Having served under the first and second terms of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the Minister in charge of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto comes into this contest as one that has his umbilical cord cut from the old historic of the NPP.

The former Agriculture Minister survived the pruning that occurred during the Party’s Super Delegates Conference and has since been making silent moves within the ranks and file of the party.

Unlike Dr. Bawumia’s “Signal” and Ken Agyapong’s “Showdown”, Dr. Akoto comes with a witty tagline as “ATOPA” which denotes Akoto Tops All.

In a recent engagement with the media and some followers of the NPP, the former Agriculture Minister mentioned that when he is voted as Flag bearer he will plead with party members who have left the party to come back because unity after such an election is key to the party’s victory in 2024.

In an interview with renowned Political Marketing Strategist and Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Professor Kobby Mensah posits that, in as much as the NPP is presenting “weak” candidates, the former Agriculture Minister comes nowhere closer to the favourites of the people.

Even though the survey conducted by Global Info Analytics predicted doom for Dr. Afriyie Akoto, he still yearns to defy all odds and rise through the ranks and favourites of the election to emerge victorious.

All hands points out that the son of the late Okyeame Baffour Akoto, founder and Leader of the National Liberation Movement, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, he is still positive that Delegates will reward him to lead the party in order to break the Eight.

We wish him and the other contestants, the best.

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Speaking to media representatives in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, Dr. Akoto emphasized the vital role that women play in driving a thriving economy and recognized them as crucial contributors to the NPP’s success.

Census data from 2021 highlights Ghana’s higher female population, outnumbering males by 400,000. Dr. Akoto aims to leverage this demographic strength and prioritize women’s active participation in the party.

He underlined the pivotal role played by the NPP’s women’s wing in grassroots mobilization, political participation, and advocacy for gender policies.

Dr. Akoto, a Cambridge University scholar and former Minister of Food and Agriculture is committed to empowering women within the party and rectifying the issue of insufficient funds allocated to the women’s wing.

Dr. Akoto’s primary focus is on economically empowering women, especially those engaged in agriculture. Given the significant presence of female smallholder farmers in Ghana, he intends to provide them with essential resources such as farming tools, fertilizers, and technological knowledge to enhance their economic prosperity.

Recognizing the critical role of women throughout the economic value chain, the aspirant aims to strengthen institutions like the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) to bolster these efforts.

He emphasized that women hold vital roles in the value chain, including as intermediaries who make substantial contributions to the economy.

Dr. Akoto expressed his commitment to empowering them, emphasizing the profound positive effects this empowerment can have on the nation’s economy.

During interactions with Electoral Area Coordinators, a crucial component of his campaign team, Dr. Akoto stressed the pivotal role of grassroots delegates in selecting the party’s presidential candidate.

He called upon their sense of responsibility, urging them to support him as the candidate who comprehends the people’s needs and offers viable solutions to address their concerns.

The NPP is slated to hold its National Delegates Conference on November 4, 2023, to select a presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections.

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto is positioned as the third candidate on the ballot paper and actively seeks the support of over 210,000 delegates in his endeavour to lead the NPP and potentially the nation.

As the election draws nearer, Dr. Akoto’s commitments to empower women and reform the NPP are poised to be central issues in the party’s internal election, ultimately shaping its trajectory and leadership for the forthcoming national elections.

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According to him, delegates will not vote for Dr. Akoto because they do not trust him.

“If we look at all the good things that Dr Akoto has done which will influence the voters to vote for him. One of the things that will affect him negatively even though that is not his fault is that he is seen as the friend of the president and that if the establishment candidate phenomenon is anything to go by people will not trust him.”

“They will believe that a vote for Akoto will by extension be a vote for the president. If what we’re hearing is true that there is an establishment candidate, I believe strongly that if there is the need for alliance he will opt out and join the Bawumia camp,” he said on Accra-based TV3.

To him, the former minister will be seen as a mole even if he makes the top five.

He stated that the party needs a flagbearer who is firm and stands his ground which which Akufo-Addo lacks however, Dr. Akoto doesn’t fit the criteria.

Former Trade Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP), Kennedy Agyapong have been listed as the frontrunners of the Super Delegates Congress.

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Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam, he stated that although the opposition party was able to close the huge margin from 2016, it conceded defeat due to no strategic plans.

Although the NDC was able to close the gap from 2016, they lost the elections because they had no message for Ghanaians. Can you recall any message the NDC had for the people in 2020? he quizzed.

To him, the hardship Ghanaians are facing is not imposed but reflects the current global crisis.

“The government is not pleased about the current economic crisis and hardship, but the world has suffered economically in recent times,” he said.

He urged party delegates to entrust him with the presidential role to lead the party to victory in the 2024 polls.

“The people need hope, they need a new message. And I have that message that I’m aware of your problems and the solutions. I have made several promises, and I will fulfill them when given the mandate.”

He stated there was a need for the governing party, NPP, to raise funds internally to support party supporters and avoid any form of external influence.

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During the weekend, he initiated a private meeting with some top-notch power brokers of the New Patriotic party (NPP) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

At the said meeting, he made his presidential ambition known to those who gathered, which included some constituency chairmen in the Ashanti Region, Graphic Online has been told by some sources.

Dr Akoto, a close pal of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and a son of the late Baffour Osei Akoto, who was a chief linguist of the Manhyia Palace, and a prominent member of the pre-independence National Liberation Movement has been interested in becoming president for sometime but kept it to himself with the exception of close associates who knew about it.

The weekend’s meeting in Kumasi where he disclosed his intention to the top-notch party members was reportedly held at his house at Danyame, near the Parks and Gardens.

He is said to have explained at the meeting that there has been incessant calls on him to enter the presidential race to replace President Akufo-Addo in 2024.

Political career

Dr Akoto served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for two terms representing the people of the Kwadaso constituency in Kumasi from January 7, 2009, to January 6, 2017.

He made his first move towards Parliament in the year 2000 at the then Bantama constituency and challenged Dr Richard Anane who was seeking re-election after his first term.

When Dr Akoto was unsuccessful at the primary to run on the ticket of the NPP, he went independent and lost the Parliamentary election at Bantama to Dr Anane.

In 2004, the then Bantama constituency (which was popularly referred to then as Florida) was divided into three – Nhyiaeso, Kwadaso and Bantama and Dr Akoto attempted the bid at Kwadaso but lost to new entrant Hilda Josephine Addo at the NPP primary.

He relaunched his campaign in 2008 and defeated Miss Addo who failed the re-election bid.

In 2015, however, the new entrant and young lecturer, Dr Kwadwo Nuamah defeated him at the NPP primary.

For the two terms that Dr Akoto was in Parliament – 2009 to 2013 and 2013 to 2017, he served as the Minority Spokesperson on Agriculture.

The 71-year-old Dr Akoto is a farmer himself with plantations at Manso Nkwanta in Ashanti and owner of Plantation Resources Company Limited and holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Cambridge University, United Kingdom.