The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured the thousands of residents of the Brong Ahafo Region who have lost huge sums to scams involving microfinance companies in the last couple of years that he will retrieve their monies for them when he wins this year’s elections.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, “if before the conduct of the December 7 election, President Mahama’s government is unable to retrieve your monies from DKM and others for you, I can assure you that, God-willing, when I win, I will retrieve your monies for you.”
The NPP flagbearer made this known on Friday, November 25, 2016 when he addressed two separate Brong Ahafo Regional rallies at Techiman and Sunyani.
This assurance by the NPP flagbearer is his second to residents of the Region, after his first commitment was made on July 12, 2016, whilst campaigning at Nkoranza.
It will be recalled that thousands of customers were duped by microfinance companies DKM, God is Love Fun Club, Jasta Motors, amongst others, in a financial transaction that promised high rates of return to depositors. President John Mahama ordered the freezing of accounts of the microfinance owners, as well as the auctioning of properties to defray the debts owed the customers. The customers are, however, yet to receive their monies, months after the president gave that instruction.
With high rates of unemployment prevailing in the Brong Ahafo Region, Nana Akufo-Addo assured that two main sectors of the economy will deliver the hundreds of thousands of jobs required by the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth.
The manufacturing and agriculture sectors, he said, will be given a major boost through the implementation of a number of well-thought out policies and programmes.
Nana Akufo-Addo indicated, for example, that Ghana’s over-reliance on cocoa will not be a feature of his government, as an aggressive diversification of cash crops, akin to the developments in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire, which earns that country $12 billion in export revenues, will be pursued by his government.
“An Akufo-Addo government will establish a Cashew Marketing Board, which will do for cashew farmers exactly what the Cocoa Marketing Board does for cocoa farmers. Likewise, we will give strong government backing to producers of maize. If Ghana is to make any meaningful change in the lives of her people, our efforts must be directed at this sector. The majority of people can only feel a change in their lives when we develop agriculture. That is the road to prosperity in Ghana,” he added.
The NPP flagbearer assured residents who are reeling from the effects of the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy, incompetence and corruption of the Mahama government, evident in the suffering, hardships and rising cost of living, Nana Akufo-Addo assured that his government will put in place measures to bring relief to Ghanaians.
He explained that “sound economic policies coupled with the safeguarding of the public purse, will ensure that the prices of petrol, for example. When this happens, it will have a ripple effect on the prices of insurance premiums, and the cost of goods and services on the market.”
Nana Akufo-Addo also assured Ghanaian workers who remain skeptical about the whereabouts of their monies under the Tier-2 pension scheme, he indicated that “we going to make sure the pensioners of our country get what they are entitled to. It is a disgrace that workers who have worked for decades can no longer be sure of where their pension money is under this government.”
To the Zongo communities spread across the region, the NPP flagbearer reiterated his commitment towards the setting up of a “Zongo Development Fund” aimed at solving basic infrastructure problems existing in Zongo communities across the country. He said that proper management of the country’s public finances will allow the Fund to be established.
Nana Akufo-Addo assured that the Fund will be a line item in the 2017 budget to be presented by his government, explaining that the Zongo Development Fund will address the underdeveloped nature of Zongo communities, which, like many other parts of the country, lack basic infrastructure such as roads, water, toilets, good sanitation, schools and health facilities.
“We will work with the communities to upgrade and rebuild their infrastructure, and improve the lives of the residents. We will support residents of deprived and neglected areas, and give them the dignity that they deserve, improve their health and enhance the value of their properties,” he added.
The NPP flagbearer also reiterated the NPP’s commitment towards the reintroduction of allowances paid to Arabic and Islamic instructors.
It will be recalled that Arabic and Islamic Instructors in the Zongos and parts of Northern Ghana were paid allowances under the National Volunteer Service Programme in the Kufuor led NPP government, but the NDC government stopped these payments.
However, Nana Akufo-Addo maintained that his government “will revert to the policy and additionally support Arabic/Islamic instructors with training and other incentives to motivate them to provide good training to our children.”
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