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President of Groupe Nduom, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom has asked the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to snap out of the campaign mode and start acting on his promises.

According to him, 2017 should be the year the many promises made by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) begins to see the light of day.

“The campaign was for 2016, 2017 is for doing. I don’t want to hear we are going to, I want to hear we have started, we are doing, and hopefully, in two-three years I want to hear, we have done this,” he said.

Dr Nduom was speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday where he was asked to assess the performance of the Akufo-Addo-led administration since power was handed over in January.

Although the leader of the Progressive People’s Party thinks it is too early to give a proper assessment of the current government, he believes the president has to hit the ground running.

“They are there for four years and they have all of the four years to make good on their promises and do something good for Ghana but after one year if it [the narrative] doesn’t turn into ‘we are and we have done’, then we will have more to say,” Dr Nduom said.

Size of the Akufo-Addo administration

Commenting on the size of the Akufo-Addo-led administration – a total of 110 ministers, including 50 deputy ministers and 4 new ministers of state – the four-time presidential candidate believes the number is “too large”.

“When I was campaigning, I said with 40 men and women, we could run this country efficiently and also by cutting down on the number of ministries and doing away with certain ministries like Local Government which we don’t need in this country.

If you decentralise, there is no room for a Ministry for Local Government, you leave that for the people in the districts, municipalities and metropolitan areas, he added.

Dr Nduom however, shares in the president’s desire to put in place a policy which allows people can vote for their District Chief Executives (DCEs) as well as Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

He is also seeking further explanation on some of the policies announced by the Akufo-Addo administration.

On the free SHS policy announced by the Akufo-Addo administration, Dr Nduom said he is still unclear on what exactly the NPP means by free SHS.

“We campaigned for free compulsory, continuous education from kindergarten to the end of Senior High School. I want to be told if that is what they mean.

“I have never heard the president or his people talk about compulsory education and how they will make education compulsory.”

Inclusive governance

Dr Nduom also underscored the need for inclusive governance. He said the situation where President Akufo-Addo seems to be rewarding only members of his party is unfortunate.

“It may be for a good reason,” he noted, but was quick to add that “there are good people in other political parties.”

Citing his company as an example, he said once people start noticing that if every important position in his company is handed over to only his relatives, soon, people who can help build the company will step back.

“So it is with government, you want other people to come in, not to take positions but to participate. A nation is like that and should be like that,” he stressed.