By Isaac Arkoh
Cape Coast, April 21, GNA – Mr Alan Kyerematen, a flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, says his years of commitment to empowering local businesses, attracting, and retaining investments in Ghana makes him the best person to lead the party to victory in the 2024 general election.
He said any leader who would succeed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, must be someone with a proven track record of creating jobs and supporting enterprises to ease the debilitating challenges of industrialisation and youth unemployment.
Based on that, he was optimistic that the delegates of the party would reward his hard work to enable him to implement policies that would support businesses to expand and create jobs to fix the socioeconomic problems.
The former Trades and Industry Minister gave the assurance when he paid a courtesy call on Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, Omanhen of Oguaa Traditional Area at the Emintimadze Palace as part of a day’s tour of the Central Region.
The visit was also to officially inform the Chiefs and people of Oguaa about his intention to contest the NPP’s Presidential primary and to seek their support in that regard.
With his in-depth understanding of the country’s industrialization agenda, he promised to build on the government’s 10-point Industrial Transformation Programme, including the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative and the establishment of strategic anchor industries to diversify the economy beyond cocoa and gold.
He cited the automobile assembling, garment and textiles, pharmaceuticals and the petrochemical industry, industrial parks, and special economic zones and supporting domestic retail trade and distribution to enhance the growth of the economy.
During his tenure, as Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Kyerematen said he supervised the establishment and operationalized more than 100 companies under this initiative with 24 others in the pipeline, and 150 still under construction.
Under the automobile assembling initiative, his tenure saw automobile giants such as VW, Nissan, and Toyota, all opening assembly plants in Ghana, hence, his decision to build on these initiatives.
For Cape Coast, he pledged to work with all relevant authorities to spearhead development across the metropolis, by particularly promoting small and business-scale enterprises, fisheries, agriculture, and industrialisation.
In response, Osabarima Kwesi Atta thanked the son of the soil for returning home and commended him highly for his resolve to tackle the unemployment situation in the country.
He said: “I am grateful for your vision to tackle unemployment. I have piles of applications from graduates searching for jobs, but where is the work for them?
“It is very discouraging for children to go through the mill of education only to remain unemployed after school. This is not the best, so, we thank you for your vision, and we hope and pray you succeed in your quest.”
He admonished political aspirants across parties and followers to eschew the use of intemperate language and be tolerant of opposing views.
Later, Mr Kyerematen also paid a courtesy call on the Omanhen of Edina Traditional Area, Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, and the maternal home of Mr Kyerematen where he was welcomed at a brief ceremony.
Nana Kodwo Conduah in a short remark encouraged Mr Kyerematen to remain resolute in his political quest by working hard and pray for success.
Mr Kyerematen was accompanied by Nana Ohene Ntow, former national General Secretary, Mr Yaw Boaben Asamoa, former national NPP Communications Director, Ms Catherine Ablema Afeku, former Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ms Gifty Klenam, former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority among a host of other Regional and Constituency and polling station executives.
GNA