Nana Add Dankwa Akufo-Addo
The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that unlike President John Mahama, he will never tell the people of his home region to vote for him simply because he hails from there.
According to Nana Akufo-Addo, he has never and will never campaign along the lines of ethnicity and tribalism, but will rather campaign on the basis of competence, programmes and policies that will return Ghana onto the path of progress and prosperity.
Nana Addo made this plain on Thursday, November 17, whilst campaigning at Osino in the Fanteakwa South Constituency of the Eastern Region, on the 3rd day of his 4-day tour of the region.
It will be recalled that on November 10, 2012, at a mini-rally in Zualerigu in the Upper East Region, President Mahama called on Northerners to vote for him “because I am a Northerner.”
Four years on, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, has been reinforcing the president’s statement in his (Debrah’s) campaign in the north, urging the people of the three Northern Regions to vote for President Mahama because “It will be extremely difficult for a Northerner to get to the presidency again if President Mahama loses.”
These statements, according to the NPP flag bearer, do not have any place in a democracy, and are messages that will only come from persons and political parties who have no campaign message for the electorate, and will prefer to set tribe against tribe in order to win an election.
“I am appealing for your votes not on the basis that I am from the Eastern Region or from Okyeman. No! I am appealing for your support so I can go into office and implement the programmes and policies I have outlined all throughout my campaign, and before you today, so we can bring progress and prosperity to all in the country,” he said.
He continued, “Someone went to the Northern Region and his sole message to the people was that ‘vote for me because I’m a northerner’. However, it is under his tenure that the people of the North have witnessed unprecedented levels of poverty. That is not the kind of job I want to do.”
Revival Of NHIS
Outlining some of his policies to the people of Fanteakwa South, Nana Akufo-Addo stated that “if we are to make any meaningful progress in nation-building, then Ghanaians have to be healthy.”
According to him, the last NPP government, led by President Kufuor, introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to remove the constant fear of falling ill under the inhumane Cash & Carry system. However, he noted that it has been painful to watch the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the last 7 years, do its best to collapse the NHIS.
The Mahama government, Akufo-Addo stated, has created so much instability in the system that Ghanaians no longer have confidence in the scheme.
“I am coming to revive the National Health Insurance Scheme, which ensured that the poor in society gained access to healthcare without the financial burden which used to be associated with healthcare delivery (under the Cash and Carry regime),” he stressed.
Job Creation
In addition to creating the necessary conditions needed for Ghanaian businesses to flourish, Nana Akufo-Addo told residents of Fanteakwa that his government, God-willing, will help establish a factory in the district.
With the mainstay of the people being cassava farming, he assured them that his government, in collaboration with the private sector, would help set up a cassava processing factory to create jobs for the youth.
Nana Akufo-Addo also indicated that his government wouod, in accordance with law, regularize and streamline the operations of illegal mining (galamsey) across the country, and transform it into small-scale mining, so that the youth can find work to do.
Free SHS Policy
Victory for him in this year’s elections, the NPP standard bearer indicated, will mean an opportunity for him to implement the Free Senior High School policy – a policy he espoused in the run-up to the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Nana underscored, “I am coming to truly implement the Free SHS policy. I will not give a promise to Ghanaians for which I know I cannot keep. Whatever I have said I will do, I will surely do it so Ghana can move forward.”
$1 Million Constituency Fund
The NPP deader also reiterated his commitment to set up an Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), which would ensure that all the 275 constituencies get the cedi equivalent of $1 million to tackle issues of development.
“Ghana’s capital expenditure budget is $1.6 billion this year. When we win, God-willing, we are going to redirect that that budget takes out $275 million every year, and ensure that every constituency receives the equivalent of $1 million to deal with matters bordering on infrastructural development and sanitation, amongst others, in the constituency.”
He concluded, “I am appealing to Ghanaians to look up to and ride on the back of the ‘Elephant’ so we can bring progress and prosperity to the people. We have the men and women and policy initiatives to give this country a first-class government.”