The flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, concluded his campaign tour of the Western North Region with an electrifying encounter with thousands of young people on Friday evening.

Dr. Bawumia had a packed day of community engagements in the region, which began early in the morning with an interaction with the leadership of the Christian community in the region, as well as Zongo chiefs and imams.

Before hitting the streets on foot for his community engagements, Dr. Bawumia met with the Western Regional House of Chiefs in an open discussion where he shared his vision for the country and also listened to their concerns and suggestions.

However, the most electrifying and energetic encounter was his last public event—an interactive session with the youth.

Thousands of young people, including teachers, nurses, trainee nurses, students, and many others, went into a frenzy and cheered Dr. Bawumia when he arrived. As news of his arrival spread, many young boys and girls rushed to the place to catch a glimpse of him and listen to his message.

The NPP flagbearer's message focused on what the NPP government has done for the youth in the past seven years, as well as his own vision for the youth under the government.

"We have been focusing on policies for the future of the youth in the past seven years," Dr. Bawumia said.

He stated that with education being a catalyst for development, it was necessary for the NPP government to invest in the education of all young Ghanaians, hence the introduction of the Free SHS policy. He mentioned that his opponent in December's election, former President Mahama, described it as a "419" scam and not possible to implement.

"We promised free Senior High School education to young Ghanaians to secure their education. We said it was possible to bring free Senior High School education to Ghana. My main opponent said it was a 419 scam and that it was not possible," Dr. Bawumia said, amidst cheers from the crowd.

"He (Mahama) said if he had 2 million cedis, he wouldn't spend it on free SHS. We spent the money on free SHS, and today we have increased the number of enrollments from 800,000 to 1.4 million. Today, because of Free SHS, the number of girls in secondary school has increased tremendously, and there is gender parity. We also promised free TVET, which 'Asomasi' kicked against, but we have done it."

"If we had listened to Asomasi, there would have been no Free SHS for all of you. This shows we are a party that cares for the youth."

Dr. Bawumia also reiterated what he described as comprehensive policies for the youth by his government, including his plans to train 1 million Ghanaians in IT in his quest to make Ghana a digital hub in Africa.

"Ghanaian youth are very talented in technology, and I want to prioritize their formal training to create more jobs for the youth through the digitalization we are embarking upon!"

"My government will also continue to prioritize TVET so that we will continue to train more young people and support them to set up."

As he concluded his remarks, Dr. Bawumia urged the youth that his government will offer better opportunities to them than "someone who has failed as President and has been rejected twice by Ghanaians."

"My opponent has been President before and he failed. As a result, he has been rejected twice by Ghanaians. I have not been President before, but I have contributed, as Vice President, with several policies I have already outlined to you. Many believe I have been an effective Vice President, and I believe that if you give me the chance to lead this country, I will do more and much better to carry all of you and the nation on a journey of possibilities."

Earlier in the afternoon, Dr. Bawumia joined fellow Muslims at the Central Mosque in Sefwi to observe Jummah prayers.




KOD