Independent Presidential Candidate in the 2024 presidential race, George Twum-Barimah-Adu has postulated that, the two political parties that have taken turns to govern Ghana under the 4th Republic have produced political party inclined presidents instead of national leaders.
He argues that the governments formed under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) always put the interest of their respective political parties above the common national interest which has slowed down the development of the country.
“The constitution says there shall be a President who shall be: Head of State, Head of Government and Commander-In- Chief of the Armed Forces of Ghana. These two parties since 1992 have replaced the Head of State with Head of Party” he pointed out.
Mr Twum-Barimah-Adu explained that the raging galamsey menace in Ghana has not been successfully dealt with because of political partisanship.
“So you see this galamsey that everybody is talking about, one party will say because they will lose votes, they don’t want to say anything about it. That is the problem with the political party system”.
“If we want an effective positive change, it can only be done from a nonpartisan approach which puts the national interest above anything else. That is why I want to be President as an independent candidate” George Twum-Barimah-Adu told Blakk Rasta on the 3FM Urban Blend show.
According to the independent presidential candidate, he will not govern as the ‘Head of Party’ but as the head of state. So he will not look at whether you are from party A or B, but whether you are qualified for the job and can you do the job.
“For the first time in history, Ghana will truly have a head of state who will not say because you didn’t vote for me, I won’t give you water, or because I will lose votes, I won’t tackle an issue. Because it matters to Ghana and Ghanaians it shall be done. This is the main thing Ghanaians will get from my government” he promised.
The presidential aspirant gave the assurance that the whole the economy is going to be reimagined, repurposed and redefined from Agriculture to Energy to Health and to everywhere to ensure that it is in the interest of Ghana, it is benefiting Ghanaians, and going to improve the well-being and livelihood of the Ghanaian.
He stated that his ‘Agric for Wealth’ policy is to bring wealth to every sector of the agric space, whether crop farming, fish farming, poultry, or animal husbandry by grouping farmers into cooperatives and reestablishing the Cooperative banks to offer loans as low as 5% interest to take of the finance cost for farmers. Also, every Cooperative would be assigned an extension officer to train the farmers on the best practices, and an additional commercial officer for agribusiness. It would be linked to school farming and to industry.
Unlike successive governments under the 4th Republic who largely pursued Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), George Twum-Barimah-Adu said he will pursue the policy of Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) where any industry whether Ghanaian or non-Ghanaian that uses at least 70% of raw materials from Ghana to produce the end product shall receive the same benefits as an FDI company.
He also mentioned that he will implement a ‘District Contract Policy’ that will ensure that every youth in the district gets a job to do because every contract awarded within the district will be executed by those locals who are qualified.
“With this policy, we will build capital in the district and the money will stay in the district. We will build wealth in every district, making everybody in the district wealthier. This is how we spread prosperity for all,” George elaborated.
Read also:
JB Danquah-Adu’s murder: Somebody slept on the job – Elder brother bemoans
By Samuel Afriyie Owusu
