Kumasi, June 20, GNA - Thousands of enthusiastic supporters of the NDC in the Suame Magazine and its surrounding communities in the Kumasi metropolis on Friday offered a tumultuous welcome to their Flag bearer, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and his running mate, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, when they visited the largest auto-mechanic industrial centre in West Africa. The supporters, clad in party T-shirts and other paraphernalia, also carried NDC placards and banners adorned with posters of the Flag bearer and the running mate amidst drumming and dancing. The visit to the Suame Magazine was to herald the three-day door-to-door campaign of Professor Atta Mills to Kumasi to galvanise support for the party towards the 2008 general elections.

Professor Atta Mills, who was accompanied by some leading members of the party, including the General Secretary, Mr. Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, National Organiser, among others, also visited the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the GPRTU and was expected to also visit some markets in the metropolis to interact with the market women and sell his campaign message to the people. Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, the decision to meet specific trade associations and unions in the metropolis was part of a strategy to get first hand information from them on the problems confronting their smooth operations and discuss with them initiatives to be taken by Professor Atta Mills to solve some of the problems when voted into office. He said the door-to-door campaign had proved to be an effective means to reach out to specific groups and individuals to interact and know their problems and discuss how they could be solved.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said the development of Suame Magazine into a modern industrial hub was one of the priorities of Professor Atta Mills' government adding that, there was the need to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the artisans and tap their ingenuity for national development. He said looking at the enthusiasm from which the people in the metropolis welcomed the Flag bearer and the campaign team and the firm assurances from the people, NDC was convinced that it would break the myth that Ashanti Region was an NPP stronghold in the 2008 elections. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said the party was deepening its campaign efforts to ensure that each group of individuals or associations received the message of the party and vote for it in the elections.