"When I spoke to the Nation on August 28, 2007 at Alisa Hotel in Accra, I pledged that if elected as your President, I would be a 'listening President' even while being a decisive one. Today, consistent with that pledge and desirous of making this campaign a campaign about the people rather than politicians, I have come to have a conversation with the people of Sefwi-Wiawso. Too often, politicians tell our people what they will do for them without listening to what the people need and want. During this campaign, I will work hard to listen and understand more completely the concerns of the average Ghanaian. Here in Sefwi-Wiawso today, I am having the first in a series of conversations with the electorate," the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced to an excited audience in the cocoa-farming community in the Western Region, yesterday, Monday, May 5.
Repeating his call for an issues-based campaign, the NPP Presidential Candidate said, "Let us focus on what the people need and want to build for themselves and their children a better life.
"I urge all Ghanaians to join the NPP in this conversation." And, many people took him on on the offer freely asking questions, ranging from chieftancy disputes to high cost of value.
Quoting from statistics, former Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, reminded the people that prices of milk, bread and kenkey, for example, shot up in the eight years of the National Democratic Congress, more than twice what has happened under the NPP, inspite of salaries and wages increasing in real value more than twice what happened under the NDC.
Mr Osafo-Maafo pleaded with Ghanaians not to be deceived by the NDC propaganda that live is harder under the NPP. "Under the NDC, prices would have been at least twice what they are today and you and I know it; they know it too! Don't let them fool you to vote for the return of the bad old days of economic mismanagement."
The NPP Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, who addressed the more than two thousand crowd, with some having to watch the 'Listening Campaign' on a special screen mounted for the occasion, added, by telling Ghanaians that there is a global food crisis, "But we need to see this problem as a challenge and the challenge as a welcoming opportunity to modernise our agriculture and to actively engage in large-scale modernised farming and food-processing. The period for economic transformation has befallen us. Let us embrace it."
It was the first of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's innovative addition to campaigning in Ghana and he could not have started from an area perhaps with more burning issues than Sefwi-Wiawso, in the Western Region. Dubbed the "NPP's Listening Campaign", the day started with burning of tyres at 6:00am by GPRTU members who have been very aggrieved by the introduction of the Mass Metro Transit System in the district three weeks ago.
Though, this has significantly cut down transportation costs for the people in the communities, the commercial drivers' legitimate beef is that the Metro Mass Transit buses are pricing them out of jobs.
Another local issue is that longstanding chieftancy dispute that has led to the stationing of some 100 army personnel in the area.
Another local issue is the old intra-party factionalism that has contributed to the National Democratic Congress winning the Sefwi-Wiawso seat in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004, with two longstanding factions led by former Health Minister and parliamentary candidate, Kwaku Afriyie, on the one hand, and Deputy Regional Minister, Kwesi Blay, on the other.
"This must stop!" Nana Akufo-Addo told the packed gathering at the John Bitar Club. And, the passion with which he urged the feuding parties to reconcile even brought tears to some female members of the audience.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who was accompanied by party stalwarts including NPP National Chairman Peter Mac Manu, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Kwabena Frimpon Boateng, Kyeremanteng Boakye-Agyarko, Christine Churcher and Arthur Kennedy, began by thanking Bia and Juaboso constituencies for their wonderful receptions the previous day.
"If that is anything to go by, after December 7th, this will be NPP country. However, for that to occur, we need a united party. Therefore, I urge all NPP members in this and other constituencies, to overcome your differences and unite to work for our victory this December," he said.
With Messrs Blay and Afriyie sitting behind him, Nana Akufo-Addo turned back to them and stated that whatever their differences, "they can never be as large as our common heritage and interests as a party. We cannot unite this or any other constituency, our community or our nation for national development when we are divided amongst ourselves."
He announced that arrangements have been made for him to chair a reconciliation meeting to be held in the regional capital Takoradi, Thursday.
He urged the constituency to follow the example set by the party leadership at the national level, when the party and nation were hit by news of Alan Kyerematen's resignation.
"That is why recently at the national level, our party patiently worked to bring back to our fold, one of our own, Mr Alan Kyerematen when he sought to leave. During the whole episode, our party leaders demonstrated tolerance, maturity and leadership. Let every NPP member take pride in the spirit of tolerance that is so evident in our party. I urge all of you to unite and to work for the great victories we expect in December. Ghana demands it and we cannot fail Ghana," Nana Akufo-Addo stated.
