General News of Saturday, 7 April 2018

Source: ghanacrusader.com

Mahama built only 11 out of 200 schools he promised – Mustapha Hamid

Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Minister for Information and Spokesperson for the Presidency Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Minister for Information and Spokesperson for the Presidency

Information minister Mustapha Abdul Hamid has stated that the government of Nana Akufo-Addo will complete the remainder of all the 200 Community Day Senior High Schools started by the erstwhile John Mahama administration.

“… President Mahama said he was going to do 200 Community Day Schools, he managed to complete eleven, we are continuing with those projects.

“Right now as I speak, I think we’ve pushed it to nearly 30 complete and we aim to complete all the 200. We are not going to abandon them,” Dr Abdul-Hamid told Executive Breakfast Show host Moro Awudu on Class91.3FM on Thursday, 5 April as he sought to clarify his position on totally different issues – whether or not the Akufo-Addo government could build the 216 factories he promised in the lead-up to the 2016 general elections.

Dr Abdul-Hamid had denied ever saying in an interview that the president cannot build all the 216 factories in his first or second terms.

He was quoted as saying on Wednesday, 4 April during an interview on Accra based Asempa FM stated that: “…President Akufo-Addo was virtually saying that for this country to improve, it is a country that we can get one district one factory, and that when he gets the power he will put in place measures to make sure that dream is fulfilled. So he may not in the four years or eight years be able to establish a factory for every district, but whatever it is, even if he is able to do 100 or 200, any successive president can continue with the projects, then [it will mean that] we are moving towards President Akufo-Addo’s Ghana beyond aid agenda.”

However, the president’s spokesperson clarified that: “… The questioner and I’m happy [that you’ve asked this question] because yesterday [Wednesday], people said that I said the president can’t [build the 216 factories], no, I didn’t say that.

“He [Ekosii Sen host] asked a question and this is an answer to a question.

“He says: ‘What if at the end of eight years, you don’t get all 216 districts have a factory?’ And I said: ‘Of course, if we don’t get it at that time, it is a vision that I believe ultimately will help us to get to a Ghana beyond aid, and, therefore, it is a vision that even if we don’t realise all 216, we believe that any president that comes after that will see that it is a good vision and then will continue,” he explained.