Thursday, September 18, 2008

NPP TO IMPROVE LIVES OF RURAL COMMUNITIES (PAGE 17)

THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that his government will pursue an aggressive rural development programme to improve the lives of the people in the rural communities.
He noted that the NPP government under President Kufuor had performed creditably in its rural development drive and said the next NPP government under his presidency would seriously build on what had been achieved.
Addressing a party rally at New Edubiase last Tuesday as part of his eight-day tour of the Ashanti Region, Nana Akufo-Addo said the rural population deserved every attention and the NPP would not renege on that.
He said over the last seven years rural areas had witnessed massive infrastructural development in the areas of roads, electricity, health, education, among others.
He, therefore, urged the people to continue to have confidence in the party and vote for it to form the next government.
The day's campaign tour took Nana Akufo-Addo and his team to communities including Fomena, Dompoase, Akrokerri and Fumso.
In the New Edubiase Constituency, Nana Akufo-Addo introduced the NPP parliamentary aspirant, Mr DeGraft Kyei Baffour, to the electorate, while in the Asokwa and Fomena constituencies, Mr K.T. Hammond and Mr Abu Bonsra were introduced as parliamentary candidates.
The NPP flag bearer predicted a massive victory for the party in the December 7 elections and told the people of New Edubiase that they could no longer afford to reject the NPP because the government had proved to be development-oriented.
The NPP lost in both the presidential and parliamentary elections in New Edubiase in 2004. It was among the three constituencies in the Ashanti Region where the party lost in the 2004 elections, the other two being Ejura- Sekyedumase and Asawasi.
This time round, however, the NPP believes it has the chance to win in all the constituencies in the region.
Nana Akufo-Addo urged the people of the area to reject the opponents of the NPP who were using lies in a bid to sway the electorate to their side.
The NPP presidential aspirant touched on the cocoa industry and said his government would place more premium on it.
On that score, farmers would remain central on his government's agenda at moving the industry forward.
He noted the importance of farmers in the nation's development drive and said, "You will get what you deserve."
Nana Akufo-Addo stated that the Ashanti Region remained the party's strongest base in the country, saying it was poised to maintain the leadership.
He said his tour of the region had demonstrated one thing – that Ashanti was solidly behind the NPP.
The presidential hopeful called for peace before, during and after the elections.
He said Ghanaians had only one country – Ghana – and so no one should attempt to create conditions that would mar the peace in the name of politics.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the NPP took power peacefully and would want to retain power in the same manner.

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