The success of the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) in winning the 2024 elections largely depends on Agric Minister, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
His ancestral contribution to Ghana’s democracy and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has impacted the lives of people both present and past times according to renowned Economist Kwame Pianim.
“For one and two of the four pillars of the party that his father worked so hard to help us establish, that will help this party break the jinx of the two terms. Of the eight elections that we’ve had, NDC has won four and NPP has also won four. The Minister for Food and Agriculture must be able to mechanise, rejuvenate and rehabilitate agriculture to increase output and remove the yield deficit. We realise that of everything we produce in Ghana, we only attain 50% of the attainable world yield; maize, rice, cocoa, just name it. If we are able to improve and overcome that yield deficit and the one district one factory [initiative] gets the output to process in the districts where the young people live and stay, they will be able to have good-paying jobs to stay in the districts so that they don’t come to the towns to burden the already overtasked social infrastructure.”
“The other two pillars are free Senior High School, to improve the quality of our manpower for the development and the fourth one is helping to put a stop to bribery and corruption that has been holding us back for all these years. So the Agric Minister is responsible for two and if he is able to do that, we will be able to break the jinx to continue to establish what Akoto Baffour fought for,” he added.
According to Mr. Kwame Pianim, Economist and a leading member of NPP, the late Baffour Osei Akoto, father of the current Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto promoted Agric business before the international community as being done under this government currently.
“The significance of the role of his father Baffour Osei Akoto and hence his legacy in chieftaincy affairs can only be appreciated in the context of Asante in Ghana and West Africa”, Mr. Kwame Pianim observed.
Speaking at the Re-Akoto Memorial Lectures held at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) the Chairman of the program commended Agric Minister for spearheading and successful implementation of the government’s Planting for Food program.
“Like his late father, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto deserves more in government. He is doing a lot to improve our agricultural sector in Ghana,” Mr. Kwame Pianim pointed out.
Hon. Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie who also delivered a speech highlighted his late father’s achievements to the then National Liberation Movement (NLM) which become a very formidable alternative political party to the then ruling New People’s Party.
“I should emphasise that, amongst the prime purposes of Baffour Akoto in politics was to prevent dictatorship in Ghana. He was anxious that if people who loved freedom sat on fence, Ghana would one day become a one-party state”, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto revealed.