Leader of political movement, The New Force, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, has clarified his earlier comments about dredging the sea to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
During a recent interview while touring the Ashanti Region, Mr. Bediako sparked controversy by suggesting intentions to extend the sea from the coast to the inland city.
However, in an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on April 10, he explained that his plan was not to extend the sea but to dredge a canal.
He clarified that dredging a canal would enhance industrialization and improve transportation at the port, ultimately aiming to enhance port accessibility for the efficient transportation of goods as part of a broader economic industrialization policy. Additionally, he noted that this initiative would reduce pressure on land transport by heavy-duty vehicles.
“I want Ghanaians to understand that I’m here to build a country. My vision is very clear. That’s how clear my vision is. I can see that development is going to happen this way because you need to connect your water bodies.
“Why do you think your colonial master is hiding that secret from you? But when you go to his country, he’s connected all his waters. He calls them Thames, Canals, Ferry, Woolwich, and secretly he’s transporting things on there,” he said.
Cheddar clarified that when he mentioned dredging to Kumasi, he was referring to a canal and not extending the sea. He further pointed out that if there had already been industrialization in areas like Ada, some development would have taken place.
“If you drill and connect a sea to any river, the name for it, which will be in development, will be a canal.
“Yes, canal. Now, a canal can have any sort of river, lagoon, sea, whatever that it is. And look, when you go to Ada, the water in Ada shares border right with the sea, right there. The opportunity is we could have created a harbor there if there was already industrialisation in those areas,” he added.
The businessman dismissed claims that it was impossible.
“I mean you guys make it look like it’s unaffordable, it’s unacceptable and it cannot be done. [It’s a long time.] No, it’s not. Actually, I’ll tell you. Look, a vision without action is a mere dream.
“You and the dreamer, there’s no difference. That’s what a visionary is, if you have a vision and you can’t find a way to activate the vision, if you don’t apply action, it’s a useless vision. It can be done.
“Once you decide to do it, it gets done. Now, why do I have the confidence to say so? Because I’ve done things. I have raised the first 16th-floor building in a place where they started building one floor, two floors, one floor, and two floors.
“I came and I went, and I put two floors underneath it. On one and a half plots, I put 108 apartments,” he added.