President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his commitment to ensuring that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections are free, fair, and transparent, devoid of violence.

He emphasized that his government would facilitate a transparent electoral process to promote peace and stability in the country before, during, and after the December 7 elections.

The President made the declaration during his thank-you tour to the Upper West Region, where he met the clergy, traditional leaders, and some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He emphasized the importance of democratic participation of all Ghanaians in the upcoming elections, saying, “The opportunity given to all Ghanaians to express themselves and determine who can best address their concerns is the beauty of democracy.”

“Everybody with the power of the vote and the thumb will have a say in determining who will be the next President and who will be the next Member of Parliament in your area. That is the beauty of democracy,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo explained that he desired to see every Ghanaian express his or her views in peace, free of violence, intimidation, and manipulation during the elections.

The President expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of the Upper West Region for the cooperation and support they gave him throughout his eight years in office, which had helped sustain peace in the country.

He further stated that their cooperation and support had helped to save Ghana from the insurgencies witnessed in neighbouring Burkina Faso, which shares boundaries with the Upper West Region.

“The peace and stability of the region have become even more important as we count down the days to 7th December 2024, where all of us have to show our might and elect my successor as President and a new House of Parliament,” President Akufo-Addo observed.

The President also recounted the development interventions of his government during his eight-year reign, which he said were grounds on which Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should be elected on December 7 to succeed him.

The interventions he mentioned included the famous Free Senior High School (SHS) program, which benefited about 5.6 million Ghanaian children, some of whom would have missed out on education for financial reasons.

He also mentioned the Planting for Food and Jobs, One-District-One-Factory, Agenda 111, and improvements to the National Health Insurance Scheme, among others, which aimed to enhance the livelihoods of the people in Ghana.

For development in the Upper West Region, President Akufo-Addo mentioned the construction of over 167 classroom blocks, kindergartens, primary and junior high schools across the region, and 57 classroom blocks at the SHS level as some interventions in the education sector.

Others included increasing the road network in the region from 5,797.41 km in 2016 to 6,741.8 km by the end of 2022, the construction of five Agenda 111 hospitals, which were at various advanced stages of completion, and the construction of 41 community-based health planning and services (CHPS) compounds, among others.