By Christopher Arko
Accra, Jan.11 GNA – Mr Alan Kyerematen, former Minister for Trade and Industry, has officially announced his presidential ambition after resigning as a Cabinet Minister from the Akufo-Addo led administration.
Mr Kyerematen in a national broadcast on Tuesday expressed profound gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity given him to serve in his government over the last six years, and for accepting his resignation as the Minister for Trade and Industry, with effect from January 16, 2023.
“His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been a good friend of mine and will always remain so based on our shared commitment to the ideals and principles that inspired the founding fathers of our great Party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP). We have competed in the past but have always worked together thereafter. ”
He said though the President had laid a strong foundation for the socioeconomic development of the country he believed there were things that could have been done differently.
“My vision is to build a superstructure on this foundation that will bring prosperity to our nation, ” he said.
Mr Kyerematen said the government’s flagship programmes like the Free SHS, the One District One Factory (1D1F) Initiative, the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, the Agenda 111 project and the COVID-19 Response initiatives, were all testimonies of the strong leadership that the President had provided over the last six years.
He, however, stated that the combined effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war had stampeded the country into a crisis of unprecedented proportions, with its negative impacts on the economy, businesses, and on social lives.
“I have no doubt that the anticipated International Monetary Fund (IMF) Support Package will restore confidence in our economy, and bring it back to the pre-COVID levels, ” he said, adding that to avoid going back to the IMF, the country would need a new plan that would make the economy more self-reliant and resilient, which plan must move Ghana from stability and growth to transformation.
He said when voted as the flagbearer of the NPP and subsequently as President of Ghana in the next general elections, he would become the transformational leader of the time, who would build on the foundations laid by successive leaders of the nation over the last sixty-five (65) years.
“To achieve this strategic goal of transforming our dear country to become the shining star of the new Africa, I will as President, launch and lead the execution of the Great Transformational Plan (GTP) of Ghana, which will span the period 2025 to 2030, ” he stated.
Mr Kyerematen has been credited for spearheading Government’s flagship programme – One District One Factory Initiative, which has seen the building of over 120 factories.
The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) described him as a national icon, a statesman and a global asset.
Mr Kyerematen with over 10 years of service at the Trade and Industry Ministry under two governments, resigned on January 5, 2023.
GNA