Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a member of parliament for Assin Central, has pledged to revamp the economy of the nation if granted the chance to serve as president following the 2024 elections.
The seasoned lawmaker said he would use his experience as a business tycoon to position the nation as a business hub. He is currently traveling the nation to mobilize grassroots support ahead of the race for the flagbearership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Following his mobilization drive through some regions, the legislator traveled with delegates to the Ashanti Region last Friday, where he was greeted wildly by the local populace.
He barged into Kumasi’s Kejetia Market to enlist the help of the vendors and Asanteman for the NPP’s single presidential ticket.
The business district was electrified as the mob welcomed Mr. Agyapong and his entourage with NPP chants and music.
Engagement
As part of the agreement, Mr. Agyapong met the market queens earlier at the Kumasi Cultural Centre. From there, he strolled across the racetrack to Kejetia to personally witness the issues the queen mothers had raised.
One meter was all that was available for the Kejetia market, and the lack of lighting at the race course was among the difficulties mentioned by the market queens.
The Assin Central MP said in his address to the throng that he was there not only to solicit Asanteman’s support for the NPP flagbearership but also to gain firsthand knowledge of the difficulties the people face in seeking redress.
The legislator pledged to provide 200 bulbs to replace the area’s broken street lights and to improve the metering system that allows residents to pay for their commercial activity.
Market women were thanked by Mr. Agyapong for their kind welcome and promised that he would find solutions to their problems.
He noted that since women were so important to the socioeconomic development of the nation, he would work to encourage female entrepreneurship.
“Market women’s contributions, who frequently provide the family’s income, should not be undervalued. My attention will be on these people, whose combined efforts have helped to make the neighborhood centers and commercial districts the cultural powerhouses for which they are renowned, the speaker remarked.
Occupational safety
Mr. Agyapong also gave the populace the assurance that he would help market women collaborate with the appropriate authorities to create practical pension plans for them.
He added that if given the chance to lead the nation, his government would find a long-term solution to the persistent issue of foreigners who were actively engaged in retail business in violation of local laws.
Such a growth, he said, was inappropriate since it created unfair competition for the neighborhood shops and market vendors.
Unofficial sector
The MP added that as a larger portion of economic activity took place in the informal sector, more attention will be paid to it.
According to him, the agriculture, industrial, and service sectors of the economy are held together by the informal sector, which primarily employs women.
According to estimates, women contribute between 70 and 80 percent of the food consumed in the nation. “The vital role that women play as farm owners, farm partners, and farm laborers is astounding,” he said.
Mr. Agyapong added that women were essential to the education sector because they were increasingly in charge of providing for the material necessities of their children, particularly in families headed by women.
business expansion
The Assin Central MP also assured the traders that Ghana would be a popular business destination under his leadership.
He added that “his job creation agenda would be focused on massive industrial drive and tourism,” saying that industrialization would be prioritized as it held the key to economic transformation.
“I have plans to develop industries that are competitive on a global scale and to promote commercial farming, as is done in Tanzania, Cote D’Ivoire, and other developed nations. Ghana is rich in minerals, which would be used to improve the nation’s economic situation, headded.
Mr. Agyapong noted that as a business entrepreneur who employs more than 7000 people worldwide, he would take advantage of his business savvy to aid in the achievement of the nation’s development goals.
“I’ll concentrate on expanding my business. With my track record in business, I have the expertise to generate jobs for young people. When my steel business is finished, it will employ more than 1,000 people. It is called “ASHANTI Steel” after Ashanti. Unprecedented change would occur because I will govern Ghana like a business, he insisted.
When given the go-ahead to lead the NPP to victory in the general elections of 2024, the MP also stated that he had plans to encourage large-scale mechanized agriculture, beginning in the Afram Plains.
Discipline
He claimed to be a disciplined leader and assured Ghanaians, particularly the youth, that he would inculcate discipline, integrity, hard work, and accountability in them so they could effectively contribute to the country’s progress.
“The lack of discipline was to blame for Ghana’s problem with corruption, greed, and nepotism. Because Ghanaians lack discipline in their daily lives, corruption, nepotism, and greed have become entrenched in the public sphere. Bribery, corruption, nepotism, greed, laziness, and mediocrity are all results of indiscipline. This has to end,” he insisted.
Education
Regarding his plans for higher education, he stated that he would use his salary to create a scholarship program in each constituency.