Prez Mahama Can Only Be Commended For His Symbolic Outfit

Amidst the flying of heavy criticisms from the camp of the largest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) on President John Dramani Mahama�s State of the Nation Address as empty promises, a member of the communication team of NPP, Davies Opoku however says the president needs commendation. Not for his delivery or the content of the address, but for his outfit for the occasion which sought to promote Made-in-Ghana goods. President Mahama, in his State of the Nation Address, highlighted that the fundamental problem of the country�s economy was that Ghanaians spend a whopping amount of almost $1.5 billion in foreign currency on the import of rice, sugar, wheat, tomato products and vegetable cooking oils. Setting himself as example for Ghanaians to see the need to patronize Made-in-Ghana goods, President Mahama called on the nation support the purchasing of locally manufactured products. �Mr. Speaker, at this same meeting, I also made an acquaintance of Mr. Tony Senayah, of Horseman Shoes, a company he started in 2009 by buying and selling locally made shoes from a manufacturer in Lapaz. It had always been Mr. Senayah's dream to build a vocational training institute. One day he saw a business opportunity. He realized that a lot of the young people he knew were skilled at making shoes, but beyond that they didn't know how to make their work economically viable. Suddenly, he saw a way to create employment for young people. He recruited them to make the shoes that he designed. And, Mr. Speaker, I tell you: they are very nice, very comfortable shoes. In fact, I am wearing a pair right now�, he revealed. That singular gesture appears to have endeared the president to Davies Opoku, who stated on Okay Fm that the President�s clothing on that day is call on Ghanaians to love products from their own country. He also added that Ghanaians must commend successive governments that have made efforts to promote locally manufactured products as Kufour�s administration did by introducing the �Friday Wear Concept�. �It is not the pair of shoes he wore but I think he has demonstrated that as a President he has seen the need to wear Made-in-Ghana products. For me, it was symbolic which all of us must praise him for but not for his speech; it was empty promises,� he asserted.