The Reverend Christian Kwabena Andrews, the Founder and flag bearer of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), says he will choose a woman as his running mate for the 2024 General Election.

Rev. Andrews, who confirmed his candidature for the presidential election in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said he believed in capabilities of women to drive change and was hopeful that his running mate would increase his chances of winning power in the December 7 polls.

The Founder of the Life Assembly Worship Centre, popularly known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom, said his preferred running mate would be from the Western Region.

“I am an Ashanti and this time I would prefer my candidate to come from the Western Region. The person can come from any other region, but it will be a woman.

“I have tasked my officers to search for a suitable person and nominate her for my consideration,” he said.

The GUM sent tongues wagging when it placed third in the 2020 presidential election, beating the traditional Convention People’s Party, People’s National Convention, and the Progressive People’s Party.

The Party garnered 105,548 votes, representing 0.805 per cent of the total ballots cast.

Rev. Andrews said GUM would build on its achievements in 2020.

He said the Party had adopted a door-door campaign strategy to mobilise voters across the country and that it would open nominations for its parliamentary aspirants in March this year.

“We have already elected our constituency executives and our offices are opened across the country. So, our officers are on the ground working.

“You won’t see us mounting giant billboards or distributing monies to people. We don’t believe in distributing monies to voters to induce them.”

Rev. Andrews expressed concern over the monetisation of Ghana’s political processes and cautioned that the phenomenon would create a culture where politicians would be interested in buying votes and not prioritise the welfare of the people.

He said the Party’s manifesto would outline detailed roadmap on how it would achieve its ambition of reviving all defunct factories constructed by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Rev. Andrews said job creation was the focus of the Party and expressed confidence that the establishment of factories in every region and the operation of a free port would boost economic activities and improve the living conditions of the people.

He said the government of GUM would also create a system that would reduce or eliminate reliance on foreign currencies through barter arrangements with international trade partners.

“The more you rely on foreign currency, the poorer you’ll become. We will create a system where we will use our resources to get what we want,” he said.

Rev. Andrews mentioned payment of monthly stipends to the aged and children as among the policies that the Party would articulate in its manifesto.