Ghana can overcome poverty, says Akufo-Addo

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said winning power in 2016 will provide Ghanaians with the opportunity to rebuild, once again, a country that has every sector of its economy in tatters.

With the news of Ghana being classified as a ‘Highly Indebted Poor Country’ by the International Monetary Fund, again, under an NDC-led government, Nana Akufo-Addo is calling on Ghanaians not to lose hope, as Ghana’s potential, under right leadership, is enormous.

The NPP, according to Nana Akufo-Addo, as shown under the eight-year government of President Kufuor, has the track record of being able to turn around the fortunes of the country, evidenced in taking Ghana out of HIPC and transforming it into a Middle Income Country, within that short period.

Beginning the 1st day of his two-day tour of the Western region in Sefwi Wiawso, Nana Akufo-Addo, thus, called on the people of Ghana to “have confidence in me that I can lead a first class team of women and men to rebuild this country. As Ghanaians, we must have hope, for Ghana’s potential is enormous.”

He, however, admitted that considering the deep mess Ghana has been plunged into by the Mahama government – economic mismanagement, enterprise failures, widespread unemployment, high cost of living, unaffordable utility tariffs, rampant corruption, crises in health and education systems – many Ghanaians have, understandably, lost hope.

“When we tell some people we can do better as compared to what the current government is offering, they express some level of scepticism. They believe the poverty confronting our nation under this government is our destiny. It is never true. We can transform the fortunes of this country,” he stressed.

Citing the example of Cote d’Ivoire, a country ravaged by civil war and electoral disputes and currently witnessing a massive transformation under President Alassane Ouattara, Akufo-Addo is calling on Ghanaians to give him the opportunity to turn the fortunes of Ghana around.

The NPP flagbearer noted that though Ghana is bigger in land size and population, the export value of Ghana’s agriculture is $2 billion, whereas that of Ivorian agriculture is $12 billion.

Additionally, Nana Akufo-Addo stated that Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana cultivate almost exactly the same land area for cocoa production - 1.7 million hectares. Yet in the just ending cocoa crop year 2014/2015, total production of cocoa in Cote d’Ivoire amounted to over 1.6 million metric tonnes whilst Ghana could barely manage 700,000 metric tonnes, less than half. With the right policies, we can rebuild the cocoa industry again, he said, just as happened under President Kufuor.

“In choosing a far-sighted, practical leader in Alassane Ouattara, Cote d’Ivoire, which, a short while ago, was involved in civil strife and bloody electoral disputes, is now experiencing a boom. We can do the same here in Ghana, and let us have the confidence that we can do it,” he added.