I'm for inclusive development for all - Bawumia declares as he starts tour of Volta Region

The Vice President and Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said that his core principle as a leader is to ensure all-inclusive policies that will benefit all Ghanaians.

Speaking at Hohoe on Sunday, October 20, 2024, at the start of his campaign tour of the Volta Region, Dr. Bawumia said his core philosophy is also in line with the NPP's proven track record of being a party that believes in inclusive development for all Ghanaians.

"My philosophy is one of broad-based, inclusive development for all," Dr. Bawumia said.

Dr. Bawumia continued that as Vice President, he has been driven by this philosophy to assist the President in delivering many policies which he said have been life-changing and have positively impacted Ghanaians.

"I have been Vice President for the last eight years. And as Vice President, I have worked with my President, and as I said, my philosophy is one of broad-based development, so if you see the sort of policies that we have implemented over the last eight years, you will understand what I mean by broad-based development," Dr. Bawumia told Chiefs, the Clergy, Imams, and key stakeholders of the Hohoe Constituency.

Dr. Bawumia listed a number of inclusive policies that he has assisted the President in implementing over the years, including the Free SHS policy, which he said has been immensely impactful on the nation with over 5 million people benefiting.

"When we were running for office in 2016, we promised the people of Ghana that we would implement many policies. The leading and major promise we made was to bring free SHS education to Ghana," he said.

"When we promised free SHS, there were many people who said we were lying to the Ghanaian people. They said it was a 419 promise. They said it was not possible. But by the grace of God, it's been possible."

"For the last eight years, we have been implementing Free SHS and 5.7 million children have gone to school for free under the Free SHS policy. This has never happened before. This is historic."

Dr. Bawumia also named other all-inclusive policies which he has helped to implement as Vice President, including improvements in the health sector through ambulances for all constituencies, the construction of Agenda 111 hospitals for districts without hospitals, support for students and teachers with computers, and the digitization of public services for all, among others.

On his own vision, which he seeks to implement as President, Dr. Bawumia assured that he has broad-based inclusive policies that target everybody in the country.

Among others, Dr. Bawumia mentioned his quest to prioritize agriculture by investing in it to bring modern farming techniques.

He noted that about 60% of the Ghanaian population is involved in farming, and once farming is prioritized with the right focus and support, it will impact the nation positively.

Dr. Bawumia also explained his plans to reduce the cost of living by switching from the nation's over-reliance on gas for electricity to solar power, which he believes will reduce the cost of electricity by 50%.

He also spoke about his vision to train about 1 million youth in digital skills to create digital jobs for them, not only in Ghana but across the world.