CPP to support locally owned industries

Political page (lead) May 9/2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

THE Presidential candidate of the Conventions People’s Party (CPP), Dr Paa Kwasi Nduom, has said a government under his party will implement a consistent and aggressive policy to support industries owned by Ghanaians throughout the country.
The move, he said is to enable them to play their roles an the real engine of growth through the provision of sustainable jobs and living wages and salaries to the people.
Dr Nduom who made the pledge when his party took its turn to brief the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) on the policies and programmes to be implemented when elected into office after the crucial up-coming general elections in December said “the support will come in the form of low-interest rates, government loans and guarantees, tax incentives and technical support to the players in the sector.
The programme which is under the auspices of the AGI is dubbed “Encounter with Presidential candidates” and it is to provide a platform for the various presidential candidates in the country to outline their programmes and policies for the industry to enable it to perform its role as the key job creator and the engine of growth in the country.
Flanked by the party chairman, Mr Naddy Nylander and the General Secretary, Mr Ivor Greenstreet, the CPP Presidential Candidate said ; ”My goal will be to ensure that we have Ghanaian companies who grow big to compete with foreign imports and are strengthened to compete in the international markets”.
“No country has rally developed and prospered significantly on the backs of exporting raw materials to feed factories abroad”, he told the enthusiastic council members of the AGI and added that; “Domestic industries that can compete at home and export products are what we need to break out poverty because they provide sustainable jobs and living wages and salaries”.
Dr Nduom who was spotting a made-in-Ghana shirt to signify his love and support for the growth of Ghanaian industries said his vision for industry and for that matter the country was tied to the goal of ensuring a per capita income of $5,000 or more during his tenure when given the mandate.
His vision is far in excess of the $1,000 per capita the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has proposed by the year 2015 and when members of the council inquired as to how he was going to do it, he replied: “For this per capita goal to be met, industrialisation and the development of the service sector must be accelerated and all this needs abundant energy”.
Dr Nduom said “the key ingredient is a leadership that will work with a sense of urgency to do what needs to be done quickly and very well”.
“One of the main reasons for industrialising along the lies described is to save foreign exchange, which will be released for the import of machinery, equipment and fuel”, Dr Nduom said.
He said can already had a refinery which will reduce the foreign exchange costs of fuel adding that; “By the end of the plan, it is expected that a start will have been made on other industries promising materials for industry such as a basic chemicals industry”.
“The availability of plentiful supplies of relatively cheap electrical power will be an important attraction to industries being set up in West Africa”, he quoted from the famous Seven-Year Development Plan of the first president of Ghana, Osagyefuo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
On the oil find, he said a government under him will ensure hat communities close to the resource will be well developed to enable them feel a part of the oil booty to save the situation where they might feel neglected and take arms to disrupt production as in the case of the Niger Delta in Nigeria.
He said the CPP policy on food production will require energetic, sustained and well-organised efforts over the next four years “to produce what we need and eat what we produce”.
Dr Nduom said this will require the active participation of the government in all aspects of food production including research, planning, production, storage, distribution and financing.
He said the party was working hard to revive the structures that the founder of the party laid and expressed great optimism that the CPP will be the people’s choice to deliver the kind of leadership needed to place Ghana among the comity of nations.
Dr Nduom was later made to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the party and the AGI to ensure that when the CPP came to power, it will not neglect players in the industrial sector.
The Vice President of the AGI, Nana Owusu-Afari who is also the owner of Afariwa Farms, expressed gratitude to D Nduom and his entourage for honouring the invitation and wished the CPP luck in its endeavours.