Prez Mahama asks for renewal of mandate to complete agenda
President John Mahama has asked the people of the Northern Region to renew his four-year mandate to enable him to complete his transformation agenda for Ghanaians.
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That agenda, he explained, sought to provide the country with infrastructure for a successful economic take-off.
The President said his second term in office would focus on the economic transformation of the country that would bring wealth and prosperity to Ghanaians.
Salaga rally
He said his first term in office focused on the provision of roads, transportation, education and health infrastructure, as well as other economic and social infrastructure which was necessary for the economic take-off of the nation.
President Mahama made the call when he addressed a rally of supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Salaga yesterday in the East Gonja District in the Northern Region, on the first day of his five-day campaign tour of that region.
The President, who received a rousing welcome to his native region when he arrived at Salaga, also interacted with market women at the Salaga Market and other members of the public, during which he told them about the policies and programmes being pursued by the government to bring about an industrial and economic transformation of the country.
Student nurse allowance
President Mahama said the government was working hard to create more jobs for the youth and called on them to support his transformational agenda by retaining him in office.
He hinted that the government would reactivate the allowance paid to student nurses.
Consequently, he said a committee had been set up to look into the issue.
He countered a rumour circulating in the media that the government had frozen employment and said the government would continue to expand health training institutions for them to train more personnel to, among other things, ensure quality health delivery across the country.
President Mahama said about 1,600 Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds and 36 health institutions had been established with the provision of 6,000 new hospital beds across the country to take on about 12,000 new jobs in the health sector.
President Mahama debunked the assertion that the National Health Insurance (NHIS) had collapsed, saying that the service received nine million visitations in 2008 and 29 million in 2015. He added that the high patronage of the scheme was an indication of how vibrant it was.
Tamale-Salaga-Makango road
President Mahama said the Tamale-Salaga-Makango roads were under construction to ease the stress farmers go through when conveying their produce to the market.
He said work on the road was expected to be completed by the latter part of next year.
Earlier on his arrival at Salaga, President Mahama paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Kpembe Traditional Area, Kpembe-Wura, Bismark Haruna Dari, at his palace.
The President said the traditional area would get its fair share of development projects to enhance the living conditions of the people.
Kpembe-Wura Dari indicated that the President needed support to enable him to complete the numerous projects across the country to improve lives.