Convention People’s Party (CPP) flagbearer, Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, has accused successive governments in the fourth republic of collapsing industries and factories established by the CPP government under Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

Mr Greenstreet’s comments come on the back of New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo’s announcement that he will establish a factory in each of the 216 districts when voted into power.

Speaking at the Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) Evening Encounters with flagbearers ahead of the 2016 general elections on Tuesday June 28, Mr Greenstreet said, such unfortunate development has made the country poor.

“And before the NPP come here to give you a list of district industries they intend to establish, let me remind you that the CPP has done this before. All the factories were largely sold or given away or abandoned by the PNDC, NDC and the NPP”, he stated.

“Steel works in Tema and Takoradi, Atomic Energy in Kwabenya, Industrial Machine Workshop in Tema, the Akosombo Dam, Cement Factory in Tema, Coconut Fibre and Ceramic Processing near Saltpond, Rattan or Cane or Basket Weaving and Bamboo Processing in the Eastern region, Rubber Plantation and Gold refinery in the Western region, Pwalugu Tomato Factory as well as Pwalugu Meat Factory in Bolgatanga, a Cotton Factory in Tamale and Jute and Shoe Factories in Kumasi. The list was endless, but successive governments have systematically destroyed these fortunes. [They] do not believe in self-determination, and have made us beggars”, Mr Greenstreet added.

In a rebuttal, campaign manager for the NPP, Mr Peter MacManu in an interview with Class News’ Parker-Wilson rejected the claim and described it as unfair.

“I think lumping NPP on the same radar with NDC is quite unfair because when we came to power in 2001, everybody knows where we were. We had to go the HIPC way to salvage the economy, introduce new ways and ideas to the extent that interest rate went considerably down, inflation went down, there were jobs , the banks were chasing the private sector to acquire loans at lower interest rates because the government himself detached himself from loans.

“…I think that he must look at the NDC in the face and tell them that this election is a referendum on their eight-year rule. They have to account for their stewardship to the people of Ghana, who gave them the nod that this is what we have achieved and then give us the nod again.

“It is not an opposition party like the NPP, who has left power for eight years that you are coming to castigate; that is unfair”, Mr MacManu said.