JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA Archives - Page 13 of 23

Opinion

Listen to your family and retire permanently from politics– Fixing The Country Movement to John Mahama

A group that called itself ‘Fixing The Country Movement’ have accused John Dramani Mahama, the former president of the Republic of Ghana of creating what they described as mess for President Akufo-Addo to normalize. The Movement claimed, the 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) failed with his E-blocks project but now trying to apportion blame to the ruling government. “Ladies and Gentlemen, if the one who initiated the E-Block projects was able to complete a total of 29 schools within the 4 years that he was in Government whilst the one who inherited it has also completed 31 of the E-Blocks within the same 4 years and handed over for use, which of the two is committed to making sure all these projects are completed? “Don’t forget Akufo-Addo has to pay off GHC 900 million contract debt to the construction companies,” a release from Fixing The Country Movement signed by its Convener Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah has said. Tearing apart the ex-President in the release, the Movement insists that John Dramani Mahama is acting like an arsonist who is desperate for power. “It is comical how John Mahama out of desperation for power is driving himself to the edge with attention-seeking tantrums. “Mr. Mahama is clearly acting like the arsonist who always expects to take credit for having extinguished the fire that he set. He cannot start a fire and then calls the fire department acting like a hero,” the release adds. It concludes, “Our advice to Mr. Mahama is that he should focus on redeeming himself and heed the advice being proffered to him by his family to retire permanently from politics.” Read the full statement from Fixing The Country Movement below: Fixing The Country Movement Sets Records Straight On Abandoned E-Block School Project The Convener, Fixing The Country Movement, Ernest Owusu Bempah on Sunday 31st October 2021 at a press briefing in Accra set the records straight on the government abandoned E-Block School Project. Below is the Full Press Release Statement By Fixing The Country Movement At A Press Conference Held On Sunday 31/10/2021 In Accra On The Politics Of Abandoned Government Project. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we are once again honoured to have you with us. Our focus today is on the government E-block school project. Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, there has been a lot of talks lately about the politics of abandoned government projects. And the E-block issue has dominated public discourse after the ultimatum issued to the government by the paramount chief of the Aflao Traditional Area, Togbui Amenya Fiti V. We recall that in 2012, the erstwhile Mahama Government announced its intention to build 200 Community Day Senior High Schools in the country to enhance access to Secondary Education. It is instructive to note that contracts were awarded for 124 out of the speculated number of 200. It was expected that 101 out of the 124 will be funded by the Government of Ghana (GoG) in two phases. Phase I of the project consists of fifty (50) schools and commenced in March 2014. Phase II was made up of fifty-one (51) and commenced in July 2015. The World Bank funded the construction of an additional twenty-three (23) districts under the Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP), which commenced in July 2015. This brought the total number of the E-Blocks to 124. To all intent and purposes, the former President completed only 29 out of the 200 E-Blocks before Ghanaians voted for a change in 2016 resulting in the election of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). The point must be made clear that before the inception of the Akufo-Addo government, only 29 E-block schools had been completed and operational with the rest either at ground level or not constructed. Statistics from the Ghana Education service indicates that at the time the John Mahama-led government left office on January 7, 2017, only 29 out of 200 of its E block day schools project were completed. Ladies and Gentlemen, records obtained from the Ministry of education indicate that the erstwhile Mahama government awarded a GHC 900 million contract to the construction companies to establish the E-block schools but failed to pay the contractors. It took the Akufo-Addo administration to pay off the debt to ensure none of the schools are abandoned but completed for all school children to benefit from the government’s free SHS programme. President Akufo-Addo after clearing Mahama’s debt has now initiated steps to continue the E-block project. Ladies and Gentlemen, President Akufo-Addo has shown commitment towards the completion of the E-blocks schools former President John Dramani Mahama started. According to the 2021 Budget statement, President Akufo-Addo has completed 31 of the E-blocks under the Secondary Education Improvement Programme and as part of increased efforts to provide infrastructure in the implementation of the Free Senior High School Programme. Indeed, as of 2017 to Date, 31 new schools have been constructed bringing the total number of completed projects to 60 as of September 2020. It is important to note that all the 60 completed schools have been operationalized and are currently in use. Per the Ghana Education service records, the remaining sixty-four (64) projects, have been categorized into three (3) groups. Category A includes twenty-one (21) structures at sixty per cent (60%) and above the completion. Category B consists of sixteen (16) structures which are between 25%- 60% completion. Category C consists of twenty-seven (27) terminated contracts which include projects that did not start and those that were at substructure level. So between Akufo-Addo and John Mahama, who has invested heavily in education to increase access and improve quality? Clearly President Akufo-Addo has been committed to completing these projects against claims that he has abandoned them. Ladies and Gentlemen, if the one who initiated the E-Block projects was able to complete a total of 29 schools within the 4 years that he was in Government whilst the one who inherited it has

