry and commerce will be encouraged, through tax incentives and other means, to contribute to a new Environmental Restoration fund to be established to help repair damage already done to the environment in order to restore ecological balance. In the wood sector the NPP will put emphasis on a programme for regeneration of forests that have been depleted and on the protection of the closed forests.

 

 

 

 

 

5. The NPP will pursue a comprehensive population policy that will ensure an appropriate balance between the population growth rate and the growth rate of the economy. This will not only help to relieve undue pressure on our natural resources but achieve the savings to plough into economic development and raise the living standards of the people.

 

 

10. URBAN RENEWAL

 

0. As a result of the combination of rapid urbanisation and sheer administrative ineptitude and neglect all our cities are in a deplorable state. Not only have the carrying capacities of the basic facilities been grossly overstretched but most of urban infrastructure are crumbling and a substantial part are either in disrepair or broken down. Drainage and sanitation have reached crisis proportions especially in Accra, whilst congestion has slowed traffic to a halt. Apart from the main arteries, inner city roads are a sorrowful sight whilst inadequate housing and growing unemployment and increasing poverty have resulted in acute homelessness aggravated b problems of poor physical planning. In their wake health hazards and personal insecurity resulting from both crime and acts of nature have led to a serious deterioration in family life.

 

1. The NPP regards it as a major priority to rehabilitate and update the infrastructure in our cities and towns. This is especially so for Accra which is the nation's capital. The slum areas in the inner city require urgent attention - both in planning layouts and residential reconstruction. This will be a focus for our low-cost housing schemes. The drainage and sanitation project which with Progress Party commenced and was stupidly stopped by the Akyeampong regime including the dredging and beautification of the Korle Lagoon will be brought to fruition. We have already indicated plans to develop a railway commuter system for Accra (1.18.1.10).

 

2. To prevent the emergence of 'new slums' in the outer cities and the new sites the regulations on development will be reviewed and implemented vigorously. We shall complement this program with the provision of site services. This will aim at preventing the recurrence of the insanitary conditions that have characterised urban development in Ghana and resulted in frequent outbreaks of epidemics.

 

3. One of the major policies of the Progress Party government was to construct a well equipped modern market in each Regional capital. This gave birth to the Kaneshie market in Accra. It has amply rewarded the vision of the PP. The New Patriotic Party government will resume this program. This will start with the activation of the abandoned Tamale market project.

 

11. MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

 

0. Ghana is richly endowed with a wide variety of high quality natural resources: biological resources of plants, animals an micro-organisms; mineral resources; water resources; and ocean resources. The wealth of the nation is directly related to our ability to manage and develop these resources for the benefit our people. And the ability of the nation to manage and develop these resources depend critically on the quality of our educated and trained human resources and our scientific and technological capability.

 

1. The NPP government will ensure that the technologies we use to exploit and add value to these resources will be effective, appropriate and environmentally friendly. These considerations will guide all our policies in the areas of integrated rural development, agriculture, fisheries, industrial development, tourism, energy development housing, transportation, the provision of water for domestic and industrial use, and the conservation of our total natural heritage. Specific policies and actions in each of these areas are proposed in the following sections.

 

12. EXPLOITING OUR MINERAL RESOURCES

 

0. Mining has attracted significant investment and growth in recent years. God is now the top foreign exchange earner for Ghana. The NPP will not only take steps to increase gold production from the current level of 1.8 million troy ounces but bring to fruition the exploitation of the Kibi and Nyinahin bauxite deposits. This will be a major undertaking involving millions of dollars. Market trends, however, indicate that the Kibi project is feasible. The NPP government will search for the funds and seek partners for joint development of the project with the view to achieving backward integration of the aluminium industry in Ghana.

 

1. As part of our liberal investment policy, we will provide the incentive required for mining houses to intensify their current activities as well as gear up to exploit gold and other mineral deposits located outside the established areas. The Birim and Prah gold and diamond dredging projects will be revisited. Appropriate technology will be found to explore the Nauli and Buipe limestone deposits. The feasibility of processing minerals, such as bauxite and limestone to produce chemicals and clinker for export and local use will be studied seriously. We will look to the resulting substantial growth in the mining sector to contribute to the funding of our rural and agricultural development programmes. This linkage represents a major source for non-inflationary growth of the economy.

 

2. The interest of small-scale miners will always be in mind and wherever small-scale mining will be more efficient than mechanised mining, small-scale operations will be preferred.

 

13. DEVELOPING OUR ENERGY RESOURCES

 

0. Ghana's excessive dependence on imported oil imperils our national security and undermines our development efforts. We will as al matter of priority evolve an energy policy for Ghana. We will appoint a commission to study and report within a 90 day period on the status of all oil and gas exploration projects in Ghana, and to make recommendations on the feasibility of substantial domestic production.

 

1. we will provide financial and tax incentives for local firms to increase oil/gas exploration efforts and will encourage joint exploration with multinational firms. We shall consider the exploitation of solar and wind power as additional energy sources for our development.

