Twifo, Atti Mokwa traditional areas hold durbar to welcome Prez Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he will use all the resources at his disposal to bring prosperity to the nation and its people in view of the faith Ghanaians have in him.

He said his government was not intimidated by the huge debt it inherited but was working hard to turn the nation’s fortunes around for improved standard of living for Ghanaians.

President Akufo-Addo made the assertions when he addressed a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the Twifo and Atti Mokwa Traditional Areas at Twifo Praso last Thursday. It formed part of activities that marked the President’s two-day working visit to the Central Region.

He maintained that the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would not disappoint Ghanaians.

Free SHS

The President said he was determined to build a strong human resource base for the country, using the free senior high school (SHS) policy set to begin in September this year.

In addition, he said the one-district, one-factory policy to be implemented soon would provide the unemployed youth with an opportunity to work and earn a decent living.

Galamsey

On galamsey, President Akufo-Addo said he would work in a thorough and responsible manner to protect the country’s lands and water resources, reiterating that the government was not against small-scale mining but rather illegal mining which was destroying lands, water and the environment.

He thanked the people of Twifo Atti Mokwa for voting to elect a member of Parliament from the NPP for the area for the first time since 1992 and also for voting for him to become President of the country.

“I appreciate your gesture and would not let the constituency down,” he said.

COCOBOD

The Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who also addressed the gathering, said the government would ensure that the area gained from the ongoing mass cocoa spraying exercise and added that all requirements for improving cocoa farming in the area would be provided.

He told the people that the introduction of the mass spraying of cocoa farms and the programme of pollinating cocoa trees by hand were among other interventions expected to contribute to an anticipated yield of one million metric ton of cocoa for the country this year.

Mr Aidoo said the African Development Bank was supporting the cocoa sector with $500 million to assist farmers who would cut and replace cocoa trees affected by the swollen shoot disease.

Fisheries

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, said the ministry would together with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection work to provide adequate fish for the school feeding programme.

To this end, she said 100 fish farms would be stocked with fingerlings as a means of giving a boost to fish farming and aquaculture development in the country.

The paramount chiefs of Atti Mokwa and Twifo Mampong, Oseadeayo Akwesi Kani and Obrempon Appiah Nuamah respectively, petitioned the government to ensure the restart of work on the Cape Coast-Twifo Praso and Twifo Praso-Assin Fosu roads to make life bearable for the people.

The chiefs honoured the President with a citation.