Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), emphasizes that Ghana’s progress hinges on prioritizing agriculture for development. Dr. Bawumia pledged to make agriculture his foremost priority if elected as president.
“Agriculture is going to be my number one priority. We will ensure that all necessary pillars are in place to support our farmers,”
he stated during a visit to the Sandem-Nab, Nab Azaksuk Azantilow, Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area in the Upper East Region, on the first day of his four-day campaign tour.
Dr. Bawumia outlined his vision for agriculture, promising to establish District Agricultural Mechanization Centres across farming districts. These centers would provide agricultural equipment at affordable rates to farmers, aiming to boost production.
“I want to bring in the best practices from countries like Brazil and China that have achieved higher productivity in crops such as maize and rice. We aim to learn from them and adopt technologies that yield two or three times the produce per acre compared to our current output,”
he said.
Addressing soil fertility, Dr. Bawumia criticized the reliance on expensive chemical fertilizers that damage the soil. He proposed a shift to using lime, which is abundant and affordable in Ghana.
“I want Ghana to move away from chemical fertilizers to lime. Lime is the way forward. We have limestone in Ghana, and it’s much cheaper than fertilizer. We want to help farmers improve soil fertility through lime,”
he explained.
On rural electrification, Dr. Bawumia promised a 100% electrification policy to ensure every community has access to electricity. He also committed to improving telephone network connectivity to support a digital Ghana, ensuring every citizen has access to telecommunication services.
Dr. Bawumia appealed to the people to vote massively for him as president and for the parliamentary candidate for the area, Mr. Thomas Kofi Alonsi, to enable the implementation of their comprehensive plans for the country.
Mr. Alonsi highlighted the projects and social interventions initiated by the government, urging constituents to vote for continuity under Alhaji Dr. Bawumia and himself.
Accompanying the Vice President were key figures including Mr. Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence; Mr. Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports; Mr. Ambrose Dery, former Minister for the Interior; Alhaji Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, Upper East Regional Minister; Mr. John Boadu, former General Secretary of the NPP; and Madam Tangoba Abayage, former Upper East Regional Minister.
Also present were Madam Vida Akantagriwen Anaab, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area; Mr. Anthony Namoo, Regional Chairman, NPP; Mr. Arimeyaw Somo Lucky Basintale, West Mamprusi MCE; Mr. Danladi Abdul-Nashir, former MCE for East Mamprusi; and Mr. Fuseini Nurudeen, North East Regional Chairman, NPP.