 

2. We will, as soon as our financial condition permits, establish a National petroleum Security Reserve, to enable us store oil for us e during national emergencies, international price shocks, or supply disruptions.

 

3. We will support improvements at the Akosombo and Kpong hydro dams and upgrade their efficiency. The NPP will expedite the plans for thermal generation of power from local natural gas deposits to supplement existing power sources. We shall also review the prospects for mini-dams with the view to establishing and operating small hydroelectric plants that can serve as a source of energy for our regional and local areas. Such multi-purpose mini-dams can also provide water for irrigation and drinking for the rural communities.

 

14. EXPLOITING OUR TIMBER RESOURCES

 

0. The NPP government will implement a forest resource management policy that will ensure long-term sustainable exploitation of timber in the country. Emphasis will be given to a program to regenerate the existing forest areas that are capable of rehabilitation. We will also manage with prudence the existing closed forest areas and explore further the establishment of plantations of teak and related species along the coastal plains. These schemes should generate employment for the youth in the rural areas. The traditional authorities and farming communities will be enlisted in these schemes.

 

1. The NPP will support the private sector to diversify the production of wood products with the aim of gaining access to international markets that were hitherto uncharted by our local producers of wood products.

 

2. The NPP government will encourage the timber industry to be innovative in retooling existing plant and equipment to reduce wastage and to convert such wastage into useful products for the local and the export market. The emphasis will be placed on value-added.

 

15. PROTECTING OUR COASTLINE

 

0. Our country is blessed with an extensive coastline. The sea is both a cheap means of transport and communication and Ghana's 200-mile Economic Exclusion Zone is a reservoir of economic resources. These resources can be fully exploited only when the coastline on which people and investors can establish homes and economic ventures with confidence are secure and stable.

 

1. The NPP government will, therefore, give priority attention to the protection of the country's coastline from erosion by the sea. This is not a matter which should be allowed to be constrained by the economic stringency of today. The long-term consequences of sea erosion will be extremely costly for the nation and for posterity for whom we hold ourselves accountable.

 

2. The weak and vulnerable coastlines under attack include Keta, Dixcove, Ada, Shama, Nkontompo-Sekondi and Axim. Keta in particular and Dixcove have reached crisis proportions. The NPP government will do everything possible to harness the available technologies and international goodwill to salvage these areas and to contain any further encroachment by the sea.

 

16. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and INNOVATION

 

0. There is a compelling need for a new science-based approach to development to usher Ghana into the twenty-first century. For this purpose, the NPP will advance the nation from the pursuit of survival science and technology to developmental science and technology. One of the major objectives will be to make our science and technology systems more economically productive, efficient and development-oriented.

 

 

 

 

1. Elements of the developmental science and technology policy of the NPP will include capacity building and activities in the following:

• biotechnology to help find solutions to problems of food production, food security, health and curative medicine;

• micro-electronics development to launch Ghana into new areas of industry and trade, including the manufacture of computer components.

• information technology to facilitate improvements in telecommunications both within Ghana and with the outside world; software development; the efficient management of information and data, and of business enterprises; an to give Ghanaians increased access to the new and expanding revolutionary information super-highway;

• identification, dissemination and large-sclae fabrication of rural technologies to increase the productivity of rural micro and mini-industries, especially those that add value to agricultural products;

• blending of imported and locally developed technologies into Ghanaian industry and training establishments to increase productivity and enhance technological capacity for further development;

• orienting and organizing existing and new research institutions to conform to national policy.

1. While pursuing the above general developmental directions, at least one specific area will be identified in each of the above categories, in which Ghana will strive to excel.

 

2. The NPP considers investment in Science and Technology vital for the future survival of Ghana and necessary for improved economic performance and better quality of life. Therefore, adequate funding will be made available to the science and technology sector annually.

 

3. The NPP will actively encourage international co-operation in science and technology, with particular attention to South-South co-operation, in seeking solutions to Ghana's socio-economic problems. As part of these efforts, Ghana's membership in international scientific and technological organizations will be promoted.

1. OVER VIEW : THE DEEPENING EDUCATIONAL CRISIS\

 

0. Education is the cornerstone of a nation's economic prosperity and social well being. It is vitally concerned with the effective development and utilization of the nation's most abundant and precious asset - its human resources. In today's global econmy, dominated by the information technology, it is only the nation with an educated workforce - trained in the scientific, technical and vocational skills and equippd with the requisite knowledge base - that can hope to overcome its poverty and win a secure place in the world. In our view, an efficient education, freely accebille to all citizens is also an insurance for social peace national harmony.

 

1. Today, however, Ghana's education is in a tailspin. Ghana's education, once the envy of all Sub-Saharan Africa for its demonstrated high standards is in the grip of a deepening crisis - affecting all the three levels through the basic, middle and tertiary. Without any doubt, this crisis in education, this levelling down of education, is one the most serious challenges facing our country. The NPP insists that the highest priority should be given to reversing the decline of education in Ghana, to raising the quality of teaching in our schools, colleges, institutes, universities and polytechnics and ensuring that quality education and training is accessible to all citizens wherever they live in this country.

