President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the government will do whatever it takes to ensure that the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful atmosphere.
He said Ghana’s reputation as “a country of peace and stability where elections are held in a good atmosphere and results are easily acceptable by all and sundry” would not be compromised during this election period.
President Akufo-Addo made these remarks yesterday when members of the Ziavi Traditional Council in the Volta Region called on him at the Jubilee House in Accra.
While commending the President for his commitment to ensure a comprehensive development of the country, the traditional leaders presented a number of petitions to him, and appealed to him to help ensure a peaceful atmosphere during the campaign and election period.
In response, the President said “I want to assure you that the government is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that the forthcoming campaign and election are conducted in a good atmosphere in our country”.
“Ghana is today a beacon of democracy on the African continent and this year I am determined to do whatever I can to consolidate that reputation for as a country of peace and stability where elections are held in good atmosphere and results are easily acceptable by all and sundry, winners and losers alike”.
President Akufo-Addo said he was elected to office through a free, fair and credible election and added that he owed it to the country to ensure that the next election was conducted in a similar manner.
On a request by the chiefs for the government’s support to increase the production of a local coffee called “Ziavi Tutui” in their area, President Akufo-Addo said the Ministries of Trade and Industry, and Food and Agriculture would consider their request and give the farmers the necessary support.
“Coffee is one of the areas we want to really pay attention to,” he said and indicated that the Tree Crop Authority which was established by an Act of Parliament late last year would help boost the production of tree crops like coffee.
He urged the Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa, to develop modalities on how the government could assist the community to produce the Ziavi Tutui coffee under the One District One Factory initiative.
Touching on the road condition in their area, President Akufo-Addo pledged to ensure that the problem got the attention of the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the necessary action to be taken.
The Paramount Chief of the Ziavi Traditional Area, Togbe Kwaku Ayim, expressed gratitude to the government for granting them a traditional council status and expressed the commitment to support the government’s development agenda.
The Paramount Chief honoured the President with a citation for his development efforts, saying that the “President’s administration over the past three years has been excellent, but more still needs to be done”.
BY YAW KYEI
