By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
Flagbarer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Akosuah Frimpongmaa Sarpong Kumakumah, has pledged to revitalise the nation’s industrial sector and empower its citizens through a unique model of ownership and participation.
She was speaking at the Presidential Encounter organised by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), with support from the STAR Ghana Foundation, on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.
Nana Kumakumah lamented the current state of Ghana’s industries, citing the Komenda Sugar Factory as a prime example of failed projects.
“Over 30 something, 34 million dollars later, 10 years, under two administrations, the factory has not produced one single teaspoon of sugar,” she stated on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, expressing frustration over the lack of progress and accountability.
She promised a different approach, one that emphasises citizen-led initiatives and a rejection of the top-down model that has led to widespread industrial stagnation. “We would revive this, but we would do it with the ingenuity of the Ghanaians,” she stressed, encouraging citizens to take the reins of their economic future.
“To anybody, Ghanaians, this is your time; stop dreaming. Get up. Whatever it is that you have thought of. You know how to repair watches. You want to build an industry. That is it. Put it together,” she urged.
Frimpongmaa Sarpong Kumakumah outlined a vision for a decentralised model of industrialisation where individuals and communities can come together to build and operate businesses.
She pledged government support for these initiatives, offering funding and a secure platform for investment through blockchain technology. “It is powered with AI. It is powered with blockchain. That will make sure that whatever you put there, nobody else will take it,” she added.
She further pledged to address the challenges facing the informal sector, particularly women who carry goods on their heads, promising to provide opportunities and support to empower informal sector workers. “My dear sister, under my administration, that will be a thing of the past,” she added.
