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Letter To The President, Nana Akufo-Addo

By Bernard Nii Nortey Botchway
Opinion President Nana Akufo- Addo
MAR 21, 2018 LISTEN
President Nana Akufo- Addo

H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President of the Republic of Ghana
The Flagstaff House,
Accra, Ghana.
Dear Sir,
Re: One District One Factory
I hope this letter finds you in good health. Mr President, I am writing to call to your attention one of the promises which you made prior to your election. You and other members of the NPP made clear your plans to build a factory in every district of Ghana. Though I questioned the feasibility of it I welcomed the spirit of it. No one would argue with the benefits of each of the over 200 districts in Ghana gaining a factory. Some of these would include job creation, revenue generation and the secondary industries that would be created around such factories. Based on this promise, many Ghanaians flocked to the NPP and elected you to office.

Excellency, we the people still await work to be started on these factories. We are concerned that post-election, your government has been rather quiet on these factories. We were led to believe that these factories would be built by the government as was during the time of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. However, you have made it clear that these would rather be private sector driven. A fact that was rather lost in the run up to the election. Regardless of who is to build these, we would like to see them built. The benefits they bring will not discriminate against who builds them.

Sir, I would also appreciate if Ghanaians would be made aware of your detailed plan on how to power these factories. As I am sure you are well aware, Ghana has an energy deficit which successive governments have tried and failed to augment. A deficit which would have been bigger had Nkrumah listened to those who called the Akosombo Dam a needless prestige project. The industrialisation of any country requires significant energy production of which we are not currently capable. Yet, we propose to build and power over 200 factories. The citizenry would be most interested in how this feat is to be achieved. If for nothing, to will quell some doubters.

Mr President, factories and industries of the 21st century require skilled, technical labour. It is no secret that our technical and vocational schools are in shambles. There are little to no modern tools to teach current practical techniques. Hence, it begs the question as to who will be working in these factories. We cannot operate a 19th century factory and compete in the 21st century. Yet how can we built a 21st century factory without the right workforce to run it?

Knowing in confidence that you have appropriate and detailed responses to these reasonable enquiries of mine, I look forward to your reply. As always I commend you the Almighty.

Sincerely,
Bernard Nii Nortey Botchway

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