Asiedu Nketiah elected inaugural chair of African Political Parties Initiative

Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, leader of Ghana's National Democratic Congress, has been named Chair of the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI) at their 2026 summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The interim committee nominated him and all participating African political parties unanimously accepted his appointment.

In accepting the role, Asiedu Nketiah expressed gratitude to the participating parties and acknowledged the Africa Governance Centre for establishing APPI. He stated that the initiative had completed leadership formation and was ready to focus on its work. He urged political parties to focus on effective governance rather than just electoral victories, emphasizing the need to develop knowledge, institutions, and leadership to prepare future governments.

Asiedu Nketiah highlighted Africa's upcoming demographic, economic, and technological changes, warning that political parties must adapt their approaches to governance. He cited challenges like population growth, unemployment among young people, limited job creation, and access to electricity. He also noted the influence of AI, energy transitions, and competition for resources, urging parties to build productive industries and develop skills among the young.

The APPI Chair stressed the importance of understanding key sectors such as industry, agriculture, trade, energy, technology, and public finance. He called for investment in party schools, policy institutes, and research institutions to preserve knowledge beyond individual leaders. Asiedu Nketiah urged political parties to give women and young people more opportunities in policy development and decision-making.

He pledged the new APPI leadership would focus on building political institutions to prepare Africa for future challenges and opportunities.