Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh has reminded the Ashanti regional youth wing of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of the crucial role they have to play as the youth wing of the party’s stronghold in its quest at ‘breaking the 8.’

Speaking at the Mega Ashanti Regional Youth Conference on Saturday, 16^th December 2023 at the Prempeh Assembly Hall, Dr. Prempeh said the youth of the NPP should be proud of the achievements of government having to navigate through difficult circumstances posed by global shocks. 

He said the NDC and John Mahama have nothing new for the Ghanaian people and therefore it is incumbent on the youth of the party to lead the charge at exposing the deficiencies in the promises of John Mahama.

“Whilst the NPP can navigate its path amid difficulties that are completely force majeures, occasioned by no fault of ours, the NDC rather visits nemesis like Dumsor and mismanagement on the people. When Ghanaians complained John Mahama said he was not a magician” he said.

He continued “John Mahama has been Vice President and President before, Dr Bawumia has only been Vice President and yet to be President. If you read our constitution, all executive powers are vested in the President. A Vice President serves and assists the President.  It is not anybody’s responsibility that he (John Mahama) wasted his chances as President and got voted out."

"After all, he said he had a ‘dead goat’ syndrome which meant he just did not care. He will be evaluated by his record as President in the context of his failed promises vis a vis what he is promising now. He definitely cannot pass the believability test”

The NPP record, according the Manhyia South lawmaker, any day stands superior to the NDC. The biggest testament to the NPP’s sterling record in its first term until those shocks he said is that a careful recap of the campaign messaging of the NDC before 2020 will point to the fact that, they had nothing to say on the economy. This is because, at the time, they knew the economic management record had been unassailable.

“Inflation which was picked from 15.4% in 2017, was 7.9% at the end of 2019. On what basis do Ghanaians vote out a government that had such a brilliant record until external shocks? In 2014, when there were no external shocks, the Cedi was rated as the worst-performing currency”

“We in the Ashanti region as the party’s pulse have to work hard, touring every corner of the region for our people to understand that, no matter the situation, the NDC can never be the option. Yes, there may be genuine concerns, but that must not lead to apathy. We must continue to stand solidly behind the elephant” he concluded.