Aliu starts his presidential campaign

Enchi(WR), Oct. 21, GNA - Vice President Aliu Mahama at the weekend assured Ghanaians of quality leadership when elected to lead the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 General elections. He said he had successfully served as a chief apprentice under President John Agyekum Kufuor, adding: "I now want to be the master". Vice President Mahama was speaking at Enchi as part of a four-day tour of the Western Region to market himself to the chiefs and people ahead of the NPP national delegates' congress scheduled for December 22. The Vice President formally declared his intention last Thursday to contest the NPP presidential primaries when he filed his nomination at the Party's office in Accra.

"Experience is the best teacher, you cannot find experience in any textbook or buy it with money. Experience equips a person with the necessary tools to lead," Alhaji Mahama said. During a similar interaction with the chiefs and people of Beyin and Wassa Akropong, he said he was in their midst to seek their blessing to serve the country with humility.

"I have served the country for the past seven years with humility. Humility is not weakness".

He described himself as a bridge to unite Ghana and attract floating voters for the NPP.

Responding to the numerous development challenges confronting the communities he visited, Vice President Mahama assured the chiefs and people of his personal intervention to address their concerns. The common concern expressed by the chiefs was the bad nature of roads in the region.

At Enchi, the traditional authority told the Vice President that successive governments had played politics with the link roads to other parts of the region and therefore the people are awaiting the promise of the NPP to change that perception.

Alhaji Mahama said Enchi as a major cocoa producing area was the heartland of the country's development efforts, hence the commitment of government to tackle the poor road network in the area and provide the communities with basic amenities.

He said government was providing 30,000 bags of cement and roofing sheets to victims of the recent floods that hit the town. Nana Ntadu III, paramount chief of Sefwi Wiawso and Awula Annor Agjaye III, paramount chief of Beyin bemoaned the poor network in their traditional areas.

Vice president Mahama assured the two chiefs of efforts to provide a three-phase electricity line by December this year to facilitate the establishment of small-scale industries.

At Wassa Akropong, paramount chief Kasapreko Kwame Passayin III asked government to resolve the erratic power supply in the area, expand the health facility and provide a bus to the local Senior High School. Vice president Mahama would visit Ashanti and Northern Regions as part of his campaign tour.