Leadership That Cares Is The Leadership We Need

The NDC has always been a party that truly cares for its people. As Social Democrats, we understand that the real purpose of governing is not enrichment for the few, but rather, to provide real opportunities and a good life for ALL of our citizens.

This means, most particularly, that we need to make sure that our most vulnerable citizens are cared for. The way that we treat our elderly, our children, our disabled citizens, women and others who have been disenfranchised is the true reflection of our heart as a nation. In an address yesterday, Nana Oye Lithur the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, demonstrated the massive impact the LEAP programme has for over 213,000 households across all 216 Districts helping make the lives of our most vulnerable citizens a little more comfortable. The programme now includes pregnant women and children under 12 months old. Another 50,000 households are due to come on to the scheme shortly.

We understand that creating “tax cuts” for the wealthiest people does nothing at all for those who need it most – in fact, cutting taxes from those who can afford it, reduces the resources we have available to take care of those in the most need.

Any one of us could, at any time, find ourselves in need of social protection and assistance. It is our job as government to ensure that this social protection safety net is in place, so that nobody falls through the cracks. In our drive towards progress and prosperity, we cannot afford to leave anybody behind.

This is why we’ve invested so heavily in social protection, through enacting legislation as well as implementing initiatives to protect and assist our most vulnerable. To date, the NDC government has made impressive progress in social protection, and the difference can be seen in the lives of our people.

Quick Facts:

We have: Halved extreme poverty 2 years ahead of the 2015 Millennium Development Goal deadline.

We have: Increased LEAP beneficiary households to 213,000

We have: Ensured that older citizens receive priority access to all social services, transport terminals, hospitals and banks.

We have: Provided gender-based resource centres in market areas.

We have: Enacted gender equality legislative initiatives including affirmative action, property rights of spouses, domestic violence and human trafficking.

Expanding Social Intervention, 2017 and Beyond

We will: Identify vulnerable people to be empowered as business owners

We will: Increase our LEAP beneficiaries by 350,000

We will: Continue registration of vulnerable people on the NHIS, enabling kayayei, the elderly and persons with disabilities improved access to quality healthcare.

We will: Target child-headed households, lepers, the aged and urban poor for social protection interventions.

We will: Change the Lives of Our Citizens!

We cannot forget those who cannot speak for themselves. We as the NDC will be their voice, and we say that leadership who truly cares is the only leadership that works for all of Ghana.