Bolgatanga, Nov 26, GNA - Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama, the flag bearer of the People's Convention Party (PNC), said on Tuesday that neither the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nor the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had the political will to bridge the gap between the north and the south as captured in their manifestoes. He made the observation at a forum organized in Bolgatanga by the Northern Patriot and Research in Advocacy (NORPRA), a civil society organization working in the area of social justice and equity.

The forum was aimed at offering an opportunity for the electorate to assess the candidates and make informed choices in the upcoming election. It also aims at holding the candidates accountable and responsible when they win the election. Dr Mahama explained that both the NDC and the NPP governments had been in power for several years and could have used those periods to at least bridge some of the gaps between the north and the south, but failed to perform. He indicated that now that it was time for election the two parties had designed their manifestos, which they claimed were geared towards bridging the gap between the two parts of the country.

Dr Mahama urged the electorates to vote for the PNC to turn the fortunes of Ghanaians around to enhance their conditions of living. He said the PNC would concentrate on education and Agriculture in the north as some of its top priority in bridging the gap and said special emphasis would be placed on Mathematics, Science and Information Communication Technology in schools. He said the PNC would institute what he termed as "National Programme for the Marginalized" which would target the marginalized communities not only in the northern parts of the country, but also in some parts of the southern sector where poverty was more endemic. He indicated that farmers of sheanuts, cashew and rice would equally be given support like their counterparts in the cocoa industry, adding that shea-butter fetched more revenue on the international market than cocoa butter.

Sheanut factories would be established in the northern parts of the country to provide jobs for the people in the area, thereby preventing them from travelling to the southern parts to look for non-existent jobs, he added. Dr Mahama expressed dismay about the lack of furniture in most of the schools he visited in the northern regions, and said the PNC government would resource schools with furniture. He indicated that the PNC Government would also tackle the issue of corruption in the country, which was one of the major causes of poverty. Other parliamentary candidates who spoke included Mr Opam Brown Akolbi of the NDC, Ms Evenly Lamisi Anabila of the CPP and Mr Robert Ayima of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP).

The President of NORPRA, Mr Bismark Ayorogo explained that the purpose of the forum was meant to create a platform for the electorates to ask questions from the candidates to enable them to make informed decisions in the forthcoming general election.