By Philip Tengzu/Abigail Nurutome
Wa (UW/R), Oct. 03, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his commitment to ensuring that the upcoming Presidential and parliamentary elections are free, fair and transparent devoid of violence.
He emphasised that his government would facilitate a transparent electoral process to promote peace and stability in the country before, during and after the December 7, 2024, election.
The President made the declaration during his thank-you tour to the Upper West Region, where he met the clergy, traditional leaders and some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He emphasised the importance of democratic participation of all Ghanaians in the upcoming elections saying, “The opportunity given to all Ghanaians to express themselves and determine who can best address their concerns is the beauty of democracy.”
“Everybody with the power of the vote and the thumb will have a say in determining who will be the next President and who will be the next Member of Parliament in your area. That is the beauty of democracy”, he added.
President Akufo-Addo explained that he desired to see every Ghanaian express his or her views in peace, free of violence, free of intimidation, and free of manipulation during the elections.
The President expressed gratitude to the Chiefs and people of the Upper West Region for the cooperation and support they gave him throughout his eight years in office, which had helped sustain peace in the country.
He said their cooperation and support had helped to save Ghana from the insurgencies witnessed in neighbouring Burkina Faso, sharing boundaries with the Upper West Region.
“The peace and stability of the region have become even more important as we count down the days to 7th December 2024, where all of us have to show our might and elect my successor as President and a new House of Parliament”, President AKufo-Addo observed.
The President also recounted the development interventions of his government during his eight-year reign, which he said were grounds on which Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia should be elected on December 7 to succeed him.
The interventions he mentioned included the famous Free Senior High School (SHS), which benefited about 5.6 million Ghanaian children, some of whom would have missed out on education for financial reasons.
He also mentioned the Planting for Food and Jobs, One-District-One-Factory, Agenda 111 and improving the National Health Insurance Scheme among others aimed to enhance the livelihoods of the people in Ghana.
For development in the Upper West Region, President Akufo-Addo mentioned the construction of over 167 classroom blocks, kindergarten, primary and junior high schools across the region and 57 classroom blocks at the SHS level as some interventions in the education sector.
Others were, increasing the road network in the region from 5,797.41km in 2016 to 6,741.8km by the end of 2022, construction of five Agenda 111 hospitals, which were at various advanced stages of completion and construction of 41 community-based health planning and Services (CHPS) compounds among others.
GNA