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AN Evening Encounter
with
IEA
Ghana
THE INSTITUTE
OF ECONOMIC
AFFAIRS
NANA AKUFO-ADDO
A Public Policy Institute

THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
IEA
GHANA
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Ghana, was founded in October
1989 as an independent, public policy institute dedicated to the establishment
and strengthening of a market economy and a democratic, free and open
society. It considers improvements in the legal, social and political institutions
as necessary conditions for sustainable economic growth and human
development.
The IEA supports research and promotes and publishes studies on important
economic, socio-political and legal issues in order to enhance the
understanding of public policy.
Further information may be obtained from the Publication Officer:
The Institute of Economic Affairs
P.O.Box OS 1936, Osu Accra, Ghana
An Evening Encounter
With
NANA AKUFO-ADDO
Tel: +233-302244716 / 0307010714
Fax: +233 302- 222313
Email: iea@ieagh.org
ISBN: 988-584-13-x
ISSN: 0855-3238
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An Institute of Economic Affairs/Ghana Political Parties Programme collaboration

PREFACE
he Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Ghana, seeks to promote
the consolidation of democracy and good governance in Ghana
Tand West Africa. The IEA works at this through national and
sub-regional programmes of advocacy for democracy in economic and
political governance. Over a period of twenty (20) years, The IEA has
initiated far-reaching processes of multi party democracy in Ghana, and
carried out events of national cohesion and political accommodation
and accountability.
Since the year 2000, The IEA has organised Presidential Election
Debates ahead of each of the nation's Presidential Elections. In each
election year, these debates have provided Presidential candidates a
platform on which to dialogue with each other on the policies and
programmes they believe will best serve the national interest. The
Presidential Election Debates are gradually instilling an issues-driven
approach to Presidential campaigns. The debates offer the electorate the
information on the policy direction of each Presidential candidate's
manifesto, with which to make informed choices. They further serve as
a backdrop against which to demand accountability from their leaders.
The IEA has created yet another platform to enhance the development
of an issues-driven approach to national elections and the establishment
of accountable leadership in Ghana. This is the Evening Encounter
Series, which was initiated in 2008.
th
June 18 , 2008 Evening Encounter with Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP
th
June 26 , 2008 Evening Encounter with Prof. J.E.A. Mills, NDC
rd
July 3 , 2008 Evening Encounter with Dr. Edward Mahama, PNC
These Encounters offered the four Presidential candidates whose
political parties had representation in Parliament, an evening each of
interaction with a cross section of interest groups.
Associations and institutions represented in the 2008 Encounters
included The Ghana Medical Association, The Association of Ghana
Industries, The National Union of Ghana Students, The Ghana
Employer's Association, The Trades Union Congress, The Ghana
Federation for the Disabled, The Ghana National Association of
Teachers, The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana, The Ghana
Union of Traders Association and The Pharmaceutical Society of
Ghana.
It is our firm belief and optimism that with your collaboration, the
Evening Encounters will indeed serve the purpose for which they have
been initiated. We count on you, the electorate, presidential aspirants,
political parties, policy-makers and civil society, to play the role that
only you can, which is to follow, participate in and thus, strengthen each
step in the process of democratisation of our dear nation.
The following provides a transcript of events at the Evening
Encounter with Nana Akufo Addo.
The Evening Encounters concept differs from that of the Presidential
Debates, in that while the focus of The Debates is the interaction
between Presidential candidates, the focus of the Encounters is the
interaction between candidates and the electorate.
The first series of Evening Encounters took place on the following
dates:
th
May 14 , 2008 Evening Encounter with Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, CPP
We hope you find this publication useful.
Thank you.
Jean Mensa
Executive Director

differences in our records of government. There are differences in
our respective past performances; there are differences in our
respective ideas and visions for the future and there are
differences in the Presidential candidates of the parties. Fellow
Ghanaians, I am here this evening to explain to you why when I
accepted my party's nomination at Legon in the early morning
hours of December 23rd, I pledged my party and myself to a
positive campaign of ideas and urged other parties and candidates
to do the same. I remain committed to that pledge.
Akufo-Addo addressing his audience
adies and gentlemen, your excellencies, members of the
diplomatic corp, chairman of the Council of State, Director
LGeneral of the GBC, ministers, members of parliament,
my good friends.
I congratulate The IEA and all the organisations that have joined
together to make this encounter possible. The presentations on
energy, these encounters and others that are being planned, are
testament to the growing establishment of democracy in our
country. We have to thank you for this.
This year's elections are truly historic for our nation. Before us is
the opportunity to fundamentally improve the lives of Ghanaians.
The choice is whether to move forward with the New Patriotic
Party or go back to, and with, the National Democratic Congress.
There are clear differences between the major parties. There are
1
Fellow Ghanaians, I am here this evening to explain to you why
respectfully, you should return the NPP majority to Parliament
and elect me, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as your next
President. I urge that you judge us in this election based on what
we have done, what we are doing and what we are going to do.
Consistent with my party's values and its record of performance, I
shall lead a team that will build on the solid foundation laid by the
NPP government under the leadership of His Excellency the
President of the Republic, John Agyekum Kufuor to transform our
country from the third to first world within our generation. That is
our goal.
I know that some in this country, who are opposed to us, do not
acknowledge the performance of the NPP government. While we
are in a democracy and they are entitled to their opinions, they are
not entitled to create their own facts. I respectfully but strongly
disagree with their views about our performance. Here are just
some of the facts regarding our performance.
First, the NPP government has given this nation its best economy
in our half-century of independence. We have achieved macroeconomic
stability for the longest period in our history. We have
reduced significantly both interest rates and inflation while nearly
quadrupling the size of our economy to US$15 billion in the first
seven years of the NPP. We have worked hard to wean ourselves
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off the financial dependence of the World Bank and the IMF. We
have today a sovereign credit rating of B+ and the ability to
borrow on the international financial markets on our own. Indeed,
last year, our first sovereign bond issue which was for US$750
million was over-subscribed to the tune of US$3.2 billion. This,
coupled with the increase in Foreign Direct Investment, our
selection for the Millennium Challenge Account and increased
remittances are all testament to our successful management of the
national economy. This year, despite the difficulties in the world
which is affecting all economies, ours is projected to grow by
7%.We have been able to get debt relief of over US$4 billion,
reducing our external debt from 152% of our GDP to 22% today.
