NPP’s Governance is the Standard for Progress in Ghana – Dr. Simon Boateng
Dr. Boateng has commended the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for setting governance standards that he believes have significantly improved Ghana.
Responding to Kwabena Owusu Dankwa’s question on Kessben Maakye about the meaning of incompetence in governance, Dr. Boateng contrasted the NPP’s achievements with what he described as the failures of previous administrations, particularly under the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dr. Boateng began by highlighting the power crisis, or “dumsor,” that plagued Ghana for four years during the NDC’s tenure. “Incompetence is when a president allows the nation to live in darkness for years. I remember when I had to sleep in darkness four days a week. People using generators were tragically losing their lives because, out of fear of theft, they kept the generators indoors, inhaled the fumes, and died.”
He praised the current government for stabilizing the electricity supply, noting that power outages now only occur during maintenance.
Dr. Boateng also touched on the significance of teacher and nursing trainee allowances, which were cancelled during the Mahama administration. According to him, these cancellations represented a lack of foresight.
“The first president, Kwame Nkrumah, understood the importance of education and motivated trainee teachers with allowances to support their training. But under Mahama, these allowances were cancelled with the excuse of wanting to train more teachers. Even with that cancellation, the administration failed to meet its goals.”
He contrasted this with the NPP’s decision to restore the allowances, which he credited for increasing enrollment in teacher training colleges. He cited St. Monica’s College of Education as an example, where student admissions grew from less than 300 to over 500 under the NPP.
Dr. Boateng also pointed out the restoration of nursing trainee allowances as another example of the NPP’s commitment to education and healthcare.
On the issue of national debt, Dr. Boateng criticized the NDC for increasing Ghana’s debt from GH₵9.2 billion to GH₵122 billion, a rise he described as a 3,300% increment. He contrasted this with the current debt of GH₵742 billion under the NPP, emphasizing that the growth in debt under the NDC was poorly managed without corresponding value creation.
He credited the current leadership, wisdom, and economic prudence for steering the country through challenging times.
Dr. Boateng concluded by highlighting the NPP’s contributions to improving the cost of living and worker welfare. He pointed to last year’s salary increases for workers and the government’s plan to introduce data allowances for pre-tertiary teachers.
He also praised initiatives such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Free SHS, and the restoration of trainee allowances, calling them “structured policies that have given Ghana a clear direction.” The NPP’s governance is proof of their ability to deliver policies that improve the lives of Ghanaians, unlike what he called the “incompetence” of previous administrations.
Story by: Joyce Owusu Dankwah
