Dr. Kingsley Ahenkora-Duodu, Branch Deputy Youth Organiser, NPP-UK says the time has come for the party to re-examine its internal architecture so that it can truly represent all parts of the party especially those beyond the borders of Ghana.
Having served as a member of the three-person committee that developed the Diaspora Strategy Plan for Election 2024, Dr. Duodu says his active involvement in diaspora activities had enabled him to witness at firsthand the enormous contributions of the party’s external branches.
These insights, he stated are grounded in extensive research and practical experiences hence the basis of a call for urgent and bold constitutional reforms.
“I respectfully urge the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Council (NC) to consider the reforms I am calling for with the seriousness they deserve”, Dr. Duodu stated.
Reality:
Dr. Duodu said the reality on the ground in branches like NPP UK, NPP USA, NPP Germany and other external branches were not mere overseas support groups but they were highly organised, politically active regions in their own right.
With over 20 functioning chapters, Dr. Duodu said each was equivalent to a constituency in Ghana, adding that they mobilise voters, shape policy debates, host fundraising events, and maintain a strong grassroots presence.
These chapters, he added mirror the operational scale of the constituencies of the party back home.
“To put this into perspective Ashanti Region has 47 constituencies, the highest in Ghana followed by Greater Accra, Eastern and Central Regions with 34, 33 and 23 constituencies respectively while the NPP UK, USA, Germany and other external branches operate over 20 chapters each, with strategic outreach and mobilisation spanning across their respective countries”, the Deputy UK-NPP Youth Organiser explained.
Issues:
He however bemoaned that despite their comparable numbers and influence, external branches are allocated only 12 delegates each in party elections, while every Ghanaian constituency commands 17 delegates.
This numerical disparity, the Deputy Youth Organiser stressed leaves a yawning gap in representation that undermines the foundational principle of democracy within the NPP.
The issue of underrepresentation, he noted was even more pronounced when one looks at how the party wings are involved in selecting national leadership.
He stated that only the branch youth organiser and a deputy are included as voting delegates for the national youth organiser.
“The same applies for the Women’s Wing and NASARA, with no voting power given to chapter organisers and I think this marginalisation of grassroots leaders, those doing the everyday work of the party is a missed opportunity for real, ground-up participation. It’s time to fix that”, Dr. Duodu intimated.
Proposals for Change:
To enable the party build a more inclusive and democratic NPP, Dr. Duodu is asking for the formal recognition of external branches as regional equivalents.
The party constitution, he appealed must formally acknowledge external branches as full regional bodies and this he said must include their right to contribute to policy development, strategic planning, and voting in all internal elections.
Dr. Duodu also called for the recognition of Chapters as constituencies with each chapter within a branch being treated as a constituency with corresponding privileges and responsibilities including training, resourcing and voting rights.
Dr. Duodu furthermore called for the recalibration of delegate allocation such that all branch and chapter executives should be given voting rights, while proposing that a 9-member Council of Elders per external branch should be allowed delegate status including the expansion of delegate participation for party wings.
He additionally asks that all branch youth wing executives and chapter youth organisers should vote in the election of the National Youth Organiser, adding that the same principle should apply to the Women’s and NASARA Wings.
Strategic Justification:
In 2023, remittances from the Ghanaian diaspora hit $4.7 billion, according to the Bank of Ghana.
A significant proportion of this, Dr Duodu argues came from patriotic Ghanaians many of them NPP members, who not only support families back home but also fund party campaigns, donate to welfare initiatives, and invest in policy-driven causes.
During the 2020 and 2024 elections, he noted that external branches mobilised hundreds of thousands of cedis to directly support campaigns across Ghana.
In NPP UK alone, Dr. Duodu said he was part of several initiatives that linked fundraising with constituency-level support on the ground.
The Branch also contributed to the party’s policy platform through white papers, diaspora engagement plans, and digital voter outreach.
The truth, the Deputy Youth Organiser noted was that the external branches were already operating as full partners in the party’s success, adding that the party’s constitution just needs to catch up.
Story By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie,
Kumasi.