Politics

FULL TEXT: NDC’s Press Conference on recent increase in fuel prices

STATEMENT DELIVERED BY THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS, SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ., AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PARTY’S HEADQUARTERS ON THE PERSISTENT INCREASE IN FUEL PRICES BY THE AKUFO-ADDO/BAWUMIA-NPP GOVERNMENT. Monday, 18th October, 2021 Good afternoon distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the media. It is my singular honour to welcome you on behalf of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to this press conference which is intended to address the high and unbearable cost of living that Ghanaians are experiencing under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Bawumia, which has been largely been occasioned by steep increases in the prices of the Petroleum products over the last four (4) and half years. Permit me to state from the word go, that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has shown itself to be callous and does not appear a give a hoot about the plight of Ghanaians. Otherwise, what can be the justification for the rampant and persistent increases in fuel prices we are witnessing in Ghana today. As you may be aware, Ghanaians have once again been slapped with another increase in pump prices of fuel by the insensitive and clueless Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration. Only yesterday, the price of diesel and petrol was increased by 7%. This is the ninth (9th) consecutive time in the year 2021 alone, that the prices of petroleum products have gone up. This has increased the price per gallon of diesel and petrol from about GHc21.00 as at January this year, to about GHc31.00 currently. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the rampant and persistent increase in the prices of fuel products we have witnessed under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and his deceptive Vice, Dr. Bawumia, are a direct product of their insensitive and bad leadership. The introduction of a raft of new draconian taxes on Petroleum products such as; the introduction of 20 pesewas Energy Sector Levy on every liter of diesel and petrol; the increase of 18 pesewas in ESLA per Kilogram of LPG; the introduction of a 10 pesewas sanitation (“borla”) tax on every liter of diesel and petrol; the introduction of a 1% COVID levy on NHIL & VAT, by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government, coupled with the free-fall of the Ghana Cedi which has been occasioned by their gross economic mismanagement, are the major factors responsible for the persistent and steep increase in the prices of fuel products. The introduction of these regressive and draconian taxes by a group of people who berated the erstwhile Mahama regime for “over-taxing” Ghanaians and a group who promised to move Ghana from taxation to production when elected, smacks of deception and insensitivity of monumental proportions. The cascading effect of these draconian tax measures, have among other things, led to an escalation in the prices of fuel products, transport fares, building materials, food products and other commodities on the market, without a commensurate increase in incomes, thereby making cost of living unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. This is the cause of the excruciating economic hardships Ghanaians are currently experiencing. It will be recalled that a gallon of petrol and diesel was sold at about GHc16 in December, 2016 when the NDC/Mahama administration was leaving office. The NPP-led by their then Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Bawumia, lambasted and berated President Mahama for this and promised to scrap some taxes on Petroleum products, particularly the Energy Sector Levies and the Special Petroleum Tax so as to significantly reduce the prices of fuel. I am sure you would recall how the NPP in their 2016 manifesto described ESLA as a nuisance tax and promised to scrap same when elected. Unfortunately, many Ghanaians, fell for these lies and voted for the NPP. Little did they know that this and other similar sugar-coated promises of the NPP were pure sophistry. Instead of scrapping the ESLA as promised, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-NPP government has collateralized it for a loan which has extended its intended duration from five (5) years to now fifteen (15) years, and increased it by over 20%. As if that was not enough, this government introduced a new Energy Sector Levy of 20 pesewas on every liter of diesel and petrol just this year. Additionally, they have introduced a sanitation (“borla”) tax of 10 pesewas on every liter of petrol and diesel. As a result of this and other increases in existing taxes on fuel such as; the increase of the BOST Margin from 3 pesewas to 9 pesewas per liter representing an increase of 200%; the increase in the Fuel Marking Margin from 3 pesewas to 5 pesewas representing an increase of 67%; and the increase in the Road Fund Levy from 41 pesewas to 46 pesewas, a gallon of petrol and diesel which was sold at about GHc16.00 in December 2016 is today is selling at about GHc31.00. This is almost double the price they berated NDC/Mahama administration for. It is therefore clear from the foregoing facts, that the high increase in the prices of fuel products we have experienced in recent time, is largely as a result of the many draconian taxes and tax increases this government has callously introduced on fuel. That is the major contributing factor. Friends from the media, this astronomical increment in the prices of fuel commodities by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and its concomitant effect on transport fares, have led to steep increases in general prices of goods and services thereby making life unbearable for the vast majority of Ghanaians. A cursory look at the Construction industry, with a focus on the prices of building materials reveals a very worrying trend that is of major concern to many Ghanaians. A 50kg bag of cement that was sold at GHc27.00 in the year 2016, is being sold at GHc52.00 and in some cases above this price today. A tonne of iron rods (16mm) that was sold at about GHc2,800 in 2016 is today going for GHc5,300, while a packet of aluminum

