Accra, Jan. 11, GNA - Papa Kwesi Nduom, Convention People's Party (CPP) flag bearer, on Friday said the Ghanaian private sector would derive direct support from the state to grow and create more jobs to give living wages and salaries to Ghanaians when elected president.

"This nation can become prosperous in our lifetime. The Ghanaian private sector can make an important contribution to the wealth of the nation by becoming competitive and highly productive. This I will make sure happens as the next president of the Republic of Ghana", he said in Accra when he interacted with the executives of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to share his ideas for the growth of the private sector. Dr Nduom said he would put the Ghanaian at the "centre of opportunity" in the private and public sectors because he believed that it was government's responsibility to prepare its people and give them the necessary opportunities to overcome inexperience and inadequate capital. He said when given the opportunity to lead the country, he would implement a "consistent and aggressive" government policy to support industries owned by Ghanaians throughout the country to ensure that such companies were strengthened to compete with foreign imports and in international markets.

The CPP presidential candidate bemoaned the fact that even though Ghana had the capacity to produce many products that were basic essentials for the people and industry, apart from the traditional products it is noted for, "yet we have opened our doors very wide to imports that suppress our potential for job creation".

He said he would use "Positive Action" to strengthen Ghanaian industries for the benefit of the many young men and women looking for jobs, adding that no country had really developed and prospered significantly on the backs of exporting raw materials to feed factories abroad.

According to Nduom, domestic industries that could compete at home and export products were needed to break the country out of poverty, promising that the purchasing power of the state would be used to ensure that the country maximized the potential of local industries in all areas. "The Ghanaian private sector can look forward with all confidence and assurance that in me they have someone who can understand the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs first hand.

"The CPP leadership has people with direct experience in job creation and industrial development in Ghana and abroad. We have an enduring CPP tradition of job creation. We are prepared to use appropriately the private sector, cooperatives, joint ventures with foreign investors and strategic state participation to bring work and happiness to our people at home", he said.

"I have the will and the commitment to use every available positive means to ensure that we have a profitable, competitive Ghanaian private sector that will benefit the nation as the next president of the Republic of Ghana", he added.

Mr Anthony Oteng-Gyasi, President of the AGI, laudable Dr Nduom's views on the development of the private sector and expressed the hope that such ideas would be translated into actions if he (Nduom) was elected as the next President of Ghana. He said the AGI had plans to dialogue with all the presidential aspirants on their programmes towards the development of the private sector and what industry expected of them.