Development of nation primary responsibility of all Ghanaians

THE flag bearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for the 2008 elections, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, has said Ghanaians must be glad that the US President, Mr George W. Bush, has visited the country for three days but they must also bear in mind that the development of the nation is the primary responsibility of all Ghanaians and not the duty of any other country.
Mr Nduom said if Ghanaians would want to benefit from President Bush’s visit, it meant they should work extra diligent for the betterment of the country’s well-being because “for the US everything must be earned. There is nothing free”.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on President Bush’s visit to the country, Dr Nduom described the visit as a recognition of the strides Ghana had made in the fields of politics, the economy and good governance.
“The US always wants to associate itself with success stories. It also assists countries that are making efforts to achieve good for their people,” he said.
Mr Nduom recently returned from the US after a short holiday there.
He noted that the US had always believed in democracy, freedom and development of the individual and had realised that since 1992 Ghanaians had made it a point to attain those objectives.
He explained that from 1992, the people of Ghana, with support from the international community, had demanded multi-party democracy through a referendum.
Dr Nduom said Ghanaians had successfully held three general elections, with an unprecedented incident-free handing over from one civilian government to another.
He said the great accomplishments in the economy, as well as the peaceful nature of Ghanaians, had attracted acknowledgement from all over the world .
He said those accomplishments and the preparedness of the country to improve itself were some of the good things that the US considered before associating itself with a country.
Mr Nduom, who, until recently, was the Chairman of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) board, said the recognition included support in the form of the MCA and the $17 million package for the fight against malaria.
He made it clear that the acknowledgement of Ghana’s achievements began with the visit of former US President Bill Clinton to the country 10 years ago.