Opinion

No gov’t mortgaged future of Ghanaian youth than NPP – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has accused the Akufo-Addo-led government of mortgaging the future of the youth of Ghana. According to Mr Mahama, no government in the history of the country has done so more than the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. Speaking at a meeting with stakeholders of the NDC’s Volta regional arm, as part of his ‘Thank You’ of the region on Monday, 18 October 2021, the 2020 flagbearer of the main opposition party assured the youth that a future NDC government will invest more in the educational sector especially in technical education. He told the gathering that: “There’s no government that has mortgaged the future of the youth of this country more than NPP administration. Look at all the work we did, look at this Ho Technical University, take all the infrastructure here who built this infrastructure?” “The point is they can come and deceive our people and say: ‘You always vote for the NDC; what have they done for you?’ And I said: ‘There was no public university in this region. The highest you could get was HND [from] Ho Poly. If you wanted a degree, you had to leave the region and go to Cape Coast or Kumasi, or Accra, Legon or UDS.” Mr Mahama explained: “It was Prof Mills’ idea and he said every region must have a public university. Brong Ahafo doesn’t have, Volta region doesn’t have and so let’s build the university of health and allied sciences and I remember when he went and cut the sod it took some time for us to get the funding in place and they were cartooning him cutting sods with lizards and snakes and things. “Today, that university is the University of Allied Health and Sciences”. “Today, this institution is Ho Technical University and we didn’t even finish what we were doing..” The former Ghanaian leader noted that his government had plans to upgrade all technical universities and put in equipment and everything to make sure “we were giving a good technical education for all our people and we are not done with you. If NDC comes back into government, you’ll see the infrastructure development that will take place in this university.” —classfm Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