Indeed, today, we are recognised as one of the top ten reforming
countries in the world and the best place to do business in West
Africa.
Second, the plans and programmes of the NPP have been the most
effective of any government in addressing the needs of our people.
We introduced, in year 2003, the National Health Insurance
Scheme over the objections of the NDC and with that freed
Ghanaians from the clutches of the inhumane “cash and carry
system”. Today, over 11 million Ghanaians have signed up and
more are signing up each day. In education, we have introduced
the Capitation Grant and School Feeding Programmes that have
combined to increase primary school enrolment by an astonishing
30% over the last three years. It is gratifying to note that half of the
increases have come from the three northern regions. Thus while
others talk, we are closing the gap between the North and the
South with our policies. Our public universities have more than
doubled enrolment, from 44,000 in 2000 to100,000 in 2007, while
our polytechnics have increased enrolment over 50% from 18,000
to 28,000.
These expansions have been supported by massive government
investments in educational infrastructure, the likes of which have
not been seen in these last forty years. We have increased the
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minimum wage as well as the salaries of virtually every
professional in the public service. For instance, the salary of an
average teacher has gone up four-fold from Gh¢500 to Gh¢2,400
per year. The net effect of these policies is that we have reduced
poverty from 39% to 28%.
Thirdly, we have undertaken the most comprehensive physical
infrastructural programme by any government since the First
Republic. For example, the total road network of our country,
which stretched for some 39,000km in 2000, has increased to
62,000km in the first five years of the NPP. Our water situation
across the country, especially in rural Ghana, has seen some
significant improvements. From Wa and its environs, to North and
South Tongu, Winneba, Kwanyaku, Swedru, Dangbe, and Cape
Coast. However, the situation in some of our urban areas, such as
Accra, Tamale, Koforidua and Mankessim, require a lot more
urgency in completing ongoing water provision projects. The
project to expand the country's pre-Independence railway
network system to cover the four corners of the country is also on.
Fourth, while we remain deeply concerned and continue to engage
in resolving the few troubled spots, we have maintained the peace
and unity and promoted reconciliation while deepening our
democracy. Today, Ghana is the most peaceful country in West
Africa. Now, no media person lives in fear of the Criminal Libel
Law, because we have repealed it and our media is perhaps the
most vibrant on our continent. Never in the history of the
Ghanaian state has freedom so flourished as in the era of the NPP
government. Our democratic institutions are working and our
commitment to the ballot rather than bullets as the way of
changing governments is evident to all with election processes
whose fairness and credibility are today hailed around the world.
The result has been the visible revival of the popular selfconfidence
of Ghanaian people.
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Fifth, as a result of the NPP's stewardship and mature diplomacy,
our nation is once again highly respected around the world. The
effect of all this is that we have created a conducive environment
to attract and generate the needed investment to move our nation
and people forward to a free, prosperous, modern society.
Sixth, we found oil and that was not by accident. When we came in
2001, we refocused the GNPC on its core mission and within a few
years, oil has been found. Since the discovery, we have organised
a conference to plan the prudent, transparent and honest
management of the oil revenues to which we invited many
countries with the experience in the oil industry to share their
experience with us. There is no doubt that the New Patriotic Party
is the party that is best prepared to ensure the transparent and
accountable management of these revenues and thereby ensure
that the entire nation, particularly the Western Region benefit
from this blessing; blessing it will be for Ghana not a curse.
Despite our achievements, we recognise that there is a great deal
more work to be done to ensure that our citizens get a better life.
The world has been a difficult place due to astronomical increases
in crude oil and global food prices. The economy, nevertheless,
has shown greater resilience in dealing with these external shocks
because of the NPP's responsible management of the economy. I
am proud to say that Ghana today has the best economy since
Independence. The nation has been better off under the NPP.
You are better off if you are one of the millions of Ghanaians who
have been freed from the clutches of the “cash-and-carry” system
by the National Health Insurance Scheme. Your family is better
off if your young child is benefitting from the School Feeding
Programme and/or the Capitation Grant and your older child now
has a chance to attend university or polytechnic because of the
expansion in facilities that have led to increased enrolment. You
are better off when the road in your area has been improved and
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travel takes less time than before. Let us count our blessings and
thank the Almighty for what we have achieved as we commit
ourselves to moving forward. Indeed, we are moving forward.
In health, Government will soon announce free antenatal, delivery
and postnatal services to all women. We are hoping that this will
not distort the family planning in our country too much.
Furthermore, the government has announced plans to de-link the
coverage of minors from their parents under the NHIS. This will
extend the benefits of the NHIS to those under 18 even if their
parents have not signed up for the programme.
Vision of a New Ghana
Fellow Ghanaians, we know that the challenges we faced in 2001
as a nation are different from those we will face in 2009. The
Kufuor administration has greatly enhanced Ghana's democracy,
stabilised the economy and laid the foundation for the
comprehensive growth of the economy and the provision of social
justice. My vision is to use this platform to create a modern
society, by transforming the structure of the Ghanaian economy,
consolidating our democracy, and fully engaging our country in
the agenda for regional and continental integration and promoting
our common interest in the global arena.
Deepening Democracy and Decentralisation
Fellow Ghanaians, let me focus on some of the priority areas that
would occupy my Presidency. My administration will intensify
the process of decentralisation by continuing the creation of new
districts, increasing the District Assembly Common Fund to 10%
during my first term and increasing the control of District
Assemblies over their staff. We shall move to improve the
relationship among DCEs, Members of Parliament and traditional
leaders in the interest of their districts. Next, we shall, with greater
urgency, reform the public sector to make public services more
6

efficient, transparent and customer-friendly. I shall work to ensure
that with the help of technology and better training, and in line
with decentralisation, nearly all the services provided by
government at the centre will be available in any of the regional
capitals.