 

2. The origins of the crisis date to September 1987, when the then PNDC government decided to introduce radical education reforms which were intended to transform pre-tertiary education in the country by expanding and making it more equitable and accessible, reducing its length from 17 to 12 years. The derailment of the school system in our country is the direct result of the hasty introduction of the reforms, without due consultation and adequate planning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The primary school enrolment rate, after initially rising, has since been falling. Schools in the public system have suffered from under-staffing and lack of adequate and sufficiently trained teachers to cope with the new system, insufficient classroom space, untimely availability of equipment, books and other learning and teaching materials. The private preparatory schools mainly situated in the urban centres have, however done relatively well to maintain standards. The resulting gap in performance between the public schools and the private preparatory schools has compelled parents who can afford it to move their children from the public to the private schools. Members of the NDC government have joined in - seeking quality education for their own wards. Further the cost-sharing measures accompanying the reforms have put an inequitable financial burden on poor parents especially in rural areas.

 

4. The quality of basic education is clearly the key to the achievement of quality at the higher levels of the educational system. And for the vast majority of Ghanaians, the JSS will be terminal. The evidence, however, is that a large majority of these JSS graduates are barely either literate or numerate. In any case only 30 percent of JSS leavers find places in the limited number of Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) which are perceived to offer good secondary education. A far smaller proportion will find places in the technical and vocational and institutes available. Literally the JSS is producing mainly permanent "drop-outs" qualified only to swell the advancing ranks of the unemployed.

 

5. The pressures placed on the tertiary education system by the increased but generally poorly prepared output of the SS coupled with government's inability to offer attractive conditions of service to staff and to provide adequate facilities for teaching, learning and research have created conditions of instability within the universities and polytechnics, and between the government and these institutions. In the situation where higher education has failed to keep pace with population growth, these conditions have led to a groundswell of crisis and shutdowns which have affected staff, students, parents and the course of national development.

 

6. The NPP accepts it as a challenge and national duty to resolve the crisis in education outlined above, to raise the quality of education and make quality education accessible to the Ghanaian citizen wherever he lives in the country, to build up our manpower resources in all the disciplines relevant for nation building and full participation in the global economy and so improve the quality of life for the average Ghanaian by increasing the opportunities for employment and social development.

 

 

 

 

2. THE NPPs EDUCATION POLICY

 

0. The thrust of the NPP education policy is Social and Economic Empowerment of Ghanaians through the promotion of steadily increasing access to quality education. The NPP perceives education as the tool for investing in people and empowering them with the knowledge and skills to determine their own lives. The NPP believes also that education can play a cardinal role in nation building by promoting the democratic culture which alone can achieve development with people as the end and means of development.

 

1. The NPP believes that education is a strategic investment government must continue to make if it is to assure the nation's present and future prosperity. The NPP government will pay the highest possible attention to all governmental and non-governmenatal activities related to education in order to enhance teaching and learning in our schools, colleges and tertiary institutions. It will mobilize state and private resources to achieve maximum enrolment and to provide adequate teaching and learning aids throughout the entire system.

 

2. The basis thrust of the NPP government's education policy will include the following:

 

1. education to JSS 3 will be guaranteed for all Ghanaians;

 

2. tuition at all levels of the state sector up to JSS 3, will be free, basic educational materials such as chalk, pencils exercise books will also be progressively provided for;

 

3. the active participation of the private sector in the provision of educational services at all levels will be strongly encouraged;

 

4. students, parents, educators, finance houses and the concerned public will be encouraged to work closely with government to agree on, and regularly review, an affordable and workable educational loan scheme for levels beyond JSS 3;

 

5. scholarships and bursaries will be decentralized to local and regional levels where they can be better administered and monitored.

 

 

 

 

1. The state's role in the provision of universal basic education will be limited to the payment of all teachers in the public system, while government assists districts assemblies and local communities to build and maintain school buildings. Schools will be equipped to promote optimal levels of teaching and learning. In addition, government will provide subsidies through appropriate tax rebates to assist writers and publishers produce affordable books and learning aids. We are convinced that Ghanaians will be prepared to contribute substantially to achieve quality education for their wards rather than depend on empty promises from government. Parents and guardians will be encouraged to put as much resources as they would wish into their local public schools to supplement government efforts and thus help to bridge the gap between the public and private schools.

 

2. In addition to improving the quality of education at the primary school level, every effort will be made to raise the standards of teaching and learning at the JSS so that the majority of students leaving JSS will be truly literate and numerate. The NPP Government will also make every effort to widen the circle of good SSS institutions in order to minimize the frustration of parents and students. Other specific actions at all levels of education are presented below.

 

3. The JSS system an original programme of the Progress Party, which was conceived as an effective method of providing an al-round education capable of meeting the adults needs of most citizens, has suffered from having been introduced nationally in a rush; as if it were some egalitarian lowering of standards. It is our overriding objective to rehabilitate the system so as to provide high quality education to JSS 3 level for all Ghanaians. Priority will be given to

• equipping the schools with adequate tools and supplie