2016 presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, has urged voters in Tarkwa and Bogoso in the Western Region to vote for him and the party’s parliamentary candidates in the region.

Dr. Nduom, who spoke at separate rallies at Tarkwa and Bogoso on Saturday, November 26, 2016, could not understand why the two towns, which are endowed with gold, bauxite and vast green lands for agriculture, should not be like Johannesburg in South Africa.

According to him, since Johannesburg was developed through proceeds from gold mining, same should be done to Tarkwa and Bogoso.

He told thousands of party supporters and sympathisers who were mostly youth that the situation in those towns understandable considering their contributions to the national economy.

For instance, he mentioned bad roads, unequipped hospitals, deprived schools and unemployment as problems that should not have been witnessed in those areas.

“The Tarkwa my grandfather introduced me to was better than what we see today. It used to be cleaner, life was good and the people here were happy. But today, Tarkwa has lost its place in the world of mining towns.

…There is poverty and lack of infrastructural and human development,” he averred.

Dr. Nduom attributed the problem largely to the lack of enforcement of the country’s laws governing the mining sector.

The PPP presidential hopeful was not happy that Chinese nationals in the country without permits were destroying farmlands through illegal mining with impunity.

Dr. Nduom in this regard urged the people to vote for him for proper change.

He assured them that all old towns would be pulled down and rebuilt with first class roads, schools and hospitals as has been done in other mining towns in the world when voted into power.

“Your farmlands will be secured. I will kick out all those illegal Chinese miners and ensure that agriculture booms alongside mining to make your lives better. You deserve it”, he assured.

Dr. Nduom also promised the people with jobs which he said will put an end to the raw exportation gold and bauxite in the country.

This, he explained, would be achieved through the establishment of refineries under PPP administration.

“Send our message to your families, your boyfriends and girlfriends that positive change is coming, prosperity and serenity is coming to Ghana and that the PPP is leading it,” Dr. Nduom said amidst cheers from the crowd.