The Flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo is expected to storm the Ashanti Region for a five day official tour.
The tour, which will take him to about 37 out of the 47 constituencies in the party’s stronghold has also been designed to allow the former Foreign-Affairs Minister touch base with residents in the remote areas of the region.
In an exclusive chat with the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper in Kumasi, Eugene Arhin, press aide of Nana Addo disclosed the flag-bearer will as part of the tour hold discussions with identifiable groups and organizations in the Region.
Some of the towns, he mentioned to be visited from Wednesday to Sunday included, Fomena, Obuasi, Kwanwoma, Beposo, Nsuta,
Kwamang as well as Subin, Manhyia and Suame in the Kumasi Metropolis.
GRASS-ROOT TOUR:
Mr Arhin noted the campaign being grass-root based would offer opportunity to both party sympathizers and inhabitants to ask questions and contribute to the shaping up of policy by the future Nana Addo government.
According to him, the flag-bearer would collate views and ideas from industry players at the scheduled town hall meetings.
These meetings, he stressed have been slated across the constituencies to be visited and will be an avenue for people to make inputs into the campaign strategy adopted by the NPP.
Others who have special skill that could be tapped into getting a proper and locally based campaign going will be encouraged to step forward, the aide noted.
The flag-bearer, the aide mentioned will visit mosques and churches across the region to fellowship with both religious leaders and their congregations.
ISSUE-BASED:
Pre-empting issues the flag-bearer would be addressing, Mr Arhin noted the challenges with the economy, education, youth unemployment, health, women empowerment, utility tariffs and industrialization will feature prominently.
According to him, the flag-bearer has plans and policies in place to reverse the downward slope the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) government had put the economy on.
Youth unemployment, the aide stressed is a very serious issue the flag-bearer intends to address when he assumes the reins of power in 2016.
‘’There is no way a young lady or man should wallow in joblessness after completing school and this is what Nana Addo among other promises is determined to halt’’, the aide stressed passionately.
EXCITEMENT:
Even before the flag-bearer steps into town, the Kumasi metropolis is agog with excitement as residents who got wind of the program outline through radio station announcements are preparing to take part in the tour.
Some residents, who spoke to G.O last Saturday in Adum, said they couldn’t wait to welcome the NPP flag-bearer into the Ashanti Region.
While many wanted to hear how the flag-bearer would stem the astronomical electricity tariffs and the debilitating dumsor which is killing individual and corporate initiatives, others were itching to hear how they could get employment.
The promise of a factory in each district by Nana Addo when elected as President, interestingly, was what excited most of the unemployed youth who spoke to the paper.
