Board Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA) and former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Akwasi Opong-Fosu, has urged the youth wing of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to set a higher standard for governance rather than measuring the party’s performance against the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Speaking at the Western Region NDC Youth and Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) Conference, held under the theme, “Building the Past, Empowering the Future,” Mr Opong-Fosu said the NDC must aspire to become a model of good governance in Africa.
He argued that using the NPP as the benchmark for the NDC would amount to lowering the standards expected of the party.
“Comparing ourselves to the NPP is setting the bar at ground level,” he said.
Mr Opong-Fosu criticised the previous NPP administration, accusing it of economic mismanagement and incompetence, which he said contributed to its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
He maintained that the NDC’s ambition should not simply be to perform better than the NPP but to establish what he described as a “gold standard” of governance capable of inspiring political parties across the African continent.
Mr Opong-Fosu also urged young members of the NDC, particularly TEIN activists, to remain grounded in the party’s social democratic principles.
He said values such as probity, accountability and social justice must remain central to the party’s approach to governance.
According to him, young cadres have a responsibility to defend these principles and ensure that governance is guided by the belief that “until everyone counts, no one counts.”
The former minister further called for a shift in the way political parties engage young people, arguing that the youth should no longer be treated merely as future leaders or campaign mobilisers.
He urged the NDC youth to become active participants in policy formulation and national development.
Mr Opong-Fosu also challenged young activists to demand greater institutional integrity from both political leadership and state institutions as part of efforts to address growing political apathy.
He said activism at the tertiary level should ultimately translate into visible, selfless leadership and meaningful contributions to communities across the country.