Die for NDC and NDC will die for you when we come to power – Mahama to followers

Former Ghana President, John Dramani Mahama has charged followers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to sacrifice themselves for the party. According to him, all those that work hard to get the party back into power will not be forgotten. “We urge you all to work hard and bring the party back to power. When you work hard and we come into office we won’t forget you, the party shall not forget you. “If you die for the party, the party will also die for you when we come into office. Do that and we come into office we won’t forget you, we will reward you for your hard work when we come to power,” John Dramani Mahama said while addressing supporters of the NDC in the Western Region on Thursday October, 14, 2021. In an explanation of his famous ‘Do or Die’ comment last month, the former president said he only meant the party will be very vigilant in the next general elections. “When I say do or die I mean we won’t take things lightly. We will open our eyes and be very vigilant,” he added. Mr. Mahama was the presidential candidate of the NDC in the 2016 and 2020 general elections. Unfortunately, he lost both elections to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is now serving his last term in office. Although Mr. John Dramani Mahama has not declared his intention to lead the NDC in the 2024 general elections, he has strong backing from Members of the Minority in parliament and a huge section of the party’s followers. —modernghana Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Opinion

Culture of silence: It was easier speaking under Mahama than Akufo-Addo – Dele Momodu

• Chief Dele Momodu says there is a culture of silence in Ghana • He indicated that, it was easy speaking up under Mahama • Currently, Chief Momodu claims, supporters of the govt will oppose any criticism of the government Chief Dele Momodu has said it was very easy for people to speak up on certain issues during the tenure of former President John Dramani Mahama than now under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. According to the Nigerian business mogul, he is not afraid of being attacked online by supporters of the governing party and President Nana Akufo-Addo because he is capable of defending himself. “Yes of course there is a culture of silence…for me it’s ok but as a foreigner – even though I don’t consider myself as such – I have learnt my lessons; I have learnt that if you are in Rome, please mind your business and blend with the Romans. “Look, I have fantastic friends in Ghana and they are everlasting friends and I intend keeping that friendship forever. So, for me, I am not going out of my way to ruffle any feathers but I can tell you that maybe it was easier under Mahama to say certain things. Now people are much more vehemently opposed to anyone criticizing the government…” he told Bridget Otoo on the ‘One on One’ show, Monday, September 20. The issue of the culture of silence became topical months back when prominent statesman, Sir Sam Jonah, while delivering a speech to Rotarians indicated that the culture of silence appears to have returned in Ghana’s current democratic dispensation. He said, “In the past, when all had failed, academia was the last vanguard. “We all remember the role that the Legon Observer played”, he said, adding: “Under the hallowed cloak of academic freedom, men and women of conscience could write and speak words that penetrated the halls of power.” However, he noted: “It appears to me that in recent times in our fourth Republican dispensation, the courage to stand up for the truth and the determination to uphold the common good are lost. In our dark moments as a nation, it is concerning that the voices of the intellectuals are receding into oblivion. “Sadly, it is a consequence of the deep partisan polarisation of our country such that everything is seen through the lenses of politics”, noting: “It appears to me that the culture of silence has returned. This time, not enforced by legal and military power but through convenience, parochialism, hypocrisy and lack of conviction. “Where are our Adu Boahens and PV ANSAHs?” he asked. But President Akufo-Addo while speaking at the University of Cape Coast after receiving an honorary doctorate degree (Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership), said the media, in particular, has remained free under his watch including the protection of fundamental human rights. “Since becoming president, there is nothing I have seen or experienced in the office that will make me change my long-held views on the importance of fundamental human rights. I have worked with civil society organisations and used their platforms to engage infamous arguments, healthy debates and I am not averse to the occasional controversy that is a necessary part of public life,” Akufo-Addo said. “I have said so and I will say it again that I will much rather that we had a reckless press than a sparing one. I dare say that the atmosphere in our country is one of spirited conversation and debate among politicians, the business community, civil society organisations, and ordinary citizens through print, radio, television or in particular, social media, whether they are home or abroad. Indeed, I dare say that the means to get your voice heard has never been so democratised as now and long may it last,” he added. Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

We’ve learnt our lessons, election 2024 will be ‘do or die’ – Asiedu Nketia reiterates

