The former Minister for Food and Agriculture and flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has made an appeal to the delegates of the party to vote for him to become the flagbearer and represent the party in the 2024 general election.
Addressing the media and supporters who were present as he filed his nominations on June 19, 2023, the former agric minister indicated that the filing of his nomination is a pivotal landmark for the party and for the country if he should win.
“Today marks a landmark in my journey to bear the flag of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and with that, to lead this country into our future prosperity. Let me say here that everybody who has come here including representatives of farmers are here on their own accord. You can’t see any bus, or any big commercial vehicle bringing in people to come and support. The people here have come on their own volution and on their very strong conviction that my candidature for the flagbeareship of this party will be good for the New Patriotic Party and it will be good for the people of Ghana. For this, I am very grateful.
“With the heavy downpour this morning, I thought I will just come with my team but if you look at the teeming crowd which have gathered here including farmers and well-wishers and the huge turnout of the media, it really shows that the people of Ghana are interested in the policies of Owusu Afriyie Akoto,” he said.
Drawing from his track record as the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto noted that he could use the sector as a leverage to develop the country because of its potentials.
He believes Ghanaians have not been able to even scratch the surface of the sector.
“I can assure you, the same way I was able to bring agriculture to the frontline of policy discussions, it will be the same way that agriculture will be used to take us out of the clutches of the IMF. Because the Agric sector in this country has great potentials and we haven’t even scratched the surface of it.
“During the six years of my service in the Akufo-Addo government, we laid the foundations in terms of programmes, legislations, intellectual capacity, and all that, to build an agriculture which will provide the finances both foreign and local to fund our industrial development, our education, health and infrastructure including motorways, farm tracks and all the requirements that we need to make a good country,” he added.
The flagbearer hopeful called on the delegates of the party to consider his candidature and make him the flagbearer in the presidential primaries in August and November 2023 respectively.
“I am therefore assuring you all that having taken this first step today on the road to August 26 for the Super Delegates, I hope I am appealing to the delegates, polling station executives, the electoral area coordinators, the constituency executives, the regional executives, the national executives, the council of elders , the patriots abroad without branches all over the world, I am appealing to you that when the time comes, vote Owusu Afriyie Akoto to make this party great again and also turn things around to ensure that this country becomes possible,” he added.