New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has appealed to party delegates to vote for him, arguing that Ghana needs an entrepreneur at the helm who can create jobs and stimulate economic growth, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
Speaking in an interview with Dreamz FM in Bolgatanga, Mr. Agyapong said previous leaders—mostly economists, lawyers, and other professionals—had not delivered tangible economic transformation. He urged delegates to choose someone with practical business experience.
“All I’m appealing to delegates is that they voted for economists, they voted for lawyers, they voted for all kinds of disciplines with the exception of businessmen,” he said.
“So this time, vote for an entrepreneur who is Kennedy Agyapong and can create businesses and put money in your pocket. That is what matters.”
The outspoken politician said Ghana’s development must be anchored on job creation and industrialization, especially in the five northern regions.
“It’s jobs, jobs, jobs. Industries, industries, industries. That is what we need for the five northern ones,” he stressed.
Citing the collapse of local industries, Mr. Agyapong lamented the disappearance of the once-thriving Zuarungu Meat Factory, which, he said, previously supplied products as far as Okaishie in Accra.
“When we were young and doing business in Okaishie, we were buying corned beef from Bolgatanga,” he recalled. “What has happened? Where are your leaders? Did it not take Kwame Nkrumah from Nzema to come and build the Bolgatanga beef factory? The northerners, the entrepreneurs, the businessmen — especially the politicians — could not manage it and it has collapsed.”
He said the closure of such factories had led to widespread unemployment and missed opportunities for value addition.
Mr. Agyapong also proposed establishing a cattle ranching and milk production facility in northern Ghana to harness the region’s livestock potential.
“I see cattle all over, and I ask myself, why is it that we don’t have milk? We need a cattle ranch where we can produce milk,” he said, adding that not all breeds of cattle produce milk and that Ghana might need to import milk-producing breeds to blend with local ones.
He criticized the Ministry of Defense’s decision to seek expertise from Kenya to develop cattle-rearing operations in Bono East, describing it as an unnecessary outsourcing of local capability.
“They said they were going to learn the experience from Kenya. I said, Lord have mercy. Ghana of all people? Why should we stoop so low to go for Kenyans to come and show us how to rear cattle?” he questioned. “It is good to learn, but my point is, if Kenya can do it, we Ghanaians can do it too.”
Mr. Agyapong, who owns a steel plant, said his decision to invest in local manufacturing came after realizing that nearly all major steel and cement producers in Ghana were foreign-owned.
“One day I wanted iron rods, and I combed around. Almost all the steel plants are owned by Indians, Lebanese, and Chinese,” he said. “So I said, okay, Ibrahim [Mahama] has gone into cement production; I’ll go into steel. And I have built that plant.”
The former Assin Central MP concluded that if given the opportunity to lead the NPP and the country, he would prioritize industrialization, job creation, and entrepreneurship — policies he believes will put “money directly into the pockets” of ordinary Ghanaians.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Bolgatanga
