Bad policies hamper our development — President

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana's path to prosperity has been unnecessarily delayed because of wrong policies.

He said the government would, therfore, make every effort to avoid the mistakes of the past and pursue right policies to accelerate national development.

The President made the observation at a durbar of chiefs and people of the Ekumfi Traditional Area in the Central Region yesterday as part of his two-day tour of the region.

He was accompanied by the Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan, and his deputy, Mr Adjei Baffour; the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Naa Afoley Quaye, and the Minister of Special Initiatives, Mrs Hawa Koomson.

The President said with Ghana's rich natural and human resources, there was no way the country could be poor and underlined the commitment of the government to fully optimise the country’s resources and implement prudent policies and interventions to improve the living standards of the people.

Time

President Akufo-Addo said although achieving growth and accelerated economic development would take some time, the government, with all its interventions, including the Planting For Food and Jobs programme, one-district, one-factory and the one-village, one-dam programmes, was certain to bring a change in the lives of citizens.

He said he was happy that after much vilification, the free senior high school (SHS) policy would be rolled out as expected.

 President Akufo-Addo exchanging pleasantries with residents of Ekumfi

Unity

He called on all Ghanaians to rise and unite to build the country so that their vote for him would not be in vain.

The President further pledged to honour the memory of late President Atta Mills by ensuring the development of Ekumfi.

He said despite the fact that they were in opposing parties, they were friends and the best he could do was to bring about economic growth to the area.

The Coordinator of the one-district, one-factory programme, Mrs Gifty Ohene Konadu, said the first of the factories, a fruit processing factory, would be sited in the Ekumfi area

That, she said, would give, particularly, pineapple farmers in the area, access to ready markets and also create jobs for the youth in the area.

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Naa Afoley Quaye, said the ministry would work to ensure prompt supply of pre-mix fuel to the people.

A woman in a symbolic display of a student’s journey to school

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ekumfi, Mr Ato Cudjoe, said he was optimistic that the government would improve the well-being of the people.

The acting President of the Ekumfi Traditional Council, Nana Idun, called on the government to build a district hospital in the traditional area.