Source: tntnewspapergh.com

A flagbearer hopeful of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Mampong, Hon. Ing. Francis Addai-Nimoh, has asserted that the party needs a new face to enable it to break the 8 in the 2024 general election.

According to him, the prevailing circumstances of the party require a new face as the next presidential candidate to lead the party to make the “break the 8” mantra a reality.

He said the need for NPP delegates to elect him as the new face and a unifier to bring all factions on board ahead of the 2024 elections should not be downplayed.

Speaking in an interview on “Kessben TV” in Kumasi last Monday, he renewed his call for the delegates to elect a new face in the November 4 presidential primaries of the NPP.

Addai-Nimoh, who is Number 4 on the ballot paper, was confident to pull a big surprise to win the primaries. He stressed that the great elephant party must go into the next elections with a united front, and that could be achieved by a candidate who could improve and consolidate the gains made over the years and also provide equal and equitable opportunities to all their members.

The NPP flagbearer hopeful emphasised that the new face must necessarily be a unifier of unblemished character, with a history of service to the party and the ability to appeal to the electorate.

He, therefore, appealed to all party delegates to choose him to lead the party to enable them to break the 8. He urged the delegates to vote for him, since he possesses the requisite characteristics to lead NPP.

He also used the opportunity to appeal to the presidential elections committee to ensure full implementation of the guidelines for the November 4 primaries to engender a free and fair contest. He was confident that all stakeholders would abide by the guidelines issued by the committee in order not to repeat some of the infractions that occurred during the super delegates conference in August.

A BRIEF PROFILE OF FRANCIS ADDAI-NIMOH

Francis Addai-Nimoh studied Civil Engineering and obtained his BSc Honours from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1993.

Early in his professional life, as a civil engineer, along with other responsibilities later undertaken in government administration and private enterprise, his varied experience has helped to guide his different endeavours to achieve optimal efficiencies, while always striving to contribute to improve lives in Ghana.

Francis had initially worked for a few engineering firms, thereby gaining experience in data collection, road design, contract specification and construction supervision, bitumen production, and organising training sessions to improve standards.

In 2004, the Ministry of Roads and Highways hired Addai-Nimoh as a senior engineer and tasked him to monitor and evaluate all Government of Ghana road projects. These responsibilities offered him the opportunity to become increasingly familiar with the extensive geography and resources across the length and breadth of Ghana. Here, he continued to develop an extended network with a wide variety of people actively involved in their communities, while enhancing his cross-cultural sensitivities towards the nation’s diversity.

Addai-Nimoh, who is a member in good standing of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, also holds an executive master’s degree in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (2009). Previously, he had acquired knowledge and skills in International Procurement from the International Law Institute, Washington (2004). He has also studied Programme and Project Management at RIPA, London (2006), and enhanced his negotiation skills, contract management and administration at the Ghana Institution of Engineers (2005).

He has been developing his leadership skills since his school days; he was elected to serve as Scripture Union President at Navrongo Secondary School, Scripture Union President and Assistant Senior Prefect at Kumasi High School, and Students Representative Council President at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Addai-Nimoh’s first general election campaign had him elected as Member of Parliament in 2008 for the Mampong Constituency in the Ashanti Region for the NPP until 2017.

As an MP, he gained relevant knowledge and political insight by taking a leadership role. He served as Ranking Member of Parliament on the Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology (2013-2017).

Although he was fairly unknown at first at that time, he partook in the 2014 NPP flagbearer leadership race of the NPP and placed 3rd out of seven candidates, when President Akufo-Addo became head of the party.

After coming out of government in 2017, Addai-Nimoh became the Managing Director of Franstan Limited, a company established by him. He managed construction projects and other endeavours involving the general distribution of supplies, namely bitumen.

Also, propelled by his lifelong dedication to charitable initiatives, as Chair of the Francis Addai-Nimoh Foundation (FAN Foundation), he also persistently championed impactful projects in education, food security and poverty elimination.

He is now READY, encouraged by an extensive countrywide support, to announce his bid for the leadership of the NPP and to serve as President of Ghana for a renewal that will benefit all Ghanaians.