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News release
Office of Nana Akufo-Addo
September 15, 2014
WONTUMI LAUNCHES
FONAA-USA
Friends of Nana Akufo-Addo (FONAA-USA) was
officially inaugurated on Saturday, September 13,
2014 at a heavily attended fundraising dinner at the
A & C Banquet Hall in Woodbridge, Virginia, USA.
Within 25 minutes of making appeals the event had
raised $35,000, with others making pledges. As you
can see the gathering here is not just NPP members
and sympathisers, but we also have in our midst many
Ghanaians here in the US who ordinarily care very
little about partisan politics in a Ghana. But they
are saying today, 'Our nation is going down. We have
heard Akufo-Addo's vision for Ghana and we want to
help him succeed," said Ms Aisha Salifu, the
Co-Coordinator of FONAA-USA.
The audience were inspired by motivational speeches
by speakers who flew into the US for the programme,
London-based business consultant and founder of
Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, NPP
Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako,
aka Chairman Wontumi, Ms Freda Prempeh, Member of
Parliament for Tano North, and her colleague, Ms
Adwoa Safo, MP, Dome Kwabena.
Ghanaians flew in from various states to be part of
the programme and to contribute towards Akufo-Addo's
push to rescue Ghana on the ticket of the NPP in
2016. The NPP holds its primary to choose its
presidential candidate on October 18. Akufo-Addo is
the clear favourite.
Co-Coordinator of the fully incorporated group, Dr
Philip Barnor of Tennessee, said of the event,
"People were donating as much as $5,000 each. That
is remarkable and a very positive start. What was
even telling was a student who contributed $50
saying, 'I don't have much but I want to play my
part to get rid of the NDC and get Ghana working
again under a competent government that will come in
to serve.' I think that is the kind of spirit of
volunteerism which will be driving the NPP onto
victory in 2016. Ghanaians are simply fed up and
they all want to get involved."
He added, "It is not all about raising money. It is
also about adopting constituencies and supporting
them. FONAA-USA want to play a strategic role in
pushing Nana Akufo-Addo's message of building a One
Ghana. We want to de-tribalise politics in Ghana and
will come up with strategies and programmes to help
the candidate achieve this goal. We want to help go
to the grassroots to reach out to all groups and let
them know why Akufo-Addo will be good for them and
their children."
Ms Salifu stressed, "We believe Nana showed this One
Ghana thing by putting the country before his party
when he acted quickly to calm the nation down and
announced that there will be no review of the
election petition case. The next step is to support
the process of helping Ghanaians to vote according
to their needs and issues and not according to their
prejudices or propaganda."
The influential chief and respected community leader
in the Washington Metro Area, Nana Kofi Boateng, who
chaired the function, admonished members of FONAA-USA
to adopt a “win win” approach and open their doors
wide to every Ghanaian and be proactive in reaching
out to everybody.
The successful chartered accountant described Nana
Akufo-Addo as the man with the plan and commitment
to transform Ghana and that Ghanaians are clear in
their minds he can bring the nation back onto the
path of prosperity if given the chance. It is the
work of his campaign people to help make it happen.
He said there were always people who want to support
candidates without necessarily wanting to be tagged
as partisan and he hopes groups like FONAA-USA can
help in that process in helping candidates to reach
out wider.
The NPP-USA branch chairman, Nana Adjei Yeboah,
said, as branch executives their job is to be
objective in an internal contest but they are always
happy to support and encourage any volunteer groups
supporting the efforts of candidates. What was
important was that the groups keep their activities
healthy and constructive to the ultimate cause of
the party, which is to win power.
Another highlight of the event was the election of
new executives? Dr Barnor, a medical practitioner,
was elected unopposed with Ms Salifu as
Coordinators.
Four people contested for the positions of Secretary
and Public Relations Officer. Dr Kofi Nsiah Peprah
and Prince Osei Bonsu were elected Secretary and
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