Former Energy Minister, Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko, has made a clarion call for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to focus on expanding its grassroots base rather than consolidating control from the top.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen programme on Tuesday, September 30, the NPP stalwart emphasised that “we need to grow the party and not control it.”
His announcement follows what he described as “extensive consultations” with family, close associates, and party faithful who, he noted, would be most affected by his political decisions.
Mr Agyarko, who served as Minister for Energy under former President Akufo-Addo, criticised what he sees as a growing disconnection between the party’s leadership and its base.
He argued that this disconnect is partly responsible for declining engagement among ordinary members.
“There are a lot of people, whether the party is in power or in opposition, whose lives don’t change. So once you frustrate him or her, he would lose interest in the party,” he said.
To bridge this divide, Mr Agyarko is proposing a biometric membership system for all party members and sympathisers a longstanding idea he believes will strengthen the party’s internal democracy and accountability.
“We in government were able to do Ghana Cards for 18 million people. Is it 4 million NPP members we can’t do it for?” he questioned.
He believes that by formalising party membership through biometric identification, the NPP can build a more engaged and committed support base, while minimising manipulation and exclusion in internal party affairs.
Mr Agyarko also emphasised the need for party leaders to actively engage with members at all levels.
“It is the responsibility of us as leaders to make them have an interest in the party by encouraging them. The kind of conversation we have with them, it all helps the individual to love the party,” he said.