• Former President, John Dramani Mahama, during his Bono Regional tour said election 2024 will be a do or die affair • Many people have tongue-lashed him for making this statement • But the NDC appears unperturbed as its general secretary has reaffirmed those words in a radio interview in Kumasi General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has noted that his party has taken a cue from the previous elections and will employ new tactics to win election 2024. He reiterated the 2020 NDC flagbearer’s statement that election 2024 will be a do or die affair at the polling station. In a radio interview in Kumasi as part of John Dramani Mahama‘s ‘Thank you’ tour, Asiedu Nketia said, “We have learnt our lessons from the previous elections. We have new tactics to use in the 2024 election. That is why we said the elections would be a ‘do and die’ affair at the polling station.” According to a Daily Graphic report, Asiedu Nketia said the NDC would ensure that the right things are done at both the polling and collation centres for a free and fair election. National Chairman of the NDC, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, also urged NDC faithful to be ready to battle the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the next general elections. He further appreciated the efforts of NDC members and serial callers in election 2020 but asked them to work harder in 2024. Ofosu Ampofo said, “We are here to thank all our party executive members from the constituency to the branch level, including all the serial callers who worked hard to garner the votes attained in 2020.” “We did not lose in the elections because our parliamentary seats shot up from 106 to 130; we were expecting about 140 seats but we will ensure we work hard to wrest power come 2024,” he added. —ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

Ghanaians galled by ‘hypocrite’ Bawumia on hardships – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama says Ghanaians are galled by the hypocrisy shown in government by the Vice President and his economic experts. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia recently at the Central Regional Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) conference said Ghana’s economy had witnessed one of the lowest inflation rates in about two decades and emphasised that at the peak of the pandemic, inflation was 11.8 percent but dropped to 10 percent in May and further drop to 7 percent as of June 2021. He said the prudent management of the economy had ensured that the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) excluding oil which declined by 5.8 percent and three percent in the first and second quarters of 2020 had rebound strongly and registered a positive growth of four percent by the last quarter of 2020. Dr Bawumia said the growth momentum had continued in the first quarter of 2021 as the economy registered further non-oil growth of 4.6 percent. But the Presidential Candidate of the NDC in the 2020 elections said Ghanaians have been fooled by the deceptive acts of the so-called economic experts asking them in 2016 to forget about economic statistics and look at the escalation of prices of cement and other products on the market as the basis of economic progress. Mahama in a Facebook post contends that it’s laughable that the same people today hold-up statistics, inflation in analyzing the growth of the economy, and rather blame him for creating the perception of hardship in Ghana. —Kasapafmonline.com Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093

Politics

Our victory in 2024 will be one without argument – John Mahama

• John Mahama has taken his Thank You tour to the Ahafo region • He is confident the NDC will win the 2024 presidential elections • The former president is disappointed projects from his time have been abandoned John Dramani Mahama has assured his supporters of an incontestable victory in 2024. The former president also called on his supporters to lay aside all their reservations from the previous elections of 2020 and forge ahead for the victory that is to come, reports myjoyonline.com. “When two sheep knock their heads in a fight, each goes back, prepare and comes back with a bang. I want to assure you that, this is the stage the NDC is in now. In 2024, we are coming back with a well-prepared force for a victory that no one can argue about. “We are just like the sheep which has gone back and coming back with a victorious bang,” he is quoted to have said during a meeting with the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs. John Mahama is on his Thank You Tour in the region, where he has been trumpeting the message that his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not lose the elections of 2020. “We went into a contest in the year 2020. The result has been clear to each and every one of us. We went into an election we know we didn’t lose, what happened at the various collation centres and in court is now behind us,” he said. John Dramani Mahama also explained that the National Executives of the NDC will embark on a process of rebuilding the party for the “battle” ahead, starting with outreach visits to each of the regions of the country. “Under normal circumstances, I should have come with just two words; “Thank You” and return. However, we must take stalk of the various contributions you gave us for you to know we really appreciate it. “We all come out to vote looking forward to a better life. But look at the economic situation today, unemployment amongst the youth, etc. The NDC cannot fold its arms in despair, but will be willing at any time to help in building our nation,” he said. The former president also shared his disappointment with how projects that were started under his administration, 5 years into this current one, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, have been left to rot. “After 5 years, we still have abandoned road projects, school projects, hospitals amongst others. We must speak out on all these issues because it was not my money that was used to construct these projects but our collective taxes. The NDC will surely be back to take this country to a higher height,” he said. In the 2020 elections, the NPP’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was pronounced winner with 51.59 percent (6,730,413 votes) of valid votes cast, as against John Dramani Mahama of the NDC’s 47.36 percent (6,214,889 votes). The NPP has also since then been on an agenda code-named ‘Break the 8’, intended to ensure that it becomes the first party to win more than two successive elections in Ghana’s history. —Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: +2335555568093

