Government policies will improve living conditions - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday gave the assurance that the policies and programmes being implemented by his administration would improve the living standards of Ghanaians and put Ghana on the path of progress and prosperity.

He said the vision of a progressive, prosperous Ghana envisioned by the nation’s founding fathers must be realized in our generation.

It is for this reason that his government has begun to fulfill the promises made in the run-up to the 2016 elections.

President Akufo-Addo said this when he began his three-day tour of the Central Region with a courtesy call on the Regional House of Chiefs, and addressed a durbar of Chiefs at Twifo Atti Morkwaa.

He indicated that upon his assumption of office, he inherited an economy in deep crisis and had to put in place a number of measures to nurse it back to full health.

The President said the implementation of policies such as Free SHS, One-District-One-Factory, programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, One-Village-One-Dam, together with the revival of the National Health Insurance Scheme, had been made possible because of the stability brought to bear on the economy.

At Twifo Atti Morkwa, a constituency won by the New Patriotic Party in 2016, for the first time in history of the Fourth Republic, the President told the chiefs and people that an audit of the cocoa roads was being carried out, and very soon the constituency would be captured.

He said in addition, a 60-bed hospital under construction at the constituency, would soon be completed, as equipment for the facility would be cleared soon at the Tema Port.

With the Free SHS programme being a flagship policy of his government, President Akufo-Addo stressed that the programme would commence in September, which would benefit the 1,200 students at the basic level in the constituency.

“I have been bastardised by several persons who claim the Free SHS policy is a misplaced priority, a lie, and cannot be done. The Free SHS policy, I wish to assure them, will start from September,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo noted that the One District, One Factory policy would be rolled out in the course of this month, and would create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Touching on mining, President Akufo-Addo stated that as far back as the 15th century, there was the recognition that mining was important for the country’s economy.

“Mining is part of our heritage. It is not under an Akufo-Addo government that mining is going to be abolished. I can never abolish mining. Those saying I am trying to abolish mining are just doing propaganda. Mining is an integral part of our country’s heritage,” he said.

What his government cannot allow to happen, however, is for illegal mining to compromise the country’s environment.

“Our lands, water bodies and forests are also part of our heritage. I swore an oath before the Almighty and before Ghanaians to govern in accordance with the rule of law, and also to protect the territorial integrity of our nation. I am mandated by the laws of the land to protect our lands and water bodies,” he said.

The President assured the Chiefs and people of Twifo Atti Morkwaa of his determination to improving their living conditions.

“You already have an MP, in the person of Abraham Odoom. But you have a second MP who is called Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”