Ladies and gentlemen, democracies do best when there are strong
and vibrant institutions. As the saying goes, nothing is possible
without individuals, but nothing is lasting without institutions.
The gains we have made in our democracy due to the sacrifices of
great individuals must be protected by strong institutions. We
shall prioritise our budgetary arrangement to ensure that the next
NPP government has the funds to strengthen Parliament, CHRAJ,
SFO, Food and Drugs Board, Standards Board and other
institutions with more resources and where necessary, better
personnel and greater efficiency.
I am committed to fighting corruption with vigour. While the
Whistleblowers, Public Procurement and Financial
Administration statutes and the open sittings of the Public
Accounts Committee of Parliament are good starts, we have a lot
more work to do. We will complete the significant work done by
this government on the Right to Information Bill and pass the law
within the early months of my assumption of office. I shall hold
my ministers and other officials accountable, consistent with the
high standards that I have set for myself in the last 30 years of
public life.
Also, we need to recognise that our rights as citizens of a
democracy come with responsibilities. We need to get to places on
time because time is money. Our potential as a nation is seriously
diminished by the pervasive habits of tardiness and lack of
professionalism. Democracy and the rule of law are twins. We
cannot be a democracy when we honour the law in the breach;
when we fear the night because of criminals or die unacceptably
on our roads that have become lawless spaces. Even though this
government has increased the Police force by 66% from 15,000 to
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25,000, while increasing their vehicles strength ten-fold, our work
is not yet done. The reports in our newspapers of armed and
violent crime, like the Madina robbery of a bank a few days ago,
remind all of us of how much more we need to do.
My administration will double the Police force to 50,000 in the
next five years while committing more resources for training,
better pay and technology to increase professionalism and
accountability of our Police force. The public is entitled to a Police
force that is friendly, effective and professional and we do not yet
have that. We shall fight the drug menace vigorously by
improving the collaboration between law enforcement agencies
within our country and our neighbours across West Africa. We
shall enhance our collaboration with Britain and America.
However we need to find a way to offer more opportunities to our
youth, in education and jobs while strengthening our families and
communities to resist the temptation of drugs.
Modernisation of our Society
To modernise our society, we need to improve the effectiveness
and efficiency of public services while improving the quality of
our lives. In our cities, too many of our citizens live in substandard
dwellings in unplanned neighbourhoods. It has become
routine for people to build dwellings for miles and miles in
unplanned areas without any space reserved for schools, hospitals
and public parks. My administration will enforce zoning
regulations and insist that our cities are planned and provision
made for parks, schools and hospitals while newly developed
areas have amenities and utilities before human dwellings. Along
these lines, we need to develop geographical addresses coupled
with personal identification and we shall complete the initiatives
made in these areas by the current administration.
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We cannot be a modern society when so many of our citizens are
not adequately housed and urban dwellers pay rents with
advances that make it difficult for young people to start life
independent of their parents. We shall support real estate
developers to erase the significant housing deficits we face while
creating needed jobs in our economy. It is estimated that there is a
housing deficit of some half-a-million housing units with an
annual increment of one hundred thousand. Consistent with my
party's philosophy of creating a “property owning democracy”, I
commit my government to the construction of a minimum of fifty
thousand units per year at a cost of Gh¢20, 000 per unit for the next
5 years, to complement the delivery of housing by the private
sector. This will cost a total of Gh¢1 billion and 20% of these will
be committed to renting by families that cannot afford to buy these
houses.
In addition to these changes, a modern society requires a good
public health system and clean drinking water. We shall increase
the resources for garbage and waste treatment significantly. To
improve sanitation, we shall require organisations doing business
with the public to provide more toilet facilities to the public and
put on the streets 20 thousand sanitation inspectors, popularly
known as “tankase” workers per year for the next five years. These
will be coupled with competitions between districts and cities on
cleanliness. We shall make our roads safer by enforcing traffic
regulations in a humane manner. However, we shall enhance the
capacity of the National Ambulance Service to deal with accidents
and disasters when they occur.
Quality education is fundamental to a modern society and we shall
implement the new educational policy introduced by the current
government by focusing on quality and putting the teacher at the
centre of the whole process. The School Feeding Programme that
is being piloted in 2 schools per district will be extended to all
schools in the next 2 years at a projected total cost of
Gh¢287,606,241 per year. Currently, the cost of Senior High
9
School education is about Gh¢92 million per year of which the
government pays 19%. Making this free and compulsory will cost
an additional Gh¢75 million per year initially with the cost
expected to rise as enrolment increases. To improve education, the
Teacher Training Colleges have been upgraded to tertiary level
and we shall strengthen these Colleges of Education to improve
the quality of our teachers.
To make university education more accessible, I pledge that my
administration will move towards the goal of having a public
university in each region as soon as possible. This will provide
public universities for Volta and Eastern Regions and upgrade all
the existing universities, while doubling the capacity and
resources of the UDS to ensure access to quality university
education for those of the three northern regions. All our
universities, through the development of Technology and/or
Research Parks, will become “Business Incubation Centres” in
partnership with private business and our government. These
partnerships will translate good ideas from the universities into
business ideas that can attract investment to create wealth and jobs
and help drive our economy while on the other hand finding
answers to the concerns of business. To make science education
more attractive, government will absorb the additional user fees
for science students. While all the factors discussed here will help,
nothing is more subversive of modernisation than indiscipline. To
me, for us to be the modern society to which we aspire, we must be
disciplined and obey the law while insisting that others do so as
well.
The Economy
Fellow Ghanaians, the precondition for attaining all that I have
discussed this evening is a rapidly growing and robust economy.
