Flagbearer aspirant Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has launched a national essay competition for communicators of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The competition will see the about 29000 communicators from across all the party’s branches in the country submit articles on the topic “Why do you think Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah will be a good leader for the NDC and a very good president of Ghana“.

Mr Martino Kashif, head of Communication for the Spio-Garbrah campaign announced the completion at a mini-press conference for selected media personnel at Dr Spio-Garbrah’s office at Asylum Down in Accra.

The Quiz

The essay competition is opened to all NDC elected communicators at the branch and constituency levels as well as all aspiring regional and national communicators.

The competition will start today, August 1, 2018, and run until August 15, 2018.

According to Mr Kashif, 10 finalists will be shortlisted by a panel to be assembled, in consultation with the Ghana Journalists Association and rewarded.

“Participants will be free to employ any sort of research methods that they may deem fit in unveiling whatever information they may so find on Dr Spio-Garbrah”, he indicated.

Eventual winners will be rewarded with cash prizes ranging from ¢5,000, ¢3,000, and ¢1,000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively while the rest will be given other consolation prizes, all in cash.

The first three winners will also be entitled to receiving mentorship from Dr Spio-Garbrah who is himself, a communications expert.

“There will be internships, attachments or further studies opportunities for the others to enhance their skills in communicating the party’s position”, he added.

Motive

The competition is expected to test the knowledge of the NDC party’s communicators about Dr Spio-Garbrah and also help delegates in making their decisions when the time comes for them to make a choice.

“The NDC is looking for a credible candidate that can match Nana Addo in the 2020 elections and the people who will sell that candidate will be the Communicators that is why it is important that their knowledge about a candidate is good enough”, he explained.

He explained that the competition is part of the team’s educational plans for the party so that “beyond the presidential contest, it will not be difficult for them to propagate and sell our candidate”.

Of the many things that the Kwasi Botcwey Report identified as having contributed to our loss in 2016, effective communication was one of them and anything that will help address them is welcome”, Dr Spio-Garbrah who was himself present at the conference explained.

Withdrawal Allegations

He used the opportunity to debunk allegations that he will not be contesting the elections, announcing that he will officially launch his campaign in the first half of September.

“Today’s event should put to bed speculations around his candidacy. I’m not looking for a job; I’m looking for an opportunity to transform the nation and this is an internalized aspiration that just can’t be wished away by anybody who thinks I shouldn’t be there,” he noted.

He has urged supporters of his party to consider comments by people that he wouldn’t be contesting for the position of a flagbearer as “fake news”.

“The NDC is looking for someone who can win 2020 for them and I believe I have all the necessary linkages within Ghana and internationally to do so”, he added.

He added that the NDC party needs someone who is not tainted with corruption to lead the party, citing his unblemished records both home and abroad as making him the right candidate for that purpose.