The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says victory for the NPP in the 2016 general election is of the utmost necessity, because it will provide Ghanaians with the opportunity to rebuild, once again, a country that has every sector of its economy in tatters.
With the news of Ghana being classified as a ‘Highly Indebted Poor Country’ by the International Monetary Fund, again, under an NDC-led government, Nana Akufo-Addo is calling on Ghanaians not to lose hope, as Ghana’s potential, under right leadership, is enormous.
The NPP, according to Nana Akufo-Addo, as shown under the 8 year government of President Kufuor, has the track record of being able to turn around the fortunes of the country, evidenced in taking Ghana out of HIPC and transforming it into a Middle Income Country, within that short period.
Beginning the 1st day of his 2-day tour of the Western Region in Sefwi Wiawso, on Wednesday, September 23, Nana Akufo-Addo, thus, called on the people of Ghana to “have confidence in me that I can lead a first class team of women and men to rebuild this country. As Ghanaians, we must have hope, for Ghana’s potential is enormous.”
He, however, admitted that considering the deep mess Ghana has been plunged into by the Mahama government – economic mismanagement, enterprise failures, widespread unemployment, high cost of living, unaffordable utility tariffs, rampant corruption, crises in health and education systems – many Ghanaians have, understandably, lost hope.
“When we tell some people we can do better as compared to what the current government is offering, they express some level of scepticism. They believe the poverty confronting our nation under this government is our destiny. It is never true. We can transform the fortunes of this country,” he stressed.
Citing the example of Cote d’Ivoire, a country ravaged by civil war and electoral disputes and currently witnessing a massive transformation under President Alassane Ouattara, Akufo-Addo is calling on Ghanaians to give him the opportunity to turn the fortunes of Ghana around.
The NPP flagbearer noted that though Ghana is bigger in land size and population, the export value of Ghana’s agriculture is $2 billion, whereas that of Ivorian agriculture is $12 billion. These figures speak volumes.
Additionally, Nana Akufo-Addo stated that Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana cultivate almost exactly the same land area for cocoa production - 1.7 million hectares. Yet in the just ending cocoa crop year 2014/2015, total production of cocoa in Cote d’Ivoire amounted to over 1.6 million metric tonnes whilst Ghana could barely manage 700,000 metric tonnes, less than half. With the right policies, we can rebuild the cocoa industry again, he said, just as happened under President Kufuor.
“In choosing a far-sighted, practical leader in Alassane Ouattara, Cote d’Ivoire, which, a short while ago, was involved in civil strife and bloody electoral disputes, is now experiencing a boom. We can do the same here in Ghana, and let us have the confidence that we can do it,” he added.
Improve relations with settler communities
With the predominant economic activity in the northern part of the Western Region being agriculture, with its attendant influx of settlers, Nana Akufo-Addo urged regional and constituency executives, as well as parliamentary candidates and their competitors from the 12 constituencies in the Sefwi Zone, to improve the party’s relations with the settler communities. The constituencies were Bia East, Bia West, Bodi, Juaboso, Sefwi Wiawso, Bibiani, Sefwi Akontombra, Suaman, Aowin, Amenfi West, Amenfi East and Amenfi Central.
Nana Akufo-Addo charged the party’s hierarchy in the region to take urgent and immediate steps towards improvement of relations with settler communities.
“If we improve our performance in Western North, we are going to be the majority party in the region again. We have to find a way to improve our relations with the settler communities in the Western Region. We have to do it,” he argued.
He continued, “We have to speak a proper language as the beginning. We need to speak a language of equality, a language of fraternity, a language of solidarity, of togetherness and oneness. This is the only way we can send our message to them. Let them know that we are not coming to trample on their rights as Ghanaians. I am not coming with any tribal agenda in Ghana, I am coming with a Ghanaian Agenda for all the people of Ghana.”
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