I am the “David” of Ghana

KOFI AYIM

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer aspirant, has declared that the sociopolitical and economic vehicle of Ghana is heading into a ditch and he’s seeking to take over the driver’s seat to steer the country out of its predicament. “I am no longer sitting at the back seat of the vehicle with my almost 24 years in politics and 30 years in business.”

With these two virtues, the Assin Central parliamentarian believes that he is molded to place Ghana in its deserved place. The maverick politician made these remarks to a cross section of Ghanaians in New Jersey on September 24, at the auditorium of Christ the King Church in Hillside.

He said that, as a politician, the unemployment rate in Ghana makes him feel guilty. On the flip side, Ghanaian professionals are leaving the country in droves. To stem this dual-pronged human resources waste, he promised to create jobs for the youth and improve conditions of workers.

“Look at me and wake up to hope; I employ more than seven thousand Ghanaian workers, and so I know how to create wealth. We need leaders with creative minds, leaders who smell money. I have built the biggest cold store in Africa and the biggest steel plant in West Africa. Who says such a person is not presidential material?” 

The bare-it-all Kennedy Agyapong remarked that Ghanaians construe confidence as arrogance and have tagged him as such. But according to him, he’s neither arrogant nor insulting, but makes his pronouncements without fear or favor. “I don’t insult; I tell the truth, and the truth may hurt. But I will continually say it like it is, because I am not serving NPP, I am serving Ghana.” “I believe in patriotism, honesty and discipline (PHD).”

He decried the attitude of the Ghanaian worker and people entrenched in their comfort zones at work with little or no productivity. He said that under his watch, reward will be based on performance rather than longevity of service. A man who is not subject to change cannot change you.

He sounded a cautious warning to traditional and religious leaders as well as politicians who are wont to intervene for a recalcitrant worker. We need to inculcate regimental discipline into the Ghana workforce to optimize productivity. But the discipline must cut across all facets of life, including but not limited to littering and refuse dumping. We’ll revamp, revolutionize, and retrain street hawking to be safer and more sanitized. We’ll dredge the filth in the Korle Lagoon, build high walls along its periphery (to prevent throwing garbage into it), and turn the lagoon into a business enclave and tourist center, he added.

The man who bars no holds to criticize said he was very disappointed in his own government for corruption and theft, including land grabbing. He threatened to expose government officials with ill-gotten wealth and investments outside of Ghana. “Square pegs in round holes, incompetent people whose sole goal is to amass wealth at the expense of the poor people in Ghana. I am against it,” he pointed out with disdain. “Enough is enough for milking the country at the expense of the poor,” he charged to some wild applause.

Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, who was least expected by many to aim to lead Ghana, observed that under his presidency, Ghana will be developed in four thematic areas: tourism, agriculture mechanization and agro-processing, IT, and engineering. Highlighting the four branches of development, he said he will utilize Assin Dompim L.A. Middle School economics to change the system.

On commercial agriculture, he cited the current world demand for cassava and its byproducts. According to the multipurpose businessman, mechanized cassava farms and its processing factories alone could help Ghana out of its existential economic dire straits.

Cashews, another product in demand, abound in the Bono region of Ghana, but there is not a single processing factory to create jobs for the youth. Meanwhile, there are about 89 India-based companies that buy the raw cashew and export it to India for processing, to be repackaged and sold in Ghana and elsewhere.

“Under my presidency, we’ll process it ourselves.” Soya beans, shea butter, and several other available products in the five northern regions follow similar patterns. He promised to create several businesses in the northern parts of Ghana to entice migration and relocation from the south. Both the Volta Region and the Afram Plains have vast virgin lands for commercial and agro-processing industries, he commented.

On tourism, the grassroots crowd-puller politician says he’ll uproot all government officials at Osu Castle and add it to the Elmina and Cape Coast Castles as tourist attractions, with a tourist cruise boat connecting the three memorable and historic sites. He says he would create tourist attractions around the oldest Bible that the white man brought to Africa.

The historic Bible, according to Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, is at the Elmina Catholic Church. Hotels in Ghana are among the most expensive because there are about 17 taxes or so levied on them. He said he would mitigate the exorbitant taxes and make them competitive with other international tourist destinations. Common sense dictates that reduced duties and taxes attract more businesses: “This is Assin Dompim economics, otherwise known as Qualified by Experience (QBE),” he pronounced amidst laughter.

He made a solemn promise to build a complete technology city just like Silicon Valley in the U.S., Bangalore in India, and Shenzhen in China. Come what may, he assured listeners, he will build a smart city in Prampram, Ghana, from scratch.

He promised to harness the acumen of engineers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and top-notch creative minds of Kumasi Magazine and Accra Kokompe mechanics in collaborative efforts to come out with locally made vehicles.

In conclusion, Kennedy Agyapong philosophized that Ghana is bent, but not broken, and that with a good and visionary leader, the country can move forward again.

 He charged that there is a need to change the mindset and thought patterns of Ghanaians, otherwise Ghana is going nowhere. He added that he would engage artists of all persuasions to conscientize the thought patterns of Ghanaians, through the act and art of patriotism, honesty, and discipline.

“I have what it takes to move Ghana in the right direction. With 19 companies and more than 7,158 workers, I must be doing things right. What nerve, then, do they have to say Kennedy Agyapong is not presidential material?” he asked again.

Invoking Mathew Chapter 20:26, he appealed to the crowd to call their eligible NPP voters to elect the man who is destined to salvage Ghana. He said that he would sacrifice his life and deliver Ghana from the doldrums of its present economic predicament. “I am the ‘David’ of Ghana,” he preached.

Posted by admin on Sep 27 2023. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry