Former President John Dramani Mahama, flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has said the next government under his leadership will ensure disciplined management of national resources.
He said Ghana faces avoidable challenges, such as the destruction of Ghanaian-owned businesses due to poor policy decisions, and that the NDC has a clear strategy to reverse the trend and save the economy from further decline. .
Another challenge is divisive politics that slows down development, which must be avoided, he said.
Mr Mahama said this in a speech read on his behalf by former Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mr Sylvester Mensah, at the Mini Hogbetsosso Durbar in Jerkope, Volta Region.
He pledged the party’s commitment to reducing the cost of government and governance, creating more jobs and ensuring public accountability.
He said the NDC would also restore trust in public institutions, create opportunities for all and spend more time developing the Volta region in particular.
However, it was necessary for the people to answer the call, to come together and contribute to ending human suffering.
He said currency depreciation, electricity and water prices, and increases in value-added tax (VAT) were pushing up food prices and living costs, among other things.
Hogbetsotso, he observed, brought about the tenacity of Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands when it mattered most.
“One of the lessons from the story of Hogbetsotso is that Anro and the Ewe, and indeed all of our people, are freedom-loving people who hate oppression in any form.”
He added that history tells the story of how fugitives under the Togbui Agokori regime escaped peacefully and unnoticed, teaching them the importance of unity and the strength to overcome hardship. said.
βIn recent years, there have been deliberate attempts to disenfranchise people in the Volta Region, and in the last voter registration exercise, the military was used to intimidate people into not registering,β Mahama said.
Therefore, the importance of Hogvetsotso, which is not limited to resilience and fortitude, must be demonstrated and supported by citizens.
Hogbetsotso is a festival that signifies the escape of Anro and the other ewes from the ruthless rule of Togbui Agorkoli, who relentlessly imposed inhuman tasks on the people.