We must generate the necessary revenues to finance our plans and
programmes. Fortunately, the NPP has the team and the record of
performance to assure Ghanaians that we can deliver. As I
10

indicated in my address to the AGI, the economy that I envisage
will grow at about 10% per year, focus on value-addition to raw
materials, manufacturing and ensure that the entire machinery of
government is geared towards assisting Ghanaians trying to do
business. I pledge to reduce the time for processing applications
for businesses significantly, to require government, by
amendment to the Public Procurement Law, to purchase half of its
needs from local sources and to require timely payment for work
done. All these will significantly increase economic growth. All
these will help the transformation of our economy into one where
we export products to which we have added value instead of raw
materials.
The foundation of such an economy is the modernisation of its
agriculture. We must irrigate our agricultural land, particularly in
the north and the Accra Plains, give farmers technical help, as we
did with the cocoa spraying, provide technical assistance through
extension workers and reduce post-harvest losses by building
storage facilities and roads while helping investors to build agroprocessing
plants that will provide ready markets to our farmers
and spur productivity. These measures will significantly
transform the northern part of our nation. Together with the Bui
Dam and the One Billion Dollar Northern Development Authority
that I pledge to establish and a modern airport that will make
Tamale the gateway to the North, that place will become the
bread-basket of Ghana and the driving force of our economy
rather than the disadvantaged area that it is today.
To support the development of Small and Medium Enterprises,
which worldwide are the main generators of jobs, I am also
pledged to establish a one billion dollar Industrial Development
Fund that will support such enterprises. To provide the necessary
infrastructure for such enterprises, my government will accelerate
the work of the current administration in seeking partners to invest
in critical industries like aluminium, iron ore, salt and
petrochemicals as well as tourism and ICT. This value addition to
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primary products will create thousands of jobs every year. The
continuing effort to eliminate the housing deficit, the
rehabilitation of our schools and the building of new public
universities will create thousands of well-paying jobs for bricklayers,
plumbers, carpenters and electricians for years to come.
In the construction and agricultural sectors, we expect, working
with the private sector, to create half-a-million jobs per year.
300,000 of these will be in construction and the rest in agriculture.
In the medium and long-term, the new heavy industries, the salt
and petrochemical industries and the oil industry combined will
generate, after the initial period, at least 400,000 jobs in the SME's
for our young men and women graduating from our universities,
polytechnics, technical and vocational institutes with the
necessary skills. The era of the unemployed graduate is on the way
out and better days are on the way.
Vision for West African Sub-Region
The transformation of our economy will make Ghanaian
businesses very competitive in West Africa, Africa and the world.
As the empowered Ghanaian businesses become stronger and
more successful, they will need bigger markets. West Africa has a
market of a quarter of a billion people. This means that a peaceful,
more prosperous West Africa is in our economic interest. My
government will work to strengthen ECOWAS to have peace in
our region so that all who travel and engage legitimately in pursuit
of goods and services will be protected.
Too often, security forces in various countries prey on peaceful
traders instead of protecting them. My government, aided by my
experience as Foreign Minister and my familiarity with both
official languages of West Africa, stands poised to lead an
unprecedented collaboration in West Africa that will unleash
peace and commerce and inure to the benefit of all who live in our
West African neighbourhood.
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Conclusion
Fellow Ghanaians, ladies and gentlemen, we need to take a firm
step into the future if we are to be part of the rapidly growing
global village with its attendant technological advancements. I
shall lead by example, through a hands-on approach, working
around the clock to restore the culture of hard work. I shall create
an effective and efficient public service that delivers to the
expectation of our people.
I will be action-oriented, demanding of results, chase progress and
will not tolerate bureaucratic inertia. I have a strong desire to serve
Ghana with a clear conscience, pure motives and a solid character.
I will offer a leadership of competence, courage, compassion and
commitment. From Pusiga to Axim, from Hamile to Keta we all
by fate are Ghanaians and Ghanaians first. We have to emphasise
the things that bring us together and ensure that the peace and
stability of our nation continue to be maintained.
I believe in Ghana and I ask you also to believe in Ghana.
We are moving forward. Yeeko yenim! Wonya wo hie!
Thank you.
And with God as our guide, we shall succeed.
God Bless all of you.
QUESTION AND ANSWER SECTION
Unidentified person :
What will you do to bring lasting peace to Bawku?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
All of us are aware that we have these intractable local conflicts
largely associated with chieftaincy in some parts of our world. I
see three matters that we all have to deal with.
First of all, there is our national Constitution and laws that provide
the framework for dealing with chieftaincy issues. Ever since
1969's Second Republican Constitution, efforts have been made
to isolate chieftaincy issues from the Executive. We have a
framework. If there is wind of a problem, you go to the Regional
House, in the case of a paramount chief, and to the Divisional
Wing of the Regional House of Chiefs, and it goes up to the
National House of Chiefs. I think it is important that we make that
framework happen in the area of chieftaincy. And as much as
possible the resolution of problems involving the chieftaincy
institution that cannot be dealt with amicably should be dealt with
in the manner the Constitution has prescribed.
Political polarisation underlies the persistence of these conflicts.
Some groups have long-standing political allegiances to a
particular political family or tradition and the other to the
opposite. These are the matters that we all need to look at
carefully. The existence of these conflicts does not inure to the
reputation of our nation.
There is the larger issue of how we can generate prosperity and
economic activity in these areas. This is a fundamental matter we
need to address. I have a strong belief that busy people don't have
the time to fight, but idle hands have a lot of opportunity to create
mischief. The less idle hands that we have in areas like Bawku,
13
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Pusiga, Zebilla; the more chance we will have of finding a lasting
resolution to these conflicts. But it is important that at the centre,
whoever has the Executive power takes an even-handed approach
to the resolution of these problems.
Even with the enormous stress on our current President, he is
consistently trying to project himself into these conflicts as an
honest programme. As we speak, the Bawku-Naba is here in
Accra, meeting with the president in the Castle. It will take a long
process to resolve these conflicts. But we must begin from
somewhere.
Those of us in political life must make conscious efforts as far as
peace is concerned. I am happy to see the developments that are
taking place. For instance members of Parliament in the area, from
both sides; NPP, PNC, the NDC, are trying to work together in
Parliament, to try to resolve the problem. I believe this is a healthy
development and we must encourage them to continue to work in
this collective manner. I don't have some magic formula. I know
nothing else other than to say that we have to continue to work at
this until peace comes there, and peace comes to Dagbon.
