Afram Plains Residents To Nana Addo: “Mills Gave Us Mats When Our Houses Were Destroyed”

Ekye-Amanfrom, Afram Plains, Tuesday, Jul. 5:- Members of the Anlo community in the Afram Plains, a traditional stronghold of the ruling National Democratic Congress, could not hide their disappointment and dissatisfaction with the government when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, met with them Tuesday as part of his listening tour to communities in the Eastern Region.

Complaints from the communities along the Afram River ranged from falling market for their produce to being neglected by Government.

They complained that when floods destroyed their homes, forcing some to sleep under trees, Government’s only response was to send them mats to sleep on. It will be recalled that in November 2010, spilled water from the Akosombo Dam flooded homes in the Kwahu North District, Afram Plains, affecting some 74 communities, with over 300 homes submerging and an estimated 850 people being rendered homeless by the disaster.

Some residents of the Ekye-Amanfrom fishing community who had the opportunity to voice out their concerns to the 2012 NPP Presidential Candidate were unanimous in expressing the community’s sense of despondency and hopelessness, claiming that that life has been getting worse each passing day under President Mills. Dina Esi Droweh, a fishmonger, for example, whose story reflected that of several small-scale rural traders who bring their stock to urban Ghana markets, lamented: “Nana, I sell fish for a living. During the days of President Kufuor, when you buy fish worth GH¢1,000 from here to Accra to sell, you could make profit of GH¢200, easily.”

The reason she gave explained aptly what may be driving the disinflation in commodity prices in recent months. She said, even though the cost at which she buys from the fish farmers and transporting her stock to Accra has increased, reduction in customer sales is making it impossible for her to increase her prices to meet her rising cost and make profit.

“Today, thanks to [President] Mills, we are trading without making any profit. If you try to make some small profit nobody would buy from you because they can’t afford it. I wish I could do something else but this is all I know and there is no other business.”

Madam Esi Droweh continued, “The fish has become so expensive here and those who will buy in Accra are also complaining that there is no money in their pockets. The situation is crippling our business and we are just helpless. It is a very hopeless situation for us and nobody seems to care,” she said.

Yao Kumi Danso, a fish farmer, took his turn to explain the crisis in the trade to Nana Addo. He said life has become unbearable for the small fishing community because the Mills government has refused to pay attention to their needs.

“The fishing business is no longer productive. We are facing several problems and even when we make a catch people don’t have money to buy and we are forced to sell at a loss sometimes or risk the stock perishing,” he stated. He said the crisis facing the fishing community has brought untold human hardships to the people.

Mr Kumi Danso said, “We have become only fathers in name because we cannot even take care of our families. We can’t pay our children’s school fees and putting food on the table has become a problem.”

Togbe Kosi Agyemang IV, Divisional Chief of the Mepe Community, was very delighted to meet the NPP flagbearer in person.

He said, “I am delighted to finally meet Nana Akufo-Addo and on behalf of the Mepe group here, I say a big thank you to Nana for coming to us.”

“I had tried on many occasions in the past through my nephew Freeman to meet Nana but that didn’t work. I am extremely glad that finally he has come to me here in Afram plains and to listen for himself the plight of our people,” he said.

The chief said, “like many other communities in Ghana, all we want is a government that will take care for the needs of the people and bring development to our community and country at large.”

Nana Addo, in response, said he was determined to tackle poverty head-on if elected into office. However, to do so means getting grips with the facts on the ground and hearing for himself a sum total of people’s concerns of today and aspirations for tomorrow and make them essential ingredients of his vision, policies and programmes for Ghana’s transformation and a prosperous future. The story of despondency and poverty was not different at the Ada community, where Nana Addo and his team visited next. There too residents expressed their frustration and despair at their deteriorating social circumstances. Mothers complained about the low standard of education and healthcare and the youth complained about lack of jobs.

A community leader, James Pekyi, expressed the community’s disappointment with the NDC, accusing the ruling party of breaking the promises it made to them in 2008 and refusing to come to their aid when disaster struck the community.

MATS FOR SHELTER

He told Nana Addo, “the rains washed away our homes, it came to Government’s attention and all that we got from President Mills was a mat for each affected household.”

He stated rhetorically, “Is the government expecting that the mats will provide us shelter?”

Another community leader, John Tetteh, thanked Nana Addo for coming to visit them, adding, “this is the first time a prominent person in our country has visited us and we are grateful. We are very touched by the fact that you took time off to come to us to listen to our problems.”

Some community members admonished the people to vote for their self-interest not for a party’s interest. That in 2012 they should vote for the party that would touch their lives positively and not the party that has been taken their support for granted.

Nana Addo thanked the leaders and residents of the communities for their enthusiastic welcome extended to him and said the NPP is ready to introduce programmes that would create jobs, give skills to the youth, offer free and quality education to their children, greater access to healthcare, better roads, and a more vibrant economic environment that would benefit traders generally. He said he did not understand why the NDC scrapped the Fisheries Ministry upon winning power, since that portfolio was intelligently created by President Kufuor to give greater, specific attention to the needs and opportunities of the fishing industry.

Nana Addo said the visit was one of great enlightenment to him. He assured the communities their concerns would receive the necessary attention by his team. God willing, he said, his government would bring back the Fisheries Ministry, a promise which attracted a thunderous applause from the people. Nana Addo is touring the Eastern Region as part of his listening campaign.