Space FM, Sunyani, August 10- NPP Presidential aspirant, Hon. Yaw Osafo Marfo, has pledged to make Ghana the Service Center for West Africa through knowledge based development when given the mandate to lead the country in 2008.

The former finance minister said this at separate meetings with constituency executives of the party in the Brong-Ahafo region on Tuesday as part of his campaign to win the flagbearership of the NPP in December this year.

"The time has come for the nation to use new and accepted ways of development which would make us the eye of West Africa and a strong force globally", he said.

He noted that the nation must begin to add value to goods to compete favourably on the international market adding that the days of developing on raw materials are over.

The Akyim Oda Parliamentarian, who was very instrumental in shaping the country's economy during his tenure as finance minster, pointed out that youth development would be one of his major areas of priority.

"The future of the nation depends on the youth and for that matter they must be adequately empowered to enable them contribute meaningfully to the over all development of the nation", he said.

He called on delegates at the party's congress in December to elect a candidate who will be accepted to floating voters during the 2008 presidential election."I urge delegates to elect some one who would be president for all and one floating voters would readily accept", he said.

The presidential hopeful who sidelined by president Kufour for inexplicable reasons toured Sunyani East and West, Berekum, Tano North and Jaman contituencies. He aslo visited the party's regional office in Sunyani where he intracted with party officials on a number of issues.

Other areas he toued included, Techiman, Wenchi, Sene and Atebubu.