“Creation Of Jobs, My No.1 Priority” – Akufo-Addo(read more and comment)

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the number one priority of his government, God-willing, from January 2017, will be the provision of the hundreds of thousands of jobs the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth are desperately yearning for. According to him, well-thought out policies in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, as well as the provision of a conducive environment for the private sector to flourish, will be key to creating jobs for the youth. The NPP flagbearer made these comments whilst campaigning in Drobonso, in the Sekyere Afram Plains constituency, in the Ashanti Region, on Saturday, March 26. With the mainstay of residents in the constituency being agriculture, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that Ghana’s over-reliance on cocoa will not be a feature of his government. Rather, an aggressive diversification of cash crops, akin to the developments in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire, which earns that country $12 billion in export revenues, will be pursued by his government. “The production of cash crops such as cotton, oil palm and cashew will receive major attention from my government. Maize production will also be given a major boost. If this nation is to make any meaningful change in the lives of Ghanaians, our efforts must be directed at this sector. The mainstay of the majority of Ghanaians is agriculture, thus, the majority of people can only feel a change in their lives when we develop agriculture,” he added. With the structural transformation of Ghana’s economy, premised on value-addition as opposed to exports of raw materials, Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his commitment to rationalising the fiscal regime to encourage local production and businesses. This, he stressed, will be achieved through the provision of fiscal incentives and institutional support to promote and spur development of the private sector and thereby create jobs for the youth. “This is the only way we can move Ghana away from being highly indebted and poor to a prosperous country. We have everything we need in this country to be prosperous. All that is required is good leadership,” he added

Source: Peacefmonline.com