Job creation, industrialization are my priorities – Nana Afena Nketia

Nana Afena Nketia II, the Twafohene of Techiman Traditional Area, is calling on delegates in the Bono East Region who will be selecting the region’s representative to the Council of State to vote massively for him in the supreme interest of the area.

Come Friday, February 12, 2021, each of the 16 regions would be required to elect one representative to the Council of State as required by law.

Nana Afena Nketia II, who is known in private life as Fred Zeini, is an accomplished businessman who owns and runs a number of businesses in the country, and believes that the Bono East region has the potential to become the economic hub of Ghana if the numerous natural resources in the area are properly harnessed and developed.

For instance, he said, cashew which is one of the major non-traditional crops widely grown in the region could be harnessed to address the high unemployment situation, especially among the youth, which usually compel some of them to migrate to the big cities and even to Libya through the Sahara desert.

He told our correspondent in an interview that, if he is elected as the Bono East representative in the Council of State, he would prioritize the setting up of cashew processing factory in the region to add value to the commodity while creating numerous job opportunities for people along the value chain.

“My main focus would be to industrialize the Bono Region, which is one of the newly-created regions, to create more jobs for the people and also to economically empower them to lead decent lives. Even though the region is very young, it has the potential to develop at an accelerated rate and I’ll do my best to help the region develop as it should if I’m given the nod on Friday.”

Nana Afena Nketia also said he would seek for partnerships towards the revamping of the Tomato factory in the area to put the factory back to work.

“I will encourage the farmers to form out-grower associations and I’ll ensure that they are given the specific variety of tomato needed to feed the factory. Per my checks, when this is done, several thousands of people will earn a living out of that.”