Network of Women's Rights in Ghana:
In your presentation you made a lot of comments about the
macroeconomic framework, particularly how the NPP
government has been able to stabilise the macroeconomic
framework. But I must point out that at the same time inequality
has increased. One of the reasons for this is because we no longer
support the small-scale productive sector, particularly
agriculture, where many poor rural and urban people find their
livelihoods. What will you do to address the increasing
inequality?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
I don't accept the premise that there has been a growing inequality
in Ghana. I believe all the indices indicate that poverty in Ghana is
15
being systematically reduced. If that is the case, then it points to a
different conclusion from what you are saying. Nevertheless, let's
proceed on the principle of what we will be doing about smallscale
farming. I don't think there has been a government that has
taken on the issue of subvention support more than the NPP
government. The cocoa industry is the greatest employer in the
rural economy.
I think you will agree with me on that. If you look at inputs the
government has provided the cocoa sector; we are talking about
the spraying, the availability of technical assistance to the
extension workers, scholarships that we've granted to the children
of cocoa farmers, the increase in the producer price; a fourfold
increase in producer price has taken place in our time, the growth
of output. We came to meet cocoa production at some 320,000 to
330,000 tonnes a year. In the last 5 years on the average we've
been doing at least 600,000. In terms of what it has done in
enhancing rural incomes I think you can imagine the consequence
of that. And with that also has come a four-fold increase in the
prices of producer income.
I would be the last to say that there is paradise in rural Ghana. No;
that is not the case and I am not going to stand here to make such a
claim. But I believe that the rural economy in our country has been
part of the growth of our nation this last decade. Yes, there are still
significant income differentials amongst our people. We are going
to have to find some way of narrowing and bridging that gap so
that the whole process of national development has an all
inclusive flavour. But I believe a lot of good work is being done.
What I am thinking, what I believe should be the next phase is how
we can now move to large scale commercial agriculture in Ghana.
Women in Law and Development in Africa:
Ghana has ratified a lot of protocols, conventions on gender
equality. However, we still have no representation of women in
various government sectors. I want to find out from you if you will
16

promise to guarantee that the vice president you will choose will
be a woman and also if you will appoint 40% of women as
ministers and to government boards, commissions and trusts.
Nana Akufo-Addo:
If I was to give the idea here, I would be in a lot of trouble with my
party. I am the leader but I don't own the party. There are processes
we have to go through within our party before the decision on a
vice president will be taken. But let’s say unequivocally that in
principle I have no objections, I have no prejudice or hostility to
the idea at all. If the consensus of the party and the thinking of the
party is that I should be partnered by a woman I would love it. In
my party there are a lot of very able competent women so it will
not be tokenism. We wouldn't be doing it just for the sake of
having a woman vice president.
I cannot remember a time in Ghana where there have been so
many high profile women positions in our national life. They may
not be enough, but it gives you an idea of our thinking. We've
made a breakthrough with the Chief Justice. The first female
Chief Justice in our country took place in our period. There are
several other such appointments that have been made, which
indicate how supportive we are of the idea. But the 40%
commitment is a difficult one to meet. I would be dishonest about
it if I said otherwise. But I assure you that I am committed to the
cause of women.
Kwaku Sakyi Addo:
What are the characteristics, qualities that you will be looking for
in your running mate?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
The vice president is a heartbeat away from the president. You
need to have somebody who is capable of stepping into your shoes
as a leader. You have to settle with somebody who you believe you
can work well with. I think that the other considerations that come
17
into mind are also questions of balance. For instance if you are
from a particular part of the country it may make sense that your
vice comes from another part to maintain the whole idea of
national cohesion and unity.
Sometimes you even have to take on the idea of religious favour. It
is possible. We are a secular state, it is true and we don't have an
established religion in Ghana, unfortunately in my view. We are
all free to worship in the name of the God we choose. But I don't
think that we can deny the fact that there are important religious
formations of our country that also will influence this decision.
But these are conventional criteria which we have to look at.
Competence and compatibility are extremely important.
Kwaku:
And personal qualities?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
I am talking about competence and honesty and not incompetence
and dishonesty. I am assuming that honesty and integrity are very
much part of what you are looking for. You also want somebody
with a strong attachment to the party's values.
Kwabena Otoo, Trades Union Congress:
You talked about decentralisation. I am happy with that. You
outlined several things, but left out one important thing; that is
whether my District Chief Executive should be accountable to me
or to the President. As it is now the District Chief Executive does
not really care what happens, so long as he happens to maintain
the favour of the President. And that was part of NPP’s manifesto
in 2000; to elect District Chief Executives. What has happened to
that?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
In the 2000 manifesto, we did make that promise. We will move to
a system where District Chief Executives will be elected directly
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y the people they represent. I think what happened was the
recognition that the district assembly concept was at a relatively
infant and fragile stage of evolution and that therefore it was better
to leave the system as it was, to consolidate it first. And then deal
with these larger political and constitutional matters whenever we
were satisfied that the system had really taken root. That is why we
kept it on hold. We needed to see the system take on greater and
greater weight and responsibility within the localities before we
move on. It is the ideal; it is what we all want to get to; accountable
government at the locality, and that the local people elect their
District Chief Executive.
I believe that all that we have been doing since the 1992
Constitution came into being, is to systematically find ways of
deepening democratic institutions in our country. I am not 100%
in agreement with the idea that because the nomination process is
being done by the President, there is no accountability by the
Chief Executive to his own people.
We know of several instances where the nominations by the
President have been rejected by local assemblies. If the local
assemblies are strong enough they can exert a great deal of
pressure on the District Chief Executive.
We have the idea of a non-partisan nature of the district assembly;
we have to look at it, because many of us know that in reality that
non-partisan idea is just a charade. It doesn't correspond with the
reality under which these elections are carried out.
