The Ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has blown its own horns for what it described as the achievements of the Atta Mills-led Administration over the past eight months in the �Better Ghana Agenda� it promised Ghanaians.
A Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, yesterday praised the NDC Administration, trumpeting its successes in three areas including the perennial menace of narcotic drugs, Youth in Agriculture and education sector.
He posited that the Atta Mills Administration was on course to fulfilling all its pledges despite the difficulties caused by the previous government in the management of the economy which had resulted in huge deficits and undisclosed arrears.
Presenting what he dubbed, �Matters Arising�, a platform for government to give Ghanaians a status report on the Better Ghana Agenda, Mr. Ablakwa said President John Atta Mills was on course to fulfilling his campaign pledge of not allowing Ghana to be turned into a haven for narcotics trade.
He said the NDC Administration had been able to purge the country as a fertile ground for narcotics trade, gaining dangerous notoriety as a transit country and buoyed on by �very dangerous drug barons�.
The Deputy Minister added, �There is no perception as it was in the past that some powerful people in government may be collaborating with drug barons, and of course, that is enough motivation for our narcotics enforcement teams�.
He said in complete departure from �the situation that existed over the last eight years, during which very pitiable and inadequate measures were put in place, this government is not only demonstrating the required political will, but also implementing very key strategies and measures aimed at combating the very disturbing drug problems we inherited as a government�.
He noted that these measures, which included skills training, exposure to modern techniques in fighting narcotic drugs and steps to transform the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) into an autonomous Commission, �are yielding very-very positive results that Ghanaians are generally very proud of�.
Almost down-playing the efforts of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) Administration in arresting numerous drug lords and their consequential prosecution and conviction, Mr. Ablakwa said, �Over the last few weeks, some arrests have been made and which have been in the public domain, including the successful management of security information leading to the arrest of a ship and seizure of parcels of cocaine on board.
�We can confidently report to Ghanaians that the Acting Executive Secretary of NACOB and his team, working in close collaboration with the National Security apparatus, has over the last eight months monitored, traced and arrested a number of couriers and smart collaborators, who are being further investigated in order to smoke out their paymasters and barons�.
On Youth in Agriculture, Mr. Ablakwa said government had assisted over 300 young people in cultivating a total of one 1,440 hectares of land in Damongo in the West Gonja District of the Northern region.
�These young people are working on a Block Farm Concept which has 1200 hectares of the land being cultivated with maize and 200 hectares with rice and the remaining 40 hectares planted with Soya beans,� he pointed out, adding that the beneficiaries did not put in any money up till this stage, as tractors to plough the land, seedlings, fertilizers and pesticides were all provided by government.
�This has created jobs for the inhabitants, including people who have been engaged to administer fertilisers, weed farms and provide other services,� he added.
He further noted that more than 20,000 jobs would be created when the programme is finally implemented across the country.
On the fishing industry, Mr. Ablakwa disclosed that two out of six patrol boats for the Ghana Navy had been paid for and were expected in the country in December to �protect our fishermen who suffer from heavy lights thrown at sea by big trawlers�.
Touching on education, Mr. Okudzeto emphasised that �the Mills Administration is more than committed to providing the required infrastructure and incentives for the delivery of quality education�.
The present government, he added, increased the Capitation Grant per pupil by 50 percent and provided GH�1.3 million for the School Feeding Programme.
He also added that the government had decided to pay the full tuition fees for all teachers who would be pursuing further studies through distance learning.
The government, Mr. Ablakwa indicated, had started the process of positioning science, technology, research and development at the forefront of its activities and funds had been made available for the establishment of the first ever ICT Park within the Tema Free Zones Enclave, saying the Ministries of Trade and Communications had commissioned a feasibility study and business plan for the project.
�The employment opportunities that will be created will go a long way in supporting the NDC administration�s short- term objective of promoting and creating productive employment opportunities in all sectors of the economy,� he added.
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