What to expect from President-Elect Akuffo-Addo

sQuashie

December 9, 2016 9:44 PM

Blogger, Akpene Kudjo shares what she think Ghanaians should expect from President-Elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the Electoral Commission declare final results.

Nana Addo and Bawumia

These are the highlights from the NPP Manifesto for the 2016 election that concern me. Full disclosure, I am a socially liberal male software developer and entrepreneur/freelancer/artist under 30, living in Accra.

I am pro Western-style economic and social development, who will benefit greatly from an economy that is well-integrated into the global economy such that national lines blur in the areas of business, travel and communication.

I am looking forward to a comfortable early retirement without a government pension, in a country of my choosing.

Some more disclosure of the things I personally want from my government, as a Ghanaian. These things/concerns were drawn out based on the struggles I’ve faced as a young adult in the country. Prior to this, I was not aware of the actual policies of any of the contenders, so this is just me, unprimed :

After reading through Nana’s manifesto, here is how his plans align with my concerns:

Out of all these goodies (\uD83D\uDE0D) the only one I strongly disagree with is the bet on Natural Gas as a long-term energy strategy for the country. Fossil fuels are, aside being non-renewable and hazardous to the environment (carbon emissions, all that stuff) they are extremely inefficient in that they cost significantly to produce enough energy.

On the other hand, nuclear energy, while being cataclysmic in its danger when mishandled, is far cleaner and more efficient (which means: cheaper) than fossil fuels, and is less restricted to specific geographies (like hydro power). There are many companies and countries that have decades of experience handling nuclear material safely. Any fears of the dangers of civilian nuclear energy can be taken care of by industry that, acting in its best interest, will work toward making the technology safe for us.

In fact, my hope of a nuclear Ghana was first stirred when Akuffo-Addo hinted at that in a publication in the Daily Graphic. I imagined Ghanaians will succumb to the FUD about nuclear energy that has dogged the technology since its discovery, which were recently heightened in Europe and Japan after the Fukushima tsunami. When a leading, then-incumbent politician hinted at this direction, I had my hopes up, because in nuclear power lies a great solution to our countries energy situation.

Other than this, I feel confident that, if Nana Akuffo-Addo is able to carry out his agenda, my life (and the lives of many, many other Ghanaians) will be much better than it has been.

Cheaper transport, more infrastructure to lean on, less corrupt bureaucracy, cheaper food and lower taxes are things a modern nation need. Let’s hope that’s what Ghanaians have voted for in 2016.

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