President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has vehemently opposed calls for political party manifestos to be abandoned for a national development plan.
According to President Akufo-Addo, political parties play significant roles in the development of countries through their manifestos and so giving up on such policy statements will be inimical to the pace of advancement.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the National Development Planning Commission, the president said such calls should not be entertained.
He referenced the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagship Free SHS policy to infer that its implementation would not have been possible without a party manifesto.
“The thinking of people who say that we should put manifestos aside is assuming that everybody thinks the same. I have always found it very difficult to swallow the idea that we should put aside manifestos. They [manifestos] are the products of social engagements.
“Not everybody, for instance, would have thought that this Free Senior High School matter was a priority for the country. There are still people who question it, but for me, it was a priority. And I said so to the people of Ghana before I came here.”