Opinion

Food shortage: Mahama engaging in scaremongering – Agric Ministry

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has dismissed concerns by former President John Mahama in relation to a likely food shortage in the country next year. In a statement, the ministry said Mr. Mahama is perpetuating lies just to assuage public anger after his do or die remarks about the 2024 election. “The former President, in an attempt to shift the public discussion from his rather reckless and infamous ‘Do or Die’ comment which has attracted public backlash, has decided to attack one of government’s most successful flagship policies Planting for Food and Jobs.” “In fact, apart from becoming desperately notorious for making reckless comments in recent times, the former president is now also engaging in scare-mongering, thriving on lies and falsehoods just to put fear in Ghanaians,” the statement added. The former President has predicted a likely food shortage to hit the country in 2022 if the government does not pump more funds into the programme. Speaking on Moonlite FM in Sunyani as part of his “Thank You Tour”, Mr Mahama said the rising cost of crops can be attributed to the failure of the government to fund the programme which was started by his administration. Justifying why he asserts the Planting for Food & Jobs Programme is a failure, Mr Mahama stated that many farmers including his own brother are yet to receive fertilizers promised by the Akufo-Addo government. “My brother is a farmer and he tells me this year, he has not received any fertilizer supply from government and so he bought his own fertilizer and a bag of fertilizer is very expensive. Normally, he cultivates 300 acres of maize each year. But this year, he had to reduce it, he was not able to cultivate even 80 acres. So there’s a possibility of food shortage next year because the Planting for Food & Jobs Programme has failed.” But the ministry in a response said the PFJ programme had succeeded in its objectives including introducing farmers to fertilizers and improved seeds. “Today, many more farmers are aware of the need to adopt the use of fertilizers and improved seeds in order to increase production.” “We, therefore, wish to reiterate the fact that the country is very safe from any threats of food shortage and that the Former President is only engaging in a desperate scaremongering just for political expediency,” the statement said. Find below the full statement IGNORE FORMER PRESIDENT MAHAMA, HE IS A SCAREMONGER!! Ghana is not facing food shortage, PFJ is very much on course!! Our attention has been drawn to a rather unfortunate comments by the Former President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, about the status of the country’s agriculture and food security, during his so called Thank You tour across the country. The Former President, in an attempt to shift public discussion from his rather reckless and infamous ‘Do or Die’ comment which has attracted public backlash, has decided to attack one of Government’s most successful flagship policies Planting for Food and Jobs. In fact, apart from becoming desperately notorious for making reckless comments in recent times, the Former President is now also engaging in scare-mongering, thriving on lies and falsehoods just to put fear in Ghanaians. In a meeting in the Bono Region, Former President Mahama is on recorded to have made several false claims about the PFJ programme which was introduced by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration in 2017. We wish to set the records straight as follows; INTRODUCTION OF THE PLANTING FOR FOOD AND JOBS PROGRAMME The Former President claimed in his speech that the Planting for Food and Jobs programme was an initiative of the previous NDC administration and that his regime secured funding from the Canadian Government for its implementation. This is completely false. The fact is that the Planting for Food and Jobs is a wholly Government of Ghana (GoG) funded programme. Mr. Mahama has in fact, confused the Modernising Agriculture Ghana(MAG) programme, which involves a $100M Canadian Grant, exclusively meant for the expansion of extension services programme with that of the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative which involves five major areas the Food Crop Model, Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ), Greenhouse Villages (for Vegetable production and Export) and Mechanization for Food and Jobs. However, it is instructive to note that since 2017, Government of Ghana has spent over $400M Dollars on the PFJ, expenditure of which had gone into subsidies of improved seeds and fertilizers for farmers. It must also be stated that the previous administration of the NDC led by Mr. John Dramani Mahama, left the agriculture sector in a state of moribund and comatose. The extension sector, which is supposed to be the fulcrum around which growth of agriculture revolves, had totally collapsed when the NPP assumed power. Under the watch of Incompetent Mr. Mahama, the extension sector did not see any staff enforcement for four years. Though the country required about 4000 extension officers to support the over 3.5M farmers, the NPP in 2016, inherited less than 1400 staff capacity. The worst part of this situation was that, 80% of the staff had reached their retirement age and were on their way out. To ensure the efficient use of the available resources, President Akufo Addo, under the PFJ programme, immediately granted clearance for the recruitment of over 2700 new extension officers to support the implementation of the programme. Ghana was importing virtually every food item; including thousands of tons of maize, plantain, banana etc from neighbouring countries. Available data in 2016 indicates that Ghana imported about 113,855 and 79,771 metric tons of maize respectively in 2015 and 2016, and same could be said of other major staple foods such as yam, plantain and Soyabean. The food situation of this country was so bad that farmers could not afford fertilizer for their crops, leading low yields. Planting for Food and Jobs therefore came to reverse this trend and by the end of 2017

