Building on the momentum from the launch of
their youth manifesto, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)
unveiled it’s 2024 manifesto on 24th August in Winneba, Central Region.
According to the party, the manifesto is anchored on three main themes: jobs,
accountability and prosperity for all Ghanaians.
The NDC’s 200-page policy document is
structured in seven chapters covering the economy, job creation,
industrialization, infrastructural development, human capital development, good
governance and anti-corruption, and foreign policy.
In this article, we look at the key areas and policies of the Mahama-led NDC as they seek to wrestle power from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who have also unveiled their own plan earlier.
(African Elections)
Resetting the Economy
The economic is a key topic for all
aspirants in this year’s election. This is due to the country’s debt
situation, the depreciation of the cedi and inflation. To address the
economic crisis, the NDC intends to scale up revenue mobilization through
broadening the tax base and reviewing critical aspects of the country’s tax
regime. The party also pledges to scrap
a number of taxes it terms “draconian” which were introduced by the NPP
government. They include the electronic transfer levy (E-levy), the COVID levy,
the 10% levy on bet winnings and the emissions levy.
A new NDC government will also review
critical legislations like the procurement act, the petroleum revenue
management act and the public financial management act to plug revenue leakages
and consolidate government’s revenue mobilization efforts. A natural resources
revenue management act will also be enacted to increase revenue from the
country’s minerals.
Aside from revenue mobilization, the NDC
also promises Ghanaians prudent expenditure management. This is expected to be
done by prioritizing investments in productive sectors of the economy and
enforcing financial management legislations. The party will revive the sinking
fund and set up an independent public debt management office to sustainably
manage public debt.
On inflation and the exchange rate, a
Mahama-led NDC government intends to implement effective monetary policy to
reduce inflation and overhaul the framework for managing the exchange rate.
Jobs
To address the unemployment situation in
Ghana, the NDC is anchoring its job creation plan on the much-touted 24-Hour
Economy and few other initiatives. According to the party, the policy is geared
towards creating an enabling environment for businesses in agro-processing,
manufacturing, and construction, to employ more people through a 3-shift
system. Other sectors that will be targeted by the policy include
pharmaceuticals, financial services, extractive industries, waste management,
hospitality industry, retail, transportation, health services.
The NDC’s plan also includes the
introduction of a Women’s Development Bank to support women-led businesses
through low-interest loans with flexible terms of repayment. This intervention
is to alleviate poverty and empower the country’s millions of women.
A national apprenticeship programme will be
introduced to provide free technical and vocational training for young people
while the ‘Adwumarura’ programme will provide support and mentorship to 10,000
youth start-ups annually.
Other initiatives in the NDC manifesto
aimed at job creation include the digital jobs initiative which will train 1
million youth in coding and invest in fintech; the Agriculture or Jobs
initiative which is envisioned to set up farmer service centres and create
agricultural facilities for young people; and the Rapid Industrialization for
Jobs initiative which will employ young people through value addition to raw
materials and exports.
Infrastructural Development
Infrastructural development is the fourth
pillar of the NDC’s 2024 manifesto. The party seeks to build on its arguably
stellar infrastructure development track record by investing $10 billion in the
country’s infrastructure. The promise which was also made in the party’s 2020
manifesto seeks to create jobs by improving the country’s infrastructure. The
Keta Port which was promised by the NPP but failed to materialize will be
built.
The NDC also plans to invest in Ghana’s
existing urban water supply system to increase access to pipe-borne water in
urban areas. A rural water supply programme will also be undertaken to achieve
universal rural water coverage by 2030. The ‘LIGHT UP GHANA Project’ will be
implemented to revamp the country’s street light infrastructure and provide
security for businesses.
Additionally, the party seeks to address
the rent situation in the country by partnering with financial institutions to
provide low-interest advances to formal and informal workers with regular
incomes to cover their rents.
The perennial Bagre dam spillage problem
that causes severe flooding in the northern part of the country will be
addressed through the construction of dams to collect and store excess water
from Burkina Faso. The party also plans to implement coordinated water
management to avert a future Akosomba dam spillage disaster.
The country’s transport system will also
see massive investment under a new NDC government. This will include rail
transport, air transport, maritime and inland water transport, and road
transport systems.
Human Capital Development
The NDC manifesto outlines a plan to invest
in the education and health of Ghanaians to achieve what it terms as “inclusive
growth”. This plan primarily covers critical sectors including education and
health.
Under education, the NDC seeks to transform
Ghana’s education system by expanding infrastructure, enhancing teacher welfare
and professional development for quality outcomes.
At the basic level, the party will establish
a Department for Early Childhood Development under the Ministry of Education
with a special mandate to promote early childhood education.
On secondary education particularly, the NDC
pledges to abolish the double-track system through an emergency infrastructure
drive; extend free education to private senior high schools; integrate STEM
into the secondary school’s curriculum; and decentralize the procurement of
food for senior high schools. TVET education will also see some reforms to
integrate emerging digitals skills and other skills to prepare students for the
world of work.
The ‘no-fee-stress’ policy will be
introduced to absorb admission fees for all university entrants while persons
with disability will attend university for free under a new NDC administration.
Continuing students who can’t pay their fees will also be taken care of under a
new and revamped student loan regime. The ‘Bed for All’ programme will partner
private sector to revamp and increase accommodation facilities on university
campus. Professional legal education will also be reviewed to allow accredited
law faculties to run the professional law course.
Under health, the NDC aims to increase
access to mental healthcare; invest in herbal, traditional, and alternative
medicine development, reposition Ghana as a medical tourism hub; and expand
healthcare infrastructure.
The NDC will also establish a Ministry of
Youth Development to focus on youth development by mainstreaming and
coordinating youth development policies, programmes, and initiatives at all
levels of governance.
Good Governance and Anti-Corruption
The NDC aims to ensure good governance
through a number of measures. Firstly, the party says it will reduce the size
of government and scrap the payment of ex-gratia to government officials. The
party will also establish a Constitution Review Implementation Committee to
implement the recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission.
Secondly, the NDC promises to launch the
‘Operation-Recover-All-Loot’ to investigate and prosecute corrupt government
officials. Public officials will also be banned from acquiring state assets
while an inquiry will be commissioned to investigate ‘looted’ state lands. A conflict-of-interest
legislation will also be introduced for government and public officials.
Thirdly, the NDC will expand access to
justice by supporting the judiciary to set up high courts in the new 6 regions
of the country. Special courts will be created to deal with corruption matters.
General judicial infrastructure will also be revamped.
The party will also amend the 1992 constitution to allow the election of MMDCEs on a non-partisan basis to strengthen local level participation and political accountability.
Download the full NDC manifesto at the end
of this article.
This article is part of Penplusbytes' informational series ahead of Ghana's 2024 General Elections, implemented as part of our Voters' Compass project, under the African Elections Project. This is being done in partnership with VoteSwiper and supported with German Federal Foreign Office’s funds by ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen), zivik Funding Programme.
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