It is a complex area and what I will like to do is to say that we
should continue to look at these issues; deepen the whole culture
of democracy in our country. And what we will do is achieve the
kind of delicate balance that will be struck between the President
of one party and the District Chief Executive of another party. I
think you can appreciate the complexity of such a situation. We
are going to have a whole problem with large sections of this
19
country that are under the control politically of our oppositions,
the main opposition party. Imagine the kind of problems that the
President will have in having to try and find a modus ivendi with
some districts in the country controlled by his political opponents.
There are many issues involved in this matter. The overall goal
was first towards local accountability, local self government. I
support it but I believe that this whole constitutional process is in
considerable evolution. I hope I have made some sense to you.
Thank you.
Dr Maame Gyekye Gyandoh, University of Ghana:
It is commendable that the NPP has reduced poverty from 39% to
28% in its era. And yet 28% poverty level is still high; it's more
than a quarter of the population. How do you propose to further
reduce this high poverty level?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
We are not going to invent the wheel. Our people are living in
poverty because they have been part of an economy which has not
been growing. The growth of our economy, its expansion, is what
will be the most effective way of dealing with the issue of mass
poverty in our country. I agree with you, 28% of the population
being considered poorest - living below the poverty line - is an
unnecessarily high figure for any nation. I mentioned that figure to
indicate that there has been movement on the issue, but not that
this is what we want to see. We want to see figures that are in single
digits. Obviously, the best thing is to go all out to clear it but we
notice that even in the most advanced economies in the world,
nobody has succeeded in eradicating poverty entirely. But we can
do much better.
There is no other solution: our economy has to grow, it has to grow
rapidly and we will be in position to create jobs and enhance the
living standards of our people thereby. This is why for me the
whole process of how Ghana can move beyond the status of a raw
material producing country is so key. If you look round the world,
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at powerful countries like Russia with vast resources of natural
products like oil, there is no country which prospers from living
off raw material activity. It's the lowest end of the value chain in
the world of business. So you always get the smallest amount of
money for your products. The way to prosperity is by adding value
by the transformation process of raw material into products.
I keep calling the Ghanaian economy the Guggisberg economy. In
Guggisberg's time when the shape of our economy took place,
70% of our national receipts came from the export of raw
materials - cocoa, gold and timber. It's still the same situation
today.
Kweku Sakyi-Addo:
You are a key member of the current government and a member of
the cabinet for 8 years, what have you done to change what you
are telling us?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
A lot; a lot! That is why I am talking about transformation. When
we came into office we found the macro economy in considerable
disequilibrium; 50% rate of interest on short term loans, 40% rate
of inflation, the cedi that was not just wobbling but disappearing.
You have first of all to do the work to sanitise that situation.
Because people keep saying it, they say you people keep talking
about your macro-economy; we can't eat the macro-economy.
Fair enough. But certainly, one thing which is a fact is that steady
sustained progress is also not possible without a sound macro
economy. So the matter is as simple as that. We spent a
considerable amount of time and energy with the sacrifice of a lot
of people in government to try to correct the imbalance in our
economy that we inherited.
I believe that we have put the economy now on a trajectory that
will allow the transformation I am talking about to take place. That
is why I am saying for me the advantage, God willing, if the
21
Ghanaian people favour me in December, is that I will be working
on the platform, and on a much more sound platform than that
which J.A. Kufuor inherited in 2001.
We are now in a position to make this frontal attack on this process
of transformation. I think the time is now and we are going to
continue some of the things that have happened recently; these
hydrocarbon resources that we have discovered may offer us, the
first time in the history of independence, funds to back this
process of transformation.
Already, important things are being done in our country. We are
beginning to establish an integrated aluminium industry in Ghana,
making arrangements for developing our bauxite resources,
looking at the arrangements that could be made as to develop our
ore and steel; all these things are very much now in the offing.
They will provide us with that basis for the take off. So this is what
we mean.
Nana Oye Lithur:
Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo, I have 15 year old statistics on maternal
mortality in Ghana. About 214 women die out of every 100,000
live births. UNICEF and WHO place the figure at 740 deaths per
every 100,000 live births per annum. I will be grateful if you could
enumerate three strategies or interventions your government will
use to reduce maternal mortality and unsafe abortion in Ghana.
Thank you.
Nana Akufo-Addo:
The first, of course, is expanding medical facilities and medical
infrastructure. Unfortunately still, many people, especially in our
rural areas, don't have direct access to clinics and to modern
medical facilities.
Secondly, the insurance scheme that we have brought is one that
provides a really clear way. We are in a position to deepen the
22

system. The infrastructure is there to support the National Health
Insurance Scheme. That too becomes another way to tackle this
important human problem.
The third, of course, is money and I have been able to have that
kind of result. The President, as you know recently when he went
to the Millennium Development Challenge Conference in
London, was able to persuade Gordon Brown, the British Prime
Minister, to assist us and he provided a significant amount of
money to be used by the National Health Insurance Scheme to deal
with the question of pregnancies in Ghana.
Mrs. Irene Adanusa of GNAT:
Thank you very much, Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo. I was very happy
when you assured us that you are going to be an action oriented
results leader. You are also going to make sure that you have an
efficient and effective public service. But I need to be convinced.
There are all sorts of problems in the public sector payroll system
and these problems have been on going over the past 3-4 years.
What actions are you going to take to ensure that we have some
sanity in the administration of the public sector payroll?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
All of us are aware that there are very disturbing anomalies in our
public sector structure. After a lot of negotiation, we have
managed to pass the Labour Act, which will set up its own
institutions, especially the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. I
am hoping and believe very strongly that with that institution
properly in place, we will be in a position to deal with the
anomalies in the system; to be able to ensure that the equities and
the relativities are maintained correctly. And then there will be the
opportunity for us to negotiate across board, what is fair and
equitable for everybody.