Politics

I will not to abandon projects of predecessor when I return – John Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to continue with projects started by the current government if he is given the chance to lead the country after the 2024 general election. Addressing the Bono Regional House of Chiefs in Sunyani on his “Thank You Tour,” the 2020 Flagbearer of the NDC accused the government of neglecting projects started by his administration thereby causing financial loss to the State. Former President Mahama was accompanied by the 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate of the NDC, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang and some National and Regional Executives of the party when he paid a courtesy call on the Bono Regional House of Chiefs. It was to seek the blessing of the House as he began the Bono Regional leg of his Thank You Tour. In his address, the President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs appealed to Mr. Mahama to endeavour to continue projects started by the previous governments to ensure continuity of developmental initiatives if he came back to power in the 2024 general election. He also called on the government to set up a Committee to investigate the violence that occurred in the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Former President Mahama thanked the people of the Bono Region for showing support to the NDC during the 2020 elections. Touching on the issue of abandoned projects, he accused the current Akufo Addo led administration of neglecting projects started by his administration and pledged to do better if given the nod in 2024. On job creation, Mr. Mahama insisted that the current government has not done enough. “The NDC is open to dialogue on youth employment so as to address challenges in that area,” he stated. The team also paid a courtesy call on the Bono Regional Chief Imam, where special prayers were said for Former President Mahama and the NDC. —gbcghanaonline Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: +2335555568093

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Listen to your family and retire permanently from politics– Fixing The Country Movement to John Mahama

FULL TEXT: NDC’s Press Conference on recent increase in fuel prices

No gov’t mortgaged future of Ghanaian youth than NPP – Mahama

Die for NDC and NDC will die for you when we come to power – Mahama to followers

Culture of silence: It was easier speaking under Mahama than Akufo-Addo – Dele Momodu

We’ve learnt our lessons, election 2024 will be ‘do or die’ – Asiedu Nketia reiterates

Ghanaians galled by ‘hypocrite’ Bawumia on hardships – Mahama

Our victory in 2024 will be one without argument – John Mahama

Food shortage: Mahama engaging in scaremongering – Agric Ministry

I will not to abandon projects of predecessor when I return – John Mahama

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