The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that the private sector regains its pride if he wins this year’s elections.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, no political party has the private and informal sectors of the economy at heart like the NPP, evident in the history of the party’s tradition, which has been a consistent and principled promotion and protection of free enterprise and private sector development.

To buttress this assertion, the NPP flagbearer recounted how, a couple of weeks ago in Tamale, he was the only presidential candidate to honour an invitation from the Association of Small Scale Industries, where he put forward his vision for the development of micro and small scale enterprises.

“Why is this so? It is because we in the NPP are fully aware of the importance to the growth of Ghana’s economy of small scale businesses. When given the opportunity, we intend to support small business owners across the country, as we believe this will help create jobs and bring progress and prosperity to Ghanaians,” he said.

To this end, Nana Akufo-Addo outlined a number of interventions his government will institute to help create an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, when he’s given the mandate to serve Ghanaians.

Firstly, the NPP flagbearer noted that “there are too many taxes in our country”, adding that “it is the reason why businesses are collapsing in our country. We are coming into office to reduce these killer taxes, and scrap the ones we deem unnecessary. This will help bring relief to business owners, who can then, in turn, create jobs for our unemployed youth.”

Secondly, the NPP flagbearer assured the artisans and mechanics of the availability of MASLOC loans, devoid of politicization, stressing that the loans are going to be “restructured to allow small scale industries to be the major beneficiaries of the MASLOC programme”.

In keeping up with modern technological trends, Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that his government will introduce, into the country, the ‘Dual System, which is in operation in Germany – a system which combines apprenticeship and schooling. This, he noted, will afford artisans and mechanics the opportunity to go to school to learn and upgrade their skills, whilst working at the same time.

In responding to a request from the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Garages, who appealed for the finalization of the transfer of ownership of the lands at Odawna to them, Nana Akufo-Addo assured that “my government will regularize the ownership documentation so you can have full access to these lands”.

However, in order to bring these into fruition, he indicated that Ghanaians have an opportunity, this year, to alleviate their suffering through the power of their thumbs.

“We are coming to vote and elect a new government which is bringing development to every part of the country, without discrimination. We are asking Mahama, this year, to leave office, so an Akufo-Addo government will bring progress, development and prosperity to all. Ghanaians have had enough of President Mahama’s mess,” he added.

Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing mechanics, fitters and business owners at the Odawna garages, in the Klottey Korle constituency, on Thursday, August 18, 2016, when he made these known.