I’ll curb corruption, alleviate poverty — Alfred Walker
The only independent presidential candidate in the 2020 election, Mr Alfred Asiedu Walker, has appealed to Ghanaians to vote for him to curb corruption and alleviate poverty in the country.
He said corruption hindered growth and made the citizens of a country poorer.
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Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, Mr Walker said ruling a country was about having a can-do attitude and not about rhetorics or making empty promises.
“That is why I have come to give hope to the people; everywhere I go, the people tell me they are tired and need change; I am that change you have all been waiting for.
“I want the people to compare their lives over the years and tell me whether they have got better. The answer is No. I will challenge anyone who tells me he or she is living a better life. As someone who comes from a different background and does not belong to any political party, give me the chance and I will get the job done,” he said.
Job creation
The presidential candidate also pledged to prioritise the strengths of each region and support it to develop by providing it with the requisite infrastructure for job creation.
“In alleviating poverty, the government must be the creator of jobs. Every region in this country has something unique that can be developed to create opportunities for job creation.
“That is not all; when voted into office, I will reactivate the Public Works Department (PWD) in the regions as well to create more jobs,” he said.
Mr Walker further said his government would establish more vocational and technical schools to train the youth in skills of their choice to enable them to fend for themselves.
On education, he acknowledged that even though the free senior high school policy was a good initiative, it needed to be restructured to better tap the potential of students for national development.
Political life
Mr Walker is not a stranger to Ghanaian politics. He wanted to contest the 2016 presidential election as an independent candidate but was disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) due to anomalies in his nomination forms.
In October this year, however, he successfully filed his papers to contest the 2020 elections as an independent presidential candidate.
He is number 12 on the ballot paper.
His running mate is Jacob Osei Yeboah (JOY), who contested previous presidential elections as an independent candidate.
Personal life
Mr Walker is the youngest of nine children in his family. His parents were Nana Kwame Okanta Obrantiri, a past Chief of Larteh Akuapem in the Eastern Region.
His mother, Madam Beatrice Amma Adobea Quashie, was the daughter of the Chief of Anum-Boso.
He was born at Larteh, where he had his basic education.
He had his secondary education at the Ghana National College in Cape Coast in the Central Region, from where he went to the United States, where he studied at the University of Illinois and graduated with a degree in Industrial Design in 1983.
He later enrolled in the North Carolina State University for further studies.
Mr Walker is married with children.
