Nana Addo, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party has assured the people of the Western region not to lose hope but have faith in Ghana when he becomes President in 2017.

He said, “Ghana and Ghanaians have become too miserable. However, I am urging you to have hope. God did not create us to be poor, neither did He put us on this rich land to be poor. It is bad leadership that is making us poor. Have hope that a good government is on its way coming to bring development, progress and prosperity to every part of the country without discrimination.”

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He gave assurance on Saturday, August 13, 2016, when he began day 4 of his 5-day tour of the Western Region in Agona, in the Amenfi Central constituency.

He noted that many Ghanaians, in the face of severe economic hardships, rising cost of living, high utility tariffs, widespread and rampant corruption, amongst others, have lost hope in the ability of the nation to provide them with a decent standard of living.

In spite of the myriad of problems confronting Ghanaians, under the John Mahama government, Nana Akufo-Addo is assuring Ghanaians that his government is coming into office to create jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth, ensure access to education to all school-going children, and provide quality healthcare delivery for all citizens.

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“The industrial development of Ghana will be my main project when, God-willing, I come into office. Helping to establish one factory in every district across the country will be a priority, which will create jobs for our unemployed youth. Additionally, free SHS is also coming to Ghana. The revival of the collapsed NHIS to ensure year-round, affordable access to quality healthcare will also be done,” he assured.

With particular reference to the people of Agona, whose mainstay is cocoa farming, he indicated that “we are coming to restore the cocoa industry back to where it ought to be”, explaining that “after President Kufuor left office, the cocoa sector is in decline”.

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Nana Akufo-Addo reassured citizens of Agona, and Wassa Amenfi, that “when I win this year’s election, I am coming to increase cocoa production again and raise up the standard of living of cocoa farmers. Mass spraying brigades will be formed again, to ensure that everyone involved in the cocoa sector is put back into employment. The timely and proper supply of fertilizer to enable farmers increase their yields will also be done.”

Citing the example of Ghana’s western neighbour, which has the same acreage of land under cultivation as Ghana, the NPP flagbearer noted that, Cote d’Ivoire in the 2014/2015 crop season produced 1.7 million tonnes of cocoa, with Ghana struggling to produce 700,000 tonnes of cocoa.

This, Nana Akufo-Addo, noted does not bode well for Ghana’s development, stressing that “the time has come to change these statistics and bring prosperity to all parts of the country.”