By Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
Ho, July 16, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has described Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as one of the hardest working members of his government.
Speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony for the 24-Hour Economy Market at Juapong in the North Tongu District on Thursday, President Mahama praised Mr Ablakwa’s contributions to the government’s performance both locally and internationally.
He cited Mr Ablakwa’s role in the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa during xenophobic attacks and Ghana’s successful push at the UN to declare the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity, as examples of his diligence.
“Every credit I have attained on the international scene, he did the leg work. I commend him highly,” the President said.
President Mahama also commended residents of North Tongu for maintaining a clean and serene environment, noting that even the “oxygen here is so pure.”
In his vote of thanks, Mr Ablakwa expressed gratitude to the President for the kind words. “With such a recommendation, I take it that President Mahama has already concluded my 2028 campaign,” he joked.
He described the President as “a good coach who knows how to deploy his players,” adding, “though he said I do the leg work, he is really the champion, the guide, the visionary leader.”
Mr Ablakwa credited the President for the 52 active projects in North Tongu, spanning health, education, agriculture and road, saying such projects meant so much for the people of the area.
“President Mahama has done so much for us… We cannot thank him enough,” he said.
The sod-cutting ceremony for the 24-Hour Economy Market at Juapong marked the regional roll-out of the transformative project launched by President Mahama to establish modern, round-the-clock trading hubs in all 261 districts, featuring banks, storage facilities, clinics, and crèches for traders’ children in addition to dedicated fire and police posts, aimed at creating jobs, boosting productivity, and reducing import dependency.
The initiative formed part of the government’s broader 24-Hour Economy programme, an ambitious programme, aimed at maximising resource utilisation through shifts to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and increase productivity in the entire country, with the Volta Region being key – in terms of the Volta Economic Corridor Project, expected to transform the Volta River Basin into a logistics and production house.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
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