Afenyo Markin to TESCON Leaders: ‘Discipline Requires Compromise, Era of Propaganda Has Ended’

Parliamentary Minority Leader Calls for Discipline and Strategic Focus Ahead of 2028 Elections

Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament, has called on party executives to embrace discipline, loyalty, and strategic focus as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for the 2028 general elections.

“Discipline means yielding where you have to yield. For the greater good of the group in accordance with the rules and regulations,” Afenyo-Markin told TESCON executives during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. TESCON (Tertiary Students Confederacy) serves as the student wing of the NPP and plays a crucial role in campus politics and youth mobilization.

The Minority Leader, who also represents the Effutu constituency, emphasized the NPP’s center-right ideology that champions free enterprise, human rights, and individual potential. These foundational principles, he noted, have guided the party’s governance approach and policy decisions throughout its time in power.

Communication emerged as a key theme in Afenyo-Markin’s address. He urged the TESCON executives to take a proactive role in shaping political narratives and countering misinformation on critical issues such as cocoa pricing and government initiatives. “The days when we left the campuses to NDC to do propaganda are over,” he declared, challenging the young leaders to confront political opponents with facts and confidence rather than allowing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to dominate campus discourse.

Ghana’s cocoa sector, which provides livelihoods for approximately 800,000 farming families and contributes significantly to the country’s GDP, has been a frequent topic of political debate. The NPP has implemented various interventions in the sector, including mass spraying programs and price stabilization efforts, which Afenyo-Markin suggested need better communication to the public.

Turning to economic achievements, the Minority Leader highlighted several flagship social intervention programs implemented under NPP administrations. He specifically mentioned the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, which has increased secondary education enrollment by removing financial barriers for families across Ghana since its implementation in 2017.

The National Health Insurance Scheme, another significant NPP initiative, was also referenced as evidence of the party’s commitment to social welfare. Afenyo-Markin challenged the NDC to showcase comparable social interventions implemented since 1993, framing the upcoming electoral contest as a comparison of tangible achievements rather than rhetoric.

In a notable point of national economic significance, he emphasized the NPP’s role in discovering oil in commercial quantities in Ghana, a development that has transformed the country’s economic landscape since production began in the Jubilee Field in 2010. This discovery has positioned Ghana as an emerging player in Africa’s oil sector, though the management of petroleum revenues has remained politically contentious.

The parliamentary leader’s address took an unusual turn when he urged the TESCON executives to incorporate prayer into their political strategy. “Let us remember our God, dear executives,” Afenyo-Markin said, recounting past instances where he believed prayer helped the party overcome political challenges. This spiritual dimension reflects the significant role religion continues to play in Ghanaian politics, where faith-based appeals often intersect with policy discussions.

Supporting the Minority Leader’s message, Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, NPP Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, encouraged the student leaders to deepen their intellectual engagement with party policies and ideologies. “Be focused on substance over style and be well-versed in the party’s stance on current issues,” he advised, suggesting that thorough knowledge would strengthen their advocacy effectiveness.

The meeting comes at a critical time for the NPP, which is working to rebuild after losing its parliamentary majority in the 2020 elections. Political analysts note that the party faces significant challenges in maintaining unity and strategic focus during its time in opposition, particularly as internal discussions about the 2028 presidential candidate begin to emerge.