23
Some of the anomalies that you are talking about have to do with
incompetent administration. How come people who have not been
paid have had taxes deducted? It is a situation where the left and
the right hand don't know what the other is doing. Some of those
are the matters that I am trying to address when I say I want to have
an efficient public service which acts in a coordinated and
comprehensive matter on public issues. At the end of the day that
is the way forward for us: strengthening of this Fair Wages and
Salaries Commission; having there the people who are capable of
doing the work, who are necessary for doing the work. And I think
there is also something which I will like to say. For a long time
Ghanaian politicians have been very quick to condemn the public
servants; accused of all kinds of things, they sabotage the work of
the politicians, etc. For myself I think really the time has come for
us to have another attitude; an attitude of encouragement,of
recognising the very great difficulties that are placed in the way of
public sector workers in our country.
Mrs Rose Karikari Annan, Ghana Employers Association:
Hon. Nana Addo, in your presentation you said you were going to
deepen the quality of education to increase the numbers. But there
is a critical area that business employers and industries are
worried about; that is the gap between the skill needs of industries
and employer, and the skills of graduates. This gap leads to low
productivity and low wages, and this in turn has impacted
negatively on enterprise development and competitiveness. How
do we get out of this vicious cycle?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
This is one of the most important questions that we face in our
society. At the end of the day we get better decision-making if we
have better consultation and coordination so that we create forums
that will allow academia, government and business to be meeting
periodically on issues that border on our work environment, so
that we can all fashion for ourselves the kind of curricula that
people like you are looking to at secondary schools, at
24

universities; the numbers of people that are available for
particular disciplines, skills; all of these are matters which we can
address more successfully if we have this more coordinated
approach to the resolution of such questions.
One of the things that I saw over the seven years that I was in
government was that many times decisions are taken in a
relatively narrow way. I am not saying that this has been done in a
perverse or deliberate manner, but that at the end of the day, were
we to open the decision making process more broadly, maybe we
will get better decisions.
We don't want that to happen. We are looking for situations
whereby people coming out of our secondary and tertiary
institutions can fit into the world of work. I believe this is one of
the things that animated the recent Educational Reforms and the
attempts to separate the various streams at the secondary and
tertiary levels into which people can go into: vocational,
technical, classical education, specialist education, mining,
agriculture, etc. That is the spirit that informed these reforms. If
we can make those reforms work; if there is an input from industry
and business in the determination of what people are taught; the
kind of skills that you will require, and if the government makes a
conscious effort to continue this dialogue, I think we will all be
better off. This is the way I hope to be able to deal with the issue.
Unidentified person:
Nana, what will you do to put Ghanaians in control of our own
economy? You go to our markets and you find foreigners driving
our people out of business. You sell chalewatey, the next day you
go to the market somebody from China has brought chalewatey
cheaper than yours and you are out of business.
What will you do to make sure that Ghanaians remain in control of
the economy at least in those areas that we are best known for?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
This is a matter that must concern all of us, because at the end of
the day, any country that works is a country that is working
because its own people are in charge of it and are doing well and
running the country, whether in the world of business, in politics,
or administration. That has to be our own focus. We are having
problems, many of our people don't have access to capital, and
they don't have access to the kind of technical information that
will help improve the quality of the enterprises. These are the
areas that the government can assist, and the government can be
an important facilitator for business in Ghana. To ensure the
promotion of activities like small and medium scale enterprises in
Ghana, we are pledging to set up a fund where people can come
and borrow money with reasonable rates, be able to have
processes that are not too complex, to enable them to establish
their businesses.
We are talking about products coming from other countries into
our own. Many of them don't meet our particular specifications.
We have institutions on the ground that are supposed to deal with
that. How well are they functioning? If they are not functioning
well what do we need to do to make them function so that they can
deliver for us? People are dumping many things on us, we have
institutions that are meant to fight the rate of dumping; if they are
not working what do we do to strengthen them? For me, always
the beginning is not the foreigner but ourselves and what we need
to do ourselves to progress our cause.
So we will have to have an attitude that says Ghana first, a slogan
of mine is about that: "I Believe in Ghana". It's all about Ghana
first; that Ghanaians will take responsibility for themselves, show
they are disciplined, prepared to enforce the laws, help themselves
develop capability. Several things have been done in our period
along this line and I think we need to intensify and deepen that
process.
25
26

Samuel Kwesi Asare, President of the Ghana Federation of the
Disabled:
As a presidential hopeful how can you help in the realisation of the
rights and freedoms of persons with disability?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
I will be in the luckiest position with my predecessor. An Act of
Parliament is now coming into being. A Disability Act has been
passed which requires public authorities to do certain things.
First of all it establishes a National Council for Persons with
Disability. A secretariat is being set up. It will be a question of
what we can do to make sure that the law is made to work. I believe
that if we begin from that basis definitely we can make an impact
on the lives of the disabled in our country.
Roland Acquah Steven, Radio Gold:
As a nominee for national honours on human rights and
democracy, do you consider the judgement on Mr Tsatsu Tsikata
for five years' imprisonment in the absence of his lawyer as a
violation of his human rights?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
First of all and I have to say with all honesty that I am not as
familiar with what happened in court that day as I should be. I
wasn't in town. I was out campaigning when this happened. But I
am always reluctant to comment on judicial proceedings because
at the end of the day when you go into it, many lawyers will tell
you; you will find that the issues there invariably are less
simplistic than you might think. On many occasions proceedings
can go on in the absence of a lawyer. A case has been set up for a
particular day and the courts want to know if you are the plaintiff
in the action and you don't want to move on with your case, the
courts will strike it out for want of prosecution; it happens all the
time.
What I do know is that the Judge is a respectable member of our
profession and a very good criminal lawyer, and I have no doubt
that there would be some good reasoning behind what she did. I
would find it difficult to believe that her behaviour was
capricious.
I don't know all the facts, and on that basis, I don't really think it
would be right for me to comment that there has been a violation
of human rights. But in any case, the system that we have now
means that redress is there. The person who has been affected by
this matter, a very well known lawyer, has begun the process of
redress and we will see at the end of the day whether something
untoward happened or not. He is appealing the decision, he has, I
believe, taken the decision to the Supreme Court.
