Kwaku Kwarteng MP for Obuasi West receiving applauds from the crowd.
NPP supporters demonstrated against the manifesto dialogues hosted by e.TV Ghana at Madina, Accra due to the absence of Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Madina.
The manifesto dialogue at Madina was meant to be an open conversation among the various political parties on the economy of Ghana.
According to the NPP supporters, the absence of Alhaji Sorogho was an act of disrespect to them as well as their representatives who made it to the program and as a result until Alhaji Sorogho shows up they were not going to partake in the programme. The premier edition of the manifesto dialogues seemed to be trailing a rough path till Alhaji Saddique Boniface showed up to calm down the situation.
During the dialogue, Kwaku Kwarteng, the NPP MP for Obuasi, said, “the financial situation of the economy is not stable, hence the increasing unemployment situation among the youth in the country. The NDC government must take drastic measures to help solve the ongoing crises in the country.”
He continued that a Nana Akufo-Addo-led government will with immediate effect create lots of job opportunities for the teeming youth in the country.
Explaining the PPP’s concern on the current state of the economy, Dr Bawa Mahama, explained that the fall in economic growth is as a result of high taxation, rising inflation, high cost of production and the rising interest rate from the banking sector amongst others. According to him, another issue of concern is the high capital expenditure on infrastructural projects which is having a negative impact on the economy. He further stated that if his party comes to power, their major focus will be job creation.
The CPP’s Kofi Hinaku said the fall in economic growth is as a result of the neo-colonial nature of the economy and the continuous dependence on colonial masters and not the high interest rates. He emphasised that until Ghanaians take control of the natural resources and invest in it, the pending crises will continue.
The Manifesto Dialogues, which is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy Fund, (NED-Fund) is an audience-TV interactive program geared towards voter education and detailed discussion of political party manifestos for the electorate to understand in order to make an informed choice in the 2016 elections.