Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto files his nomination forms
A former Minister of Food and Agriculture and flagbearer hopeful of the NPP, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has expressed his pride in the achievements made during his tenure, saying he has laid a solid foundation for Ghana’s agricultural sector.
He said this yesterday when he addressed the media immediately after submitting his nomination forms to contest the flagbearer position of the NPP.
He was accompanied by two co-campaign chairmen of his campaign team, Alfred Boye, a former Greater Accra NPP Regional Chairman, and Kenwuud Norwusu, also former NPP Volta Regional Chairman, among other supporting members of his campaign team.
Dr Afriyie Akoto recounted that during the six years of his tenure in the Akufo-Addo government, he laid the foundations both in terms of programmes, legislations and intellectual capacity to build an agriculture of Ghana.
The good ground, he noted, will provide the finances, both foreign and local, to finance industrial development, education, health and infrastructure including motorways, farm tracks and all the requirements that we need to make a good country
He said, if given the opportunity to become the flagbearer of the NPP, and subsequently as President of Ghana, the first step he will take towards achieving that goal will be to create the Agricultural Management Committee, headed by the President.
He explained that the Agricultural Management Committee will facilitate the investment of the right resources in the agriculture sector.
TCDA
The former Minister of Food and Agriculture stated that one major policy he initiated, and now being implemented, is the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA), aimed at promoting six tree crops including cashew, mango, rubber, shea, coffee and coconut.
He stressed that the TCDA, when fully developed and attains its peak, is estimated to add about twelve billion dollars to Ghana’s economy.
These six tree crops, he noted, have the potential of generating US$ 12 billion annually for the country. That notwithstanding, he added that the government’s flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs, which he introduced and spearheaded, brought food security to the country.
Dr Afriyie Akoto also revealed that several other legislations were near completion before he left office, citing the Poultry Development Authority, Grains Development Authority, which is under consideration in Parliament, the Horticultural Development Authority currently at the Cabinet level.
He also hinted that legislation had been proposed requiring all commercial banks to increase loanable funds to the agriculture sector.
Structure
He maintained that when all these initiatives are properly structured and the right investments are made, it will give Ghana the economic freedom that it badly needed.
Dr Afriyie Akoto further appealed to the delegates to vote massively for him to bear the flag of the NPP and subsequently elected as President of Ghana.
“I am therefore assuring you that having taken this first step today on the road to the 26th of August for the super delegates conference, I am appealing to the delegates that when the time comes they should vote for Owusu Afriyie Akoto to make this party great again and will also turn things around to ensure that the country becomes prosperous.”
The governing NPP opened nomination for presidential primary on Friday, May 26, 2023. Nominations will end on Saturday, June 24, 2023. Special Electoral College Elections (if any) will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2023, and National Congress slated for Saturday, November 4, 2023.
