The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is committed to the creation of numerous jobs to create wealth for the country’s citizens, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has stated.
According to him, the country is riddled with poverty and the NPP has devised a strategy to spur development that will cut down the unemployment rate in Ghana.
For him, provision of jobs was key to help put monies in the pockets of citizens to eradicate the hardships he said Ghanaians were facing.
“We need to create jobs and create wealth because there is nowhere that poverty has been used to conquer poverty. We believe in creation of wealth. That is what the NPP is about,” ex-President Kufuor said at the party’s manifesto launch on Sunday October 9 at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra.
As the Danquah-Busia-Dombo party launches its 2016 manifesto, it is anticipated that the party will harp on its one-district-one-factory and one-village-one-dam plans.
However, some highlights of the manifesto have surfaced even before the document is launched today, Sunday, 9 October.
Below are a few of the highlights:
a) The next NPP government will construct new harbours at James Town and Keta.
(b) The next NPP government will provide Freedom Cards to the aged to have free access to all public transportation and other public facilities.
(c) The next NPP government will restore, in full, teacher and nurse trainee allowances in the first-quarter in office.
(d) The next NPP government will build an Accident and Emergency centre in Takoradi.
(e) The next NPP government will abolish the payment of utility bills by students, right after assumption of office.
(f) The next NPP government will pass a legislation to ensure that at least 20% of road contracts awarded to foreign contractors are sub-contracted to local contractors.
(g) The next NPP government will increase the amount of loans under the student loan scheme and restructure and streamline its administration to enhance recovery of the loans.
(h) The next NPP government will immediately, right after assumption of office, reduce taxes on electricity tariffs to provide immediate relief to households and industries.
(I) The NPP government will establish a factory in every district to create more employment tor the youth
(J) In the three regions up north, an irrigation dam will be built for every district.
Meanwhile, supporters of the party have defied heavy rains that fell on Sunday morning and converged, in their numbers, on the Accra International Trade Fair Centre for the launch of the party’s 2016 manifesto.
Organisers, leaders and supporters were seen crossing flooded arenas either with their cars or on foot to the venue of the manifesto launch.
Thousands of the party’s supporters and officials are expected to attend the event.
Key personalities including former President John Agyekum Kufour, Nana Addo Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee of the party respectively, past and present executives of the party, and several others, are expected to be in attendance.
Already business activities in and around the venue are booming with regards to the sale of NPP paraphernalia and other items.
The party is expected to make known the policies it will be implementing if it wins the December 7 polls.