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Nana Akufo-Addo plans to
build on Kufuor's foundation
Accra, Oct. 29,
Ghanadot/GNA - Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential
Candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on
Wednesday pledged his commitment to build upon the economic
foundation laid by President John Agyekum Kufuor over the
past eight years.
He said: "The Party inherited a battered economy in 2001,
but through the prudent management of the economy by the NPP
Government under President Kufuor, Ghana's economy is now on
a solid foundation."
Nana Akufo-Addo was answering questions at the first of two
Presidential Debates organised by the Institute of Economic
Affairs (IEA) in Accra.
The debate was among the Presidential candidates of parties
with representation in Parliament- NPP; National Democratic
Congress (NDC); People's National Convention (PNC) and
Convention People's Party (CPP).
The questions focused mainly on the economy; social;
security; pension schemes; the oil industry; infrastructure
development; education and job creation.
The NPP Presidential Candidate used the platform to defend
the eight year rule of the Party and spelt out his blueprint
to move the nation forward as contained in the Party's 2008
Manifesto; "Moving Ghana Forward: Building A Modern Ghana."
He said President Kufour's Government had brought back the
dignity of the Presidency and made Ghana an internationally
recognised good-governance State, which has enlarged the
freedoms of the individual citizen and institutions.
On promoting gender equality, the NPP Presidential Candidate
said his administration would drastically reduce maternal
and infant mortality by improving the quality of and access
to ante-and post natal care; address the issue of child
mortality, morbidity and malnutrition.
He would ensure that social security arrangements were set
up in the formal and informal sectors in the rural and urban
areas to cover all workingwomen and men.
Nana Akufo-Addo said he would introduce micro-financing
schemes to help to improve the economic position of women,
continue with the free maternal health care, and create
enabling environment for accelerated growth.
He said the discovery of oil and gas in Ghana was the result
of prudent management of the economy, "my administration
will implement national oil policy with the aim of
maximising benefits to the local people in the Western
Region.
"Institute measures for transparent management of oil
revenue, use oil as an instrument of national development
through specific identified projects and develop liquefied
natural gas as a complement to government's efforts in the
West African Gas Pipeline Project."
On national security, Nana Akufo-Addo said his Government
would establish relationship with international community to
combat crime and increase the manpower capacity of the
Police Service.
He also responded to questions on NPP's policy on education;
health; infrastructure development; bilateral trade; foreign
direct investment; energy, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
and relationship with the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS).
Mrs Jean Mensa, IEA Administrator, said the debate provided
the four leading Presidential candidates an opportunity to
dialogue and discuss their vision, policies and programmes
on the same platform.
Meanwhile organisers of the programme seemed not to
appreciate that journalists relied to a large extent on the
body language of newsmakers in crafting their stories, and
consigned them to an adjacent room with a projector
television screen, and thus compelling them to pick the news
from the perspective of a cameraman.
GNA
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