Tamale, Nov. 13, GNA - Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Presidential Candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP), has said that the reputation of Ghana had been badly damaged as a result of the increasing drug trade in the country.

He said CPP Government under his presidency would, therefore, adequately equip the security services to effectively fight the drug menace.

Dr Nduom made the pledge at the second in the series of Presidential Debates organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in Tamale on Wednesday. Other Presidential candidates at the debate were: Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Professor John Evans Atta Mills of National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Dr Edward Mahama of People's National Convention (PNC).

Dr Nduom said CPP Government would also ensure that drug dealers received stiffer punishment, adding that a government under his leadership would ban the advertisement of alcohol on television and radio.

He said the drug trade had become so serious that reports indicated that some fishermen at Elmina now "go to sea to trade in drugs instead of fishing".

On the decentralisation, Dr Nduom described the present system as a charade because it was clear that the assemblies were not non-partisan as they were supposed to be.

He said CPP Government would, therefore, ensure that District Chief Executives and all the assembly members were elected to make them more accountable to the people. Answering a question on agriculture, Dr Nduom said a CPP Administration would subsidise the prices fertilizer and other agriculture inputs and establish food-processing industries to add value to produce.

On the development of Northern Ghana, the CPP Presidential candidate stressed that for the North to develop there was the need for peace and that he would achieve this by getting the people to trust him. "As President, I would be personally involved to sustain peace in the North to serve as bedrock for development."

On oil exploration and the environment, Dr Nduom said the oil companies would not be allowed to destroy the environment and to save the situation; he would strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to carry out its mandate effectively.

Answering a question on conflicts in the country, he said poverty was the underlying cause of the various conflicts in the country and added that these could be addressed by providing quality education to the people and creating jobs for them. 13 Nov. 08