Former President John Dramani Mahama, who is also the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 elections, has scheduled to connect with artisans in the Lower Manya Krobo Constituency.

His visit is set to take place on Tuesday, January 30th, at Saint Martin’s Parish Hall in Agormanya in the Eastern Region.

It will be a gathering of both the public and party members from Yilo Krobo, Asuogyaman, and other areas, as well as NDC executives at all levels, who will come together to warmly welcome their flagbearer.

Felix Amanor, the Lower Manya NDC constituency secretary, told the Ghana News Agency that the purpose of the former President’s visit was to engage various artisans, including dressmakers, bead producers, barbers, and drivers.

He said Mr. Mahama would connect with the artisans to gain a firsthand understanding of their challenges and brainstorm towards finding solutions to improve their quality of life.

He emphasised the importance of addressing the challenges artisans faced and developing effective policies to support them if he was re-elected.

Amanor applauded the former President for choosing to personally engage with the craftsmen and women at the grassroots level to effectively address their concerns.

Mahama demonstrated a deep dedication to bolstering the local artisan community, according to community members, acknowledging their invaluable contributions to the economy.

As he gets ready to visit Lower Manya Krobo, the artisans view this as a valuable chance to express their concerns and find solutions to the obstacles they encountered.

With great anticipation, they eagerly await the arrival of the former President, ready to engage in meaningful dialogue and passionately advocate their rights and needs.

Jonathan Akwetey, a motorist, said he expected the former president’s speech to focus on the construction of the 11-kilometre Somanya-Kpong.

He said all routes in the Krobo enclave posed a risk to commercial enterprises and public transportation and expressed concern about the amount of money spent on vehicle repairs and how it was impacting their ability to fend for their families.

To support sustainable livelihoods, he advocated reduced fuel, petrol, and electricity prices, as well as other tax reductions.

Teiko Tetteh, a bead trader, expressed hope that the former president could help raise awareness about African beads in the Western world.

This, she believed, would allow them to appreciate the cultural significance of Kroboland in Ghana and stated that it would also have a positive impact on tourism and attract many tourists, thus contributing to Ghana’s development.

A cement seller, Joshua Tetteh, prayed the former President would touch on the construction of a cement factory in the Krobo areas to make cement products more affordable to the people.

This, he said, could tackle youth unemployment as a substantial portion of the population was jobless.

He added: “It’s a pain to see trucks transporting away the raw materials to produce cement in Takoradi and Tema, while we’ve got large land that can also establish a factory to employ the locals.”