A much awaited launch of ‘Ahotɔ’ project, an initiative by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential hopeful, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor yesterday suffered a major setback following a flippant decision by the party’s National Chairman.
Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo was said to have made a complete U-turn, saying ‘no’ for the project to be launched at the NDC headquarters in Adabraka on Tuesday June 7, 2022.
THE CUSTODIAN gathered that Mr. Ampofo had in an earlier meeting agreed that the party office should be used to launch the project, which will support neglected party footsoldiers financially with total amount of about GHC8 million.
This, the paper learnt, was after a similar meeting was held on Wednesday 1st June, 2022 with Dr. Duffuor, during which the NDC leadership concluded the agreement.
Subsequently, adverts of the event went viral on social media and hundreds of thousands of NDC footsoldiers were waiting for the grand launch only for Mr. Ofosu Ampofo to send a last minute message to the ‘Ahotɔ’ Project Team that the programme could not be held at the venue as scheduled.
This, the paper heard, has angered the Duffuor team, describing it as a complete sabotage.
Uneasiness
Prior to the NDC leadership agreeing to launch the project, THE CUSTODIAN had gleaned that there had been uneasiness within the main opposition party since Dr. Duffuor piloted it in some constituencies.
The aim of Duffuor’s ‘Ahotɔ’ Project is “geared towards setting up micro-businesses in all the 275 constituencies in order to create the much needed, but currently unavailable local funding for the day-to-day running of the NDC party at the grassroots level”.
Dr. Duffuor is hoping to give relief to NDC footsoldiers who have toil for years without receiving appropriate reward and recognition.
The former Minister for Finance and Governor of Bank of Ghana (BoG) launched pilot phase of the empowerment and self-financing project dubbed the “NDC Ahotɔ project” for the grassroots in the Ashaiman Constituency in the Greater Accra Region on April 7, 2022.
However, it was not clear how the camp of former President John Dramani Mahama, who is seeking to lead the NDC again in the 2024 general election reacted to this initiative as similar ingenuities including “The Ghanaian Dream” were met with resistance.
Aim of project
This project, according to ‘Team Duffuor’, is also meant to lessen the burden on MPs, relieve local executives of the huge financial difficulties they face in running the party.
It is believed that the NDC Ahotɔ Project will create a medium for the local party machinery to be financially self-sustaining through regular income streams to help support their ongoing initiatives.
The project will also empower and reposition the NDC and make it battle ready for election 2024 and beyond.
According to the project manager, the NDC Ahotɔ Project will be micro-businesses focusing on social events such as funerals, naming ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, durbars, political campaigns, and rallies which are mostly outdoor activities.
The nature of these activities places high demand on the use of Plastic Chairs, Canopies, Public address systems, power generators, podiums, mobile toilets etc.
A local rental business of the accessories owned and run by the party at various constituency levels, will create employment opportunities and generate income which will bring relief (Ahotɔ) to the grassroots.
Duffuor is therefore, sponsoring and financing all the 275 constituencies with all the equipment and accessories necessary to setup a rental business.
Background
A statement issued by the project manager of Dr. Duffuor’s initiative stated that the business magnate and former Finance Minister in the Professor Evans Atta Mills administration will fully finance the project.
This Initiative is a direct response to the recommendations of a business feasibility studies commissioned by Duffuor and carried out by a team in Ghana.
It was to establish the most feasible and sustainable business idea capable of helping to finance the NDC party activities at the local level.
Duffuor loyalists have bemoaned the present situation where the responsibility of raising resources for grassroots activities of the NDC is either left in the hands of branch and constituency executives whose work for the party is purely voluntary affecting their personal businesses and families or in the hands of sitting MPs who are also overwhelmed by financial demands of their constituents, is not a sustainable way for financing a modern-day political organisation.
