Agriculture will be my priority – Dr. Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia

Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says Ghana’s progress will depend on focusing on agriculture for development.

Therefore, if he were to become president, he would make agriculture his priority.

“Agriculture is going to be my first priority. We are making sure that we have all the different pillars in place for farmers,” he said.

Dr Bawumia made this clear when he visited the Sandem Nab, Nab Azaksuk Azantilow, the paramount chief of the Builsa traditional area in the Upper East Region, on the first day of his four-day campaign tour to the region.

He said the next NPP government under his leadership would establish district farm mechanization centres in all agricultural districts so that farmers could get farm machinery at affordable prices to expand production.

“I want to bring best practices from countries like Brazil and China, which have higher productivity in crops like corn and rice…” he said.

“…And we also want to learn from them how we can apply some of those technologies that will give them two or three times the yield per hectare that we do.”

According to Dr. Bawumia, the use of chemical fertilizers is not only expensive but also destroys the soil.

“I want Ghana to move from chemical fertilizers for our soil to lime. Lime is the way forward. We have limestone in Ghana and it is much cheaper than fertilizer and we want to help farmers with this new treatment of soil fertility through lime,” he said.

On rural electrification, the NPP flagbearer promised the chiefs and people of Sandema that he would implement a 100 percent policy whereby every community would have electricity.

“The same goes for the telephone network, because I want a digital Ghana, so that everyone has access to a telephone network.”

Dr. Bawumia appealed to the people to vote en masse for him as President and the parliamentary candidate for the region, Mr. Thomas Kofi Alonsi, so that they can implement their well-thought-out plans for the entire country.

Mr Alonsi on his part commended the projects and social interventions initiated by the government, saying these could only be sustained if the electorate voted for Alhaji Dr Bawumia and himself to continue the projects.

The Vice President was accompanied by several state ministers, former government officials, national and regional party leaders and members of parliament.

They included Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence, Mr Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Ambrose Dery, former Minister of Interior, and Alhaji Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, Minister of the Upper East Region, Mr John Boadu, former Secretary General of the NPP and Mrs Tangoba Abayage, former Minister of the Upper East Region.

The remainder consisted of Ms Vida Akantagriwen Anaab, the Municipal Chief Executive Officer (MCE) for the area, Mr Anthony Namoo, the NPP Regional Chairman, Mr Arimeyaw Somo Lucky Basintale, MCE of West Mamprusi, Mr Danladi Abdul-Nashir, former MCE of East Mamprusi, and Mr Fuseini Nurudeen, the NPP Regional Chairman of the North East.