Kwadwo Poku
KWADWO NSAFOAH Poku, an entrepreneur with 21 years of experience in the country’s energy sector, says he is lacing his boots to contest in the 2024 Presidential race on the ticket of the NPP.
According to Mr. Poku, the Ashanti Youth for Good Governance, who are supporting him in this bid, believe he is suited for this position and can be the voice of the youth.
He has promised to make youth skills development a central pillar of his administration.
Speaking in an interview with the media, Mr. Poku averred, “Our youth are not properly trained in the area of masonry, carpentry and plumbing, key jobs required in every corner of the country. If you visit most construction sites, the people doing this skilled labour are not Ghanaians. There is a need to revive the Technical Institutes like Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI) that existed in the past and equip them with modern technology for teaching.”
As an expert in the energy sector, Mr. Poku said he believes the next leader of the country should have an in-depth knowledge of this sector.
“In the coming years, Government needs to make several important decisions in this sector which will determine the very survival of our economy. Ten years after ‘dumsor’ started in Ghana, we no longer have the excess capacity that existed in 2017. The growth of electricity demand has gradually caught up with the supply that we had. We currently have dependable capacity of 4,657 megawatts, at 18% spinning reserve, we are left with 3,818 megawatts of power. Our demand is expected to reach 3,400 by end of 2022. The negotiation with IPPs to convert their agreements from Take or Pay to Take and Pay, is still outstanding.
“The private sectors participation (PSP) policy for our utilities to provide Ghanaians with quality service is in a limbo. Exploration companies that acquired oil blocks in 2013/14 are still not doing their work programme, resulting in little or no activity in our upstream sub-sector. Ghana needs a leader who understands this important sector, to make decisive decisions to save the economy from collapsing. The energy sector has become the only sector that affects Ghanaians daily, through fuel pricing and availability, electricity supply and quality of service, crude oil sale for development,” he asserted.
Mr. Poku says he wants to reform most sectors in the economy to bring those in line with the happening of the 21st century and beyond.
He also wants to promote research and development in herbal medicine.
“I have the belief that traditional and herbal medicine can boost Ghana’s GDP if the needed support and investment is given to the industry,” he added.