Nana Akufo-Addo also took the opportunity to call on the people of Sefwi-Wiawso to vote for the NPP for a change because the incumbent government has "done more for you than what the (P)NDC managed to do in 20 years."
He declared, "Today, we are in cocoa country and cocoa country is NPP country. Dating from before Independence, our party has always been the party of farmers. Due to our founding principles, we have always been committed to the interests of those who work for themselves and persevere to give them the kind of prosperous society dreamed of by our founding fathers."
Nana Akufo-Addo recalled that it was the founders of the Danquah-Busia tradition who always fought on the side of the local farmer. He recalled the role J B Danquah played in getting the colonial government to accept the concept of the Cocoa Marketing Board.
In recent years, he said while the NPP has paid bonuses in six seasons for the cocoa farmer, the NDC only did that once in 20 years.
"To advance the cause of the cocoa farmer since the inception of the NPP government in 2001, the producer price of cocoa has increased nearly four-fold, from Gh¢347.5 to Gh¢1,200 per tonne in February this year. The increase in February led to Ghanaian farmers being paid more than their Ivorien counterparts for the first time in many years."
He added, "Bonuses have been paid six times in the last seven years. A total of 768.44 billion cedis have been paid to farmers under this scheme. Under the NDC, bonuses were paid only once. The NPP introduced the Cocoa Diseases and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC) that has involved 627,750 cocoa farms, 607,827 cocoa farmers and employed 50,575 young people. Last year alone, the cost was Gh¢106,800,000."
Nana did not relent in his efforts to convince cocoa growing areas what the NPP has done for them. "We have enhanced scholarships to farmers' children. Last year, Gh¢1,500,000.00 was put in the Cocoa Farmers Scholarship Trust Fund to finance scholarships for 7,500 wards of farmers in second cycle institutions.
In response to these initiatives, cocoa farmers have responded with the highest productivity in our history, nearly doubling productivity in the last seven years, the NPP Presidential Candidate stated.
"My fellow Ghanaians, the Golden Age of Business has been good to the growers of the Golden Pod, 'sika wo won bo tom' [there is money in their pockets]," he said to loud applause and cheers from the cocoa-growing community of Sefwi-Wiaso.
"The next NPP Government will build on these solid foundations laid by the current Government to help many more Ghanaians put more money in their own pockets," Nana Akufo-Addo said, adding, "I want to see the kind of quality education that made many Ghanaians like me competitive in Western schools returned. We should begin by significantly improving on the quality of teachers in whose hands we invest our children's future." He promised to make the high quality training of Ghanaian teachers a "major priority."
In urging the constituency to change tact and begin voting massively for the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo said, "We are moving forward! 'Ye ko yanim'. There are many other policies that have improved the lives of our people amongst these are the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for our health; the Capitation Grant and School Feeding Programme for education and the unprecedented infrastructural construction all around this country. For example in the National Health Insurance Scheme, 137,191 people representing 70.35% of those in Sefwi-Wiawso District have registered for the scheme. This is far higher than the national average. Congratulations to you all."
"The government has entered into agreements with various companies to add value to our cocoa with a goal of processing at least 50% of the cocoa we produce. We have introduced the Cocoa Farmers' Housing Scheme that is being piloted in the Western Region. Construction has already started in Enchi, Afranse and Yawmatwa all in the Western Region."
He continued, "The rehabilitation of roads in cocoa growing areas under the Cocoa Roads Improvement Project (CRIP) is proceeding. Under this scheme a total of 206km has been awarded to contractors."
This year, government has begun a two-phased project to tar, for the first time, a total of 155.4km of cocoa roads in the Western Region alone.
The first phase, involving 33.3km of raods and valued at Gh¢5.3 million will see a 14km road linking Telekubokaso-Asasekyere-Anyinaeso in the Nzema East District, for instance, being tarred. 30 contracts in all have been awarded for this phase, with cocoa roads in Bia, Juaboso, Mpaho Wassa West, Wassa Amenfi West, and Aowin Suaman also benefiting.
For the second phase, involving 122.1km of roads in cocoa-growing areas, Sefwi-Wiawso, Bibiani-Nwaeso and Jomoro districts will benefit. This starts in June, to be completed in time for the October cocoa season. The roads include Asanweso-Medina-Mile 81, Lineso Junction-Nframakrom, Elubo-Ghana Nungua and Ankaako-Atobiase.
Nana Akufo-Addo continued his tour of the ten orphan constituencies in the Western Region yesterday. He returns to Accra Thursday, after his dispute settlement meeting in the regional capital.
