The Third International conference of the New Patriotic Party[NPP] takes place in the Northern German city of Hamburg from 9-12 June 2011 under the theme ’Recapture Power 2012’.
Over six hundred[600] delegates representing twenty five[25] external branches[Countries] are expected to attend and will be joined by a fifty –member delegation from Ghana made up of the National Executives, Regional Chairpersons, Members of Parliament and other party officials.
The conference will officially be opened by His Excellency, J.A Kuffour former President of Ghana while Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo delivers the keynote address.Other speakers will include Hon Kyei-Mensah Osei Bonsu, Minority Leader in Parliament ,Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, National Chairman and Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie a.k.a Sir John.
According Mr Kwaku Appiah, NPP General Secretary-Germany, a town hall meeting has been planned to enable the large Ghanaian community in Germany to meet and have an interactive session with the two distinguished statesmen[former President Kuffour and Nana Akuffo Addo].
He disclosed that Mrs Rebecca Akuffo Addo wife of the NPP flag bearer will perform the official inauguration of the International Women’s Wing of the Party during the conference.
Mr Appiah explained that the purpose of the conference is first and foremost to strategise for the 2012 elections and secondly to engage the external branches in internal governance of the party adding that the external branches are an important constituency of the party and should be involved in all its strategic planning.
The General Secretary intimated that matters of national concern including the issue of biometric voting, voting rights for Ghanaians in diaspora and the involvement of diaspora in national development planning. He said the NPP believes that Ghanaians irrespective of their place of residence should not be denied the right to participate in determining the future direction of the country.
According to Mr Appiah, this explains why the NPP government under President Kuffour introduced ROPAA with the view to giving Ghanaians in diaspora a voice in the political discourse which unfortunately has been shelved under the current political dispensation.
He insisted that the NPP will not relent in its efforts until Ghanaians in diaspora are given their rightful political space in the country and said the interest of Ghana would better be served by tapping the knowledge, expertise, skills and experience of its citizens living abroad.
Kwaku Anane-Gyinde
Director of Communications
NPP-Germany
Source: GhanaWeb
