General News of Friday, 31 May 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

President assures Central Region of development

President Akufo-Addo President Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed Government’s commitment to prioritise the needs of the people of the Central Region with massive road infrastructure and industrial development.

He said the Government had made allocation in this year’s budget for the construction of roads and the revival of distressed companies to give strong boost to the job creation agenda and industrialisation drive.

Mr Kwamena Duncan, the Regional Minister gave President Akufo-Addo's message to the Region in an interaction with the media after a visit by the Regional House of Chiefs to the Jubilee House in Accra last week.

The traditional leaders presented a number of concerns to the President, on job creation, investment and the poor nature of roads in the region among others.

President Akufo-Addo said one of the topmost priorities of his administration was to improve the condition of the road infrastructure to connect and open up the country to facilitate trade and investments.

With the 1.5-billion-dollar funding from Sino Hydro bauxite deal, the President mentioned some roads to be constructed to include Cape Coast-Twifo Praso, Twifo Praso-Dunkwa-on-Offin, Twifo Praso-Assin-Fosu and Winneba Junction-Nsabaa-Swedru.

Other roads are Mankessim-AburaDunkwa, Winneba Junction-Pomadze-Ekwamkrom pothole patching, Assin Adubiase-Homaho among others.

President Akufo-Addo also re-affirmed government's resolve to give stimulus packages to companies in distress under the "One District, One Factory" (1D1F) industrialisation policy.

He indicated that several ailing companies had been identified by the government and players in the private sector for support through the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre (GIPC) as part of efforts to create jobs and boost the local economy.

He pledged the revival of the Pozzolana Cement factory near Apam, Asebu Citrus factory and Komenda Sugar factory among others and noted that the stimulus package formed part of the government’s plan to create a solid economy that thrived on strong private sector growth.

The President allayed the fears of a section of Ghanaians to achieve the government's 1D1F manifesto pledge and reiterated its commitment to develop the private sector as the engine of growth to foster growth and create more employment.