I will create thousands of jobs – Akufo-Addo

The flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has pledged to create "hundreds of thousands of jobs" for the country’s unemployed youth if he wins the November elections.

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.

Campaigning in Drobonso in the Sekyere Afram Plains constituency of in the Ashanti Region on Saturday, Nana Addo outlined plans to boost Agriculture in the country, stressing that his administration would not rely on cocoa as the mainstay of the economy.

He said an aggressive diversification of cash crops, which he said earns Cote d’Ivoire $12 billion in export revenues, would 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 said.

Nana Addo also pledged to provide the leadership that will facilitate the structural transformation of Ghana’s economy, a development he said would see the country add value to its raw materials instead of just exporting them.

“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 said.