The National Youth Organiser for the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Mr Salam Mustapha has said the government is committed to youth empowerment while on course to addressing current economic challenges.
Addressing the press on behalf of the national youth wing of the NPP in Accra yesterday as part of ongoing forum dubbed the “Truth and Facts Series”, he said,the performance of the NPP was unmatched though not claiming to have solved all the problems in the country.
“Indeed, this government is not made up of saints and angels but human beings who have flaws. But on the balance of any scale, we have performed better as far as youth employment, infrastructure, education and other areas were concerned.
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He commended the Minister for Finance for his efforts in securing the International Monetary Fund(IMF) deal which would go a long way to help address some of the economic difficulties.
The current world economy he said was in turmoil and every country was experiencing significant inflation, leading to an increase in the cost of living and its attendant difficulties.
“In Africa, the story is similar to 29 African countries, currently before the IMF, negotiating for one programme or the other. It is for these reasons that we believe that the attempts to put the blame of the economic difficulties Ken Ofori-Atta are uncalled for with no plausible justifications. At best, the finance minister deserves commendations for working tirelessly to secure this deal for Ghana,” he stated.
He added that, it was important to emphasize the point that many of the countries negotiating for programme with the IMF had spent more than a year, with some more than two years, yet they had not be given approval by the Fund.
“Ken Ofori-Atta has used less than a year to get Ghana this deal, and that deserves applause, not a chastisement.We therefore wish to congratulate Ken Ofori-Atta for his hard work and success in securing Ghana the IMF deal within a short period,” he stressed.
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With the performance of the NPP he said, “I can state without any fear of contradiction that, indeed, the NPP is on its way to making history as the first party to win elections three consecutive times. We are breaking the eight by the Grace of God.”
“The energy, zeal and fire-in-belly we saw on the ground have left us with a reinforced and an indelible belief that victory will be ours,” he stated.
“Our tour revealed a lot to us that this government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has done so much that no administration in the history of Ghana can beat, in terms of infrastructural development,” he stressed.
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Some achievements he enumerated included,the recently held 66th independence anniversary parade in Ho at the plush new youth resource centre constructed by this government, A 1D1F factory in Adaklu producing ethanol, massive work being done on the Ofankor to Nsawam stretch of the dualisation of the Accra-Kumasi Road,the fly over at Spintex to join East Legon as well as the various magnificent stem schools built at Abomaso, Kpasinkpe and other districts across the country to significantly improve access to education.
The national youth wing of the NPP hence challenged former President John Mahama and the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) to state categorically what they had done for the Ghanaian youth and their policies aimed at empowering the youth.
“The Ghanaian youth should be taken seriously, and that is what we stand for. Let me state that we are very clear in our minds that the NPP government has a clear policy plan for the youth of this country and we at the national youth wing will continue to stand for the interest of the entire Ghanaian youth and populace,”he stated.
This government he said, was serving the youth of this country, and called for their support to retain the NPP in the next general elections.
Caption: Mr Salam Mustapha