We will know, when all the facts are there, whether indeed there
has been a violation of someone's human rights or not. If there has
been, it will be unfortunate. We don’t want to live in a country
where the courts themselves are agents for violating the rights of
people; they shouldn't be. The courts should be the protectors of
the rights of individuals, communities in our country. And like I
said these matters are more complex than what you think when
you don't know the nitty gritty of the matter. I want to wait to see
what happens in this appeal process before I would comment on it.
Dr Sorji Sorji-Tetteh:
Currently, we have under 48% coverage of OPD attendance; outpatients
attendance increasing in some cases by up to about
150%. We have increased waiting time, patients come around 8
am and have to leave around 4 pm after waiting for 6 hours.
Surgeries that can be done after about one week, can only take
place after months and services that have been rendered that
should have had the scheme pay back take a long time. This
27
28

further compromises the quality of service. How do you intend to
deal with these current challenges while pressing ahead with your
vision to expand coverage under the National Health Insurance
Scheme?
Nana Akufo-Addo:
I think the answer, first of all, is that the scheme is new so we are
challenged by a very, very far reaching piece of social legislation.
Secondly, we don't yet have the infrastructure that we need to
support an effective national health insurance scheme. I was in
Nkwanta two days ago, in the northern part of the Volta Region, at
a village called Brenuase. A chief there said to me, “this national
health that we have is all very good, we all appreciate it, but if I
have to take a bus or find a way to go from here to Nkwanta, it is
going to cost me a lot of money. Whatever savings that I will make
by being a member of the National Health Insurance Scheme has
already been eroded by transportation”. So he added that if I
wanted his vote I should bring a clinic to his village, which is fair
enough.
I think that kind of remark is perfectly in order. That kind of
conversation for me shows the reality of where we are. We've
begun; it is important that we continue, and then we find ways of
ironing out the difficulties within the system. The delay in paying
service providers is part of the general problem in the public
system when it comes to paying contractors. We went before the
Ghana Association of Industries and it was proposed that we
should have a way to penalise the State for delays beyond a certain
period, in paying contractors.
We have started; let us continue it. Let us begin to find solutions to
the kind of problems that are there. The solutions are there. For
instance, regarding medical personnel, my understanding is that
when we came into office the annual output of nurses was 700 a
year, now it is 7,000. That is a very important leap in terms of
29
being able to find health workers. The exodus of our doctors,
which had been rampant some years ago, is beginning gradually to
slow down because of some of the measures that we have taken in
improving the pay of doctors significantly. The medical and
health workers in Ghana are the second best paid in Sub-Saharan
Africa after South Africa. It is an important development.
Mr. Bombande, Executive Director of the West Africa Network
for Peace Building:
Nana, how is your vision for a stable Ghana informed by the
promotion of human security in Ghana? We have a spate of armed
robberies, in which women are raped and people are killed in their
homes. Do you have concrete and specific ways of enhancing
service delivery and do you have any agenda for further national
reconciliation particularly among politicians? Thank you.
Nana Akufo-Addo:
I begun by talking about the figures, to give you an idea of the
dimensions of the problem. When we came into office, the police
service was poorly resourced in terms of vehicles. With the lack of
vehicles, it was not a force that was capable of fighting crime in
our country.
Today, we have attempted to do two things; increase the personnel
and increase the infrastructure in terms of logistics. Today we
have a thousand vehicles in the hands of the Ghana Police Service.
That is the trajectory we are on now; to increase the capacity,
capability and also the training. Clearly, looking at the spate of
crime in this country it is telling you something about those things
which are happening in the larger society. We need to address this
problem of economic under-development in our country. I believe
that the quicker we can expand our economy and give more
opportunities and jobs to lots of people the more unlikely it is that
people will resort to crime.
30

We also need to localise the police service so that it is under the
control of the local authority. That is one thing that we are going to
bring into being. We will have local accountability of the work of
our public institutions; the police being one of the most critical.
But yes we've got to work at it because I just don't see any way
towards regional integration if our countries remain unsecure. I
think it is a necessity, a historic necessity for us and we have to
work at it and bring it into being.
These matters of human security are very serious matters but I
think we are on the right direction. And also of course we continue
to keep this open system; this is one of the ways that has enhanced
accountability here in Ghana. The fact that today all of us can
speak our minds and raise questions about how the public sector is
being managed is a sign of progress. Now we are no longer cowed
in our little corners, afraid to open our mouth, because we might
offend one way or another the saviour or liberator or hero or
revolutionary. That period of our history is gone, now where we
are is an atmosphere in which people are asking questions and are
insisting on standards in the conduct of public authorities. I think
that this mix of things when we put them together, we will
enhance our capability to deal with crime in Ghana. Thank
you.
persevere down the road on which we are now, we will see a bright
light at the end of the tunnel.
There is the need for the unity of our nation. I am not talking about
the unity of robots where everybody is asked to think alike. It is
important that we respect differences in opinion and that we all
have our own way of looking at public and private matters. Yet
there should be recognition amongst us that wherever you are in
Ghana, whatever ethnic group or religious belief that you are born
into, you are first and foremost a Ghanaian. And that sense of
being a Ghanaian continues to be the link across all of us.
The opportunities for our country are immense. I do not believe
that it was by accident that a little country, Gold Coast, middle of
West Africa, six million people, in this vast continent, was the
country that initiated the whole process of liberation for our
continent. I think that there is a special destiny for us as Ghanaians
and I am hoping that we are able to collectively realise that
destiny. I want to play a part in making that possible and hopefully
you will give me your votes in December to do exactly that.
Thank you.
Concluding remarks:
It has been a challenging evening; but I have enjoyed very much
the dialogue between us. My prayer this year is that we in Ghana
recognise the point of history where we are. It is extremely
important for us to conduct ourselves well this year so that gains
that we have made as a democratic nation are not forfeited for the
sake of political ambition.
We continue to hold fast to the idea that an open democratic
system is the best form of government. We have tried other things
and they didn't bring us much benefit. We can see that if we
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32

THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
IEA
GHANA
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