I won't make promises I cannot honour - John Mahama

The flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, says he will not engage in promises in his campaign as the governing New Patriotic Party did when they wanted power.

To him, Ghana's economy was in bad shape, hence it will make it difficult for him to honour unrealistic promises.

"The economy is in a big mess and so I cannot promise everybody that we are going to increase your salaries and all that. I don't want to be like those dishonest people who came and promised you heaven and said they will build factories in every district, they will build dam in every village, they will give every constituency 1 million dollars a year, I'm not that kind of person," he explained. 

The opposition leader, said this on his "Building Ghana" tour when he met some pre-tertiary teachers in Tamale.

He said although he cannot promise salary increment for teachers, he had taken notice of the difficulties teachers, particularly pre-tertiary teachers face in their line of duty which eat away their salaries.

Mr Mahama said many teachers refuse postings to rural communities due to lack of accommodation, indicating that his government would ensure that accommodations are provided for teachers who are posted to rural communities.  

He explained that because there are no accommodations for teachers in rural areas, teachers who get posted to such places stay in bigger towns and travel to the rural communities on a daily basis, hence spending a major part of their salaries on transportation.

He said when he wins power, he will ensure that every stakeholder gets to know the exact reality of the country's economic situation so that everyone will find reason not to make unrealistic demands.