The Today Newspaper has tried a number of times to get the Chairman of Groupe Nduom, and a Founder of the Progressive People’s Party, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom to discuss matters of national interest since 2019.  But, he has declined to do so. We have suggested politics, sports, financial sector reforms, and other areas for him to comment on, but he has repeatedly said that he does not want to lose his focus which is on getting the licenses of his financial institutions restored.  His silence he has said is for a purpose and we should wait patiently and understand his posture. 

Truly, when we find him on social media, he is invariably promoting the #BringBackGNBank agenda, promoting his business interests or engaging with friends and families over social matters.

We have not relented in our determination to get him to speak to the nation.  So we cornered him with and pressed him to say something about the financial crisis facing the nation.  We knew he would decline to comment on the potential negative impact of debt restructuring and the looming economic challenges.  So we took the high road.  We asked Chairman Nduom what he would do to soften the ground and limit the negative impact of the financial crisis on citizens.

His answer surprised us but perhaps we should have known it all along.  He said, “I will revive our companies with urgency”.  We asked him to explain this.

To summarize, what he told is that his focus has always been to use his business development activities to open up the country, create jobs and motivate employees and their families to achieve a high level of prosperity.  The enemy of this strategy has been the nervousness of those who see his national approach as a threat to their political ambitions.  Some, he said, believe that they can only get rich, prosper or do well in life if they hold political power and so will do everything they can, to destroy the businesses of those they see as potential business and political opponents.  This, he says has happened in Ghana without the consideration of employees and their families and the negative impact on the national economy.

Whatever has happened, has happened, he said.  Adding that “…we are where we are.”  Therefore, he will keep his focus on making his businesses vibrant again, restoring jobs lost and pushing economic development nationally. 

For him, the agenda includes a licensed bank in every district/major marketing centre, safe pension for every worker, food production including a rice revolution,  domestic processing of cocoa, assembly of electronic products, housing for many, and other enterprises.

We couldn’t agree more.  Jobs, jobs, jobs.