Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former President John Mahama, has asserted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken the chiefs and people of the Ashanti Region for granted by denying the region its deserved development projects.
According to the former president, “it is an abuse of the long standing loyalty of the people for the NPP” and challenged the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration to prove to Ghanaians any major development project it had executed in the Ashanti Region since taking over the management of the country in 2017.
Former President Mahama made the assertion at various rallies at the start of his six-day campaign tour of the Ashanti region.
He promised to grant amnesty to Ghanaian illegal gold miners who had been imprisoned by the state for their business operations.
Additionally, the former president noted that all their confiscated mining machinery and equipment as well as legally acquired mining concessions would be released to them to earn livelihood however, they would operate under a new regulation under a scheme to be known as Cooperative Mining Scheme.
Former President Mahama said the scheme would have graduates from the University of Mines and Energy at Tarkwa in the Western Region as technical assistants to reduce to minimum challenges associated with small scale mining.
The NDC’s flag bearer noted that “the era when politicians and political parties took their loyalists or strongholds for a ride in the provision of socio-economic development with the notion that regardless of their circumstance, they will remain faithful with the parties is fast changing.
As part of the tour, Mr Mahama would be visiting selected constituencies where he will be interacting with chiefs, opinion leaders of Muslim communities and party loyalists to advance the NDC’s campaign manifest to promises ahead of next month’s Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI