Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, Hon. George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, has indicated that his intention to contest for the 2020 election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is to transform the country positively in all aspects of the economy.

He established that Ghana needs to be developed with the adequate natural resources it has.

In an interview with http://www.newslinegh.com, Hon. Hagan pointed out that Ghanaian leaders must be responsible in engaging in a transformational agenda, in developing the country for the benefit of generations to come.

Stating that he is in the presidential race of the NDC so he could rescue Ghana from the economic hardship.

In his statement, he pointed out that the economy of Ghana can only be developed with competent and innovative leaders, who can engage in ventures, capable of transforming the economy.

Abilities

Mr. Ricketts-Hagan stated that the country needs a personality with innovate ideas to change the phase of the economy and that, his level of knowledge in governance structure will direct him to transform the economy.

“I am joining the race with a fresh blood and fresh mind. I have what it takes to transform the economy. I will target key sectors of the economy and develop them”. He disclosed.

Explaining why he is in the race, Hon. Ricketts-Hagan said, “We went into an election in 2016 and lost. We have come back to the drawing board to strengthen ourselves with new ideas, with new vision and that is what I believe. I will be able to offer my ideas to the party. I have taken almost one year, since we lost the elections to do some retrospection of what has gone wrong with our dear party and the possibilities for the future. I am taken the necessary steps on how we can reset and reposition our party strongly and strategically to stand a chance of winning power again”.

Hon. Hagan however, indicated that he is ready to support any candidate that will win the presidential primaries, if he is not elected by the party.

The NDC’s flagbearer Hopeful also took a swipe on the Akufo-Addo led NPP government for inflicting Ghanaians with economic hardship, pointing out that, “the current state of the economy indicates that the change Ghanaians voted for in 2016 was shortchanged, and therefore needed a fresh face with good policies to redeem the country”.

He further added that the current government promised Ghanaians of a positive change but rather, the economy is in shambles.

“This current administration has nothing good for Ghanaians. They promised Ghanaians of a better economy and a better life. But the economy is worse under this administration”. He lamented.

On Land and Housing

Ghana’s housing deficit is currently Seven million, and many people still sleep on the streets of the cities, posing danger to their health.

Renting in the cities is another challenge for tenants, since homeowners determine the period of rent without applying the rent laws.

This vociferous Candidate in his interview, stated that the idea of selling lands and houses in the cities are wrong practices and that, lands in the cities of the regions are limited.

He reechoed that the best practice for the country is for the government to construct high rise buildings and rent them out to the youths of certain age bracket of the working class.

“What we can do as a country is to establish these high rise buildings and rent them to the youths in the working class for a certain period of time, for them to build their own homes at the outskirts of Accra. When the time is due, they can then move to their own homes for other youth group to occupy the high rise buildings. These high rise building would never be sold to anyone. It would be affordable to rent”. The lawmaker revealed.

 

On Agriculture

On Agriculture, Hon. Ricketts-Hagan espoused that the economy of the country can be stable if much attention is given to agriculture.

He reiterated that the current contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country is very low, and that is one of the major contributory factors to the fall of the cedi and other macroeconomic indicators.

He stated that, subsistence farming is not enough to transform the country, but commercialization of agriculture contributes massively to the development of the economy.

He further explained that the quantum of cocoa production in the country is not enough and that, farmers must be resourced to produce on commercial basis.

“The two countries noted for the production of cocoa beans are Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire. But Ghana is producing lower as compare to Cote D’Ivoire. My intention is to intensify large commercial production of cocoa. I will resource farmers for large commercialization of cocoa”. He emphasized.

 

Import/Export

On Import and Export, Hon. Ricketts-Hagan stated the country must focus on more import than export and that, he is committed to refine more of the raw materials in the country to generate income.

In his submission, he asserted that the number of import must be minimized to meet the standard of export to better the economy of Ghana.

“As a country, we must focus on processing our own raw materials in large quantities and export for income generation to stabilize the economy”. He pointed out.

 

Fight against Corruption

On fighting corruption in the country, Hon. Hagan indicated that corruption is due to systemic failure from the base and must be solved from its root.

He established that responsibilities of people to deliver their mandate has always been a determinant of corruption, since they want to demand money before executing their responsibility.

He however, submitted that corruption is not only found in the public sector but found among individuals in the discharge of their duties, which He has identified a well planned policies and ideas to eradicate the canker, if elected to lead the NDC to victory in 2020 elections.

Source: http://www.newslinegh.com

 

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