The Awutu Traditional Council is demanding from John Dramani Mahama’s next administration, a replication of the New Kejetia Market in Kumasi in its traditional area.
The Council says the Awutu area is endowed with lands for cultivation of several products but unfortunately lacks the market to trade them.
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 Council wants a similar market like that of Kejetia to be built in Awutu by the next NDC administration.
“If you go to places like Agbogbloshie, Mallam Attah market, you will hear ‘Bawjiase bankye, Bawjiase bankye, Bontrase bayerɛ’, meaning we have the produce coming from our place to Accra.
“We are pleading with you, that beautiful edifice you put up for the people of Kumasi, that is the Kejetia market, we are jealous of it. You must do all in your power to give us a befitting market,“ he pleaded.
The chief also disclosed the Traditional Council’s support for the 24-hour economy proposed by the former President.
He said they will 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.
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Credit: Komla Klutse|TV3
