According to him, a longer tenure in office might give persons in power a sense of entitlement which could translate into the inappropriate use of presidential authority.

[contextly_sidebar id=”DKoFfCQa2WiDBkBhwHnFnoSUIroPZvnq”]His comments come on the back of calls from former President Jerry John Rawlings for a five-year term instead of four, for the country’s Heads of State.

According to him, in most four-year terms, the first year is used in getting acclimatized to the office, and the last year turns into a political crusade of campaigns, leaving about a year or less depending on the political climate.

Speaking at a meeting with a delegation of Ugandan Members of Parliament on Thursday, Mr. Rawlings said five-year terms allow for a greater chance of achieving the President’s desired development agenda.

“Much as we belong to different geopolitical circumstances on the continent, I suggest that we shouldn’t be going beyond two five-year terms,” he said.

However in an interview with Citi News, Dr. Aggrey Darko, while admitting that four years might not be enough to completely address all the challenges that exist, insisted that increasing term limits is not the right way to go.

He argued that government will always have unfinished projects no matter how long they stay in power.

“I concede that four years is quite short. It gives the President less breathing space to be able to deal with the fundamental problems of society.”

“With a very long tenure, it will be too much to endure a bad President. It becomes a burden to live under a bad government. It also provides an avenue for people to think that the state belongs to them. There is the tendency for the use of power capriciously and whimsically.”

He stated that it is more important for new governments to continue projects started by their predecessors.

“The key thing and why I would disagree with the former President is that there will always be unfinished business. So it is important for us to task our President to, as much as practicable, continue projects started by previous administrations so that we can derive the maximum benefits from them. We can have seven, eight or ten years but there’ll still be unfinished business. What is important is to what extent are we holding our leaders accountable?” he queried.

Rawlings is not the first former President to make such a suggestion.

John Agyekum Kufuor has consistently called for an extension of the tenure of presidents, saying the framers of the 1992 constitution may have overlooked the fact that a four-year presidency is not enough for effective development.

According to him, the constraints of leading a developing nation like Ghana require more than four years to make any meaningful impact in terms of development.

Just before he ended his tenure in 2008, Mr. Kufuor suggested that the presidential term should be increased to five years. But speaking two years ago, he indicated that a six-year term would even be preferable.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Continue dev’t projects; no need extending presidential terms – Lecturer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This will be the major agenda for the newly created Ministry for Regional Reorganisation and Development.

While introducing his appointee to fill the ministry, Akufo-Addo said although the constitution allows for the creation of new regions, the processes are stringent and cumbersome.

“the process of devolution of power will require that we look again at the regional structures of our country all with the aim of trying to promote rapid development of Ghana…But the constitutional requirements for being able to create a region are very stringent and not easy.”

He noted that the process includes a referendum that requires at least 80 percent of residents in the affected region to approve of the split.

“…That is the certification that the Electoral Commission has to make and when the 50 perform come out to vote, 80 percent of them must approve the demand for the creation of the region. We are now talking about a major exercise of political mobilization to be able to create a region…” Akufo-Addo said.

He noted that the regions that were to see the split include the Northern Region, Western Region, Volta Region and the Brong-Ahafo Region.

While on the campaign trail ahead of the 2016 general elections, Nana Addo promised to split the Western Region to have a Western North region if given the nod to promote development in the Northern part of the region which has been greatly underserved.

“the four regions that we have chosen are those that we want to reshape and create new regions out of them. We’re talking about the Western North region which I committed myself to and the manifesto also committed itself to, the creation of the Ahafo region out of the Brong-Ahafo, another express commitment on my part and backed by the manifesto, the northern region.”

“Even on the thank you tour, that I took there a couple of weeks ago, there was an express demand that there should be a region created out of the eastern corridor by the Chiefs and people there, and then the Volta region where there has been a long-standing demand for the creation of the Oti region,” Akufo-Addo explained.

It is unclear when the new regions will finally be created, however, President Akufo-Addo has said the processes to have them will start immediately.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Akufo-Addo gov’t to create four new regions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Akufo-Addo polled 5,716,026 of votes representing  53.85 percent against his fiercest rival and incumbent President, John Dramani Mahama’s  4,731,277 votes.

The son of a former President of Ghana (ceremonial 1969 – 1972),  he was born in Accra some seventy-two years ago in  Nima, a suburb of Accra.

He started his education at the Government Boys School, Adabraka – Accra, and later at the Rowe Road School, now known as Kinbu Secondary Technical School also in Accra.

He proceeded to England for his O and A level education before returning to Ghana in 1962.

He served as a teacher at Accra Academy Secondary School for about a year before proceeding to the University of Ghana, Legon to read Economics in 1964.

Nana Akufo-Addo proceeded to study law in the United Kingdom and was subsequently called to the English and Ghanaian Bar in 1971 and 1975 respectively.

Before then, he had relocated to France where he practised law for about five years.

In 1975, he returned to Ghana to pursue his legal career with a private firm before co-founding a law firm; Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co.

He is named in Ghana’s history as championing the cause of human rights, rule of law and justice in the country in the 1980s.

Akufo Addo entered mainstream politics serving as the General Secretary of the People’s Movement for Freedom and Justice (PMFJ) that sought to champion the freedom and rights of Ghanaians.

He is credited with working to restore multiparty democratic rule in Ghana in 1979 through a campaign against a referendum for a one-party military-led State.

In 1991, he was the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Danquah-Busia Memorial Club; dedicated to the preservation of the memory and ideals of the two great advocates of Ghanaian democracy, J. B. Danquah and K.A. Busia, Prime Minister of the Progress Party government of the 2nd Republic of Ghana.

The clubs, established across the country subsequently became the branches for the now New Patriotic Party.

In 1992 when Ghana held its first democratic elections, he was named the first national organiser of the NPP and, later that year, campaign manager of the party’s first presidential candidate, Prof. Albert Adu Boahen.

His interest in establishing further promoting his views on democracy in Ghana saw him establish and fund The Statesman newspaper.

From 1996 to 2008, he served as the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa South Constituency of the Eastern Region and later served as an Attorney General and Minister of Justice between 2001 and 2007 under the erstwhile John Kufour Presidency.

Under the Kufour-administration, he also served as a Foreign Minister.

In 2008, he made an attempt at ascending the Presidential seat in Ghana but lost to the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) John Evans Atta-Mills.

His second attempt against John Mahama of the NDC after the demise of John Evans Mills was unsuccessful. Although he disputed the results of the elections in the Supreme Court, the results were upheld.

He however, won the elections with some 53.85% of valid votes cast in the December 2016 polls against President John Mahama’s 44.40% when the latter sought reelection for a second term in office.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Meet Ghana’s new President, Nana Akufo-Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.