By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Aug. 27, GNA – The question on the minds of voters in the Ayawaso East Constituency of the Greater Region is, which political party will handle the national economy better?
The key policies they enumerated in a survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency bordered on Ghana’s economy, notably which party will increase employment opportunities and bring down the cost of living.
According to the electorate, they will look out for political parties and aspirants whose promises reflect their needs and desires.
Ayawaso East Constituency is a host of key government institutions and residential facilities.
These include the Jubilee House, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, the Ghana Central Mosque, and the Kanda Estate.
Since the creation of the constituency in 2012, the National Democratic Congress has made it one of its stronghold, averaging of 60 per cent at polls, while the New Patriotic Party gets an average of 30 per cent.
Mr. Haruna Issah, a trader and resident, disclosed that one key policy decision which could influence his voting preference is the cost of living the country.
He said the cost of living in the country had surged , noting that the current government had failed in alleviating the suffering of the people.
“Currently we are really suffering because the cost of living is affecting everyone in the country. We cannot see any progress in sight in terms of what the government is doing to minimise the impact of suffering on Ghanaians. I am expecting the aspirants of the two major political parties to tell us what they can do to reduce the suffering, especially the cost of living in the country,” he said.
Umar Ahmed, an unemployed junior high school graduate, said he expected the political parties to make policy recommendations on how to reduce the unemployment situation in the constituency.
He said the absence of employment opportunities had compelled the youth in the constituency to engage in illicit activities, notably drug addiction and drug peddling.
“Currently, I am unemployed, and I do not see how these political parties can be able to create employment opportunities for some of us. There are many talented people in this community especially Nima, yet where are the opportunities to develop them?” He said.
He called for more vocational and sports-led initiatives by the political parties to reduce the unemployment situation in the constituency.
Miss Saidatu Azziz, trader, expects the political parties to make policy commitments in their manifestos that address the current challenges in the country.
She said sales at the Nima Market had been severely impacted by the cost of living in the country; thus, the political parties must tell the citizens how they could address the challenge.
She said any political party which policies reflected how to solve the cost of living in the country would win her heart and mind.
GNA