The Awutu Traditional Council has backed John Dramani Mahama’s 24-hour economy proposal saying it is the means to set the nation’s industrial drive on the move.
According to the Council, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) can capitalise on the economic advantages of every locality to set up industries to aid residents and reduce the teeming unemployment.
Abokuade Agyeman Tettey Otabil III, President of the Awutu Traditional Council, speaking at Awutu Breku at the climax of John Mahama’s tour to the Central region said the chiefs are in support of the policy.
He pledged their support to make lands readily available for industries to be established to create employment for the youth of the area.
“What pleases and excites me most about you is your 24-hour economy. We plead with you, once you come into office, you should immediately establish 10 factories in Awutu. Because this 24-hour economy will really help us. We will do it. The youth don’t have jobs to do. We will all put our hands to it and make it. Because there are no jobs, the youth are always galavanting. We the people of Awutu, we support fully the 24-hour economy,” he explained.
John Mahama on his part indicated his next administration’s readiness to create an industrial hub on the Western corridor.
“If you look at our development, it appears all the factories as Kwame Nkrumah started are concentrated in the Tema enclave. So when you look at the eastern part, Tema, free zones area, and I have just realized that on the left when going to Aflao, a new industrial zone is emerging there. Meaning that the Western side, if it’s not Pambros and one or two businesses, it means no job will come to this side.
“So, it will be a deliberate policy of ours to bring industrial development to the Western part, because we cannot make all all the factories be concentrated at one place, we need to spread out so that our youth can also get jobs to do at this side of the country.
“I have spoken to Gizella Tetteh –your MP –that we need to start looking for land immediately, so that government will prepare the land before hand, extend water and electricity there. Once we do this, the private sector themselves will come for the land and build pharmaceutical industries, soap production factories, different factories, vegetable cooking factories etc. And so we must immediately prepare for that to happen and this perfectly fits into the 24-hour economy,” he elaborated.
John mahama has been campaigning in the Central region taking suggestions from people on the crafting of the People’s Manifesto.
He has met with chiefs, students , teachers, market women and the youth who have expressed confidence in his 24-hour economic policy suggestion.
READ ALSO: ‘Mahama’s 24-hour economy a product of deep innovative thinking – Sammy Gyamfi
By Komla Klutse|TV3
