Presidential aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Afriyie Akoto, believes that he is winning the flagbearership race.
According to Dr Akoto, he is optimistic due to the intelligence he has received from his agents at the over 300 polling stations.
“It is rather the information I am getting from my agents across the centres is a good indication that victory is coming to us,” he said.
Before the former Agriculture Minister had the opportunity to conclude his submission, laughter was heard in the background.
Voting ended at 2 p.m., and counting is presently taking place. In some areas, counting has come to an end, and some provisional results have been provided.
So far, the flagbearer contest is between Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
Dr Afriyie Akoto and Francis Addai-Nimoh have struggled to obtain a significant number of votes.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, an aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidacy, has unveiled his economic empowerment plan for women and a strong commitment to advancing gender equality within the party.
During a gathering with media representatives in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, on the sidelines of his meeting with Electoral Area Coordinators from his campaign team, Dr. Akoto outlined his strategy to tap into the economic potential of women and enhance their active participation within the NPP.
He acknowledged women as a vital driving force behind a thriving economy and recognized their pivotal role in contributing to the party’s success, considering that the 2021 Population and Housing Census data reveals a higher female population in Ghana, with 400,000 more females than males.
Dr. Akoto aims to leverage this demographic strength and prioritize women’s involvement in the party’s activities.
The former Minister of Food and Agriculture, who is also a Cambridge University Scholar, committed to empowering women within the party and addressing the issue of inadequate funding for the women’s wing.
A major focus of Dr. Akoto’s plan is the economic empowerment of women, especially those involved in agriculture. Given the significant number of female smallholder farmers in Ghana, he plans to provide them with essential resources, including farming tools, fertilizers, and technological expertise to improve their economic well-being.
Recognizing the vital roles women play throughout the economic value chain, he intends to enhance institutions like the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) to support these efforts. He emphasized that women play crucial roles in the value chain, including as intermediaries who make substantial contributions to the economy.
Dr. Akoto expressed his commitment to empowering these women, underlining the profound positive impact such empowerment can have on the nation’s economy.
During his interactions with Electoral Area Coordinators, he emphasized the crucial role of grassroots delegates in selecting the party’s presidential candidate. He appealed to their sense of responsibility, urging their support as the candidate who understands the people’s needs and offers practical solutions to address their concerns.
The NPP is set to hold its National Delegates Conference on November 4, 2023, to choose a presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto is the third candidate on the ballot paper and is actively seeking the support of over 210,000 delegates in his quest to lead the NPP and potentially the nation.
As the election draws nearer, Dr. Akoto’s promises to empower women and reform the NPP are likely to be central issues in the party’s internal election, which will ultimately determine its direction and leadership for the upcoming national elections.
Flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has expressed his concerns about favoritism within the party and its potential negative effects as the November 4 delegates’ congress approaches.
He emphasized the need for a fair and level playing field, highlighting how it can promote party unity and prepare the NPP for the upcoming election against the NDC.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on October 25, 2023, Dr. Afriyie Akoto underscored that orchestrating the November 4 Congress to benefit one candidate might have adverse consequences.
“I am prepared to give the benefit of the doubt and hope that everything will be alright because the implication of all this is the unity of the people.
“If we are not seen to be having a level playing field after 4th November, it is going to be very difficult to unite the party against the NDC, and for me, that is my worry,” myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto, in response to Alan Kyerematen’s resignation from the party, acknowledged the reasons cited for his departure. He noted that, in contrast to Kyerematen’s approach, he believes that corrective measures can be implemented under the leadership of Mike Ocquaye, who serves as the chairman of the presidential election committee.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto expressed concern about the public endorsements of one candidate by government appointees, parliamentarians, and party managers, which contradicts established guidelines.
“Of course, I don’t manage information the way he has done and I still believe that with a person like Mike Ocqyaye in charge, things can be corrected.
“But we have rules and regulations which say that if you are a party official you don’t come out to say that you are supporting this person or that person but look at what is happening.
“The whole government, the whole parliament, the whole party, most of the party managers, and so on have come out openly to say that they support one person and it goes against the rules.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, a potential flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has voiced his concern regarding the party’s prospects in the upcoming 2024 election. He contends that the NPP is presently confronted with a substantial risk of losing the election, primarily due to a declining sense of enthusiasm among its core supporters.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto conveyed these concerns during a media engagement in Kumasi, where he is presently engaged in a tour ahead of the November 4th delegates’ conference. He underscored the prevalent low morale among NPP activists throughout the country, who had initially harbored expectations of experiencing an improved quality of life. This prevailing sentiment, according to him, signals that the party may encounter challenges in securing a successful electoral outcome in the upcoming election and breaking the eight-year cycle.
“It is clear to me that morale is very low. The expectation of our activists around the country for a better life has not been realised so the NPP is not in a good place to contest to retain power next year and we have to address this issue seriously.”
In an appeal to the party delegates, he urged them to make their votes count during the November 4th conference by electing him as the party leader.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto underscored the integral connection between his leadership and the well-being and success of the NPP. He highlighted his profound comprehension of grassroots issues, which he has gained through his tenure as a Member of Parliament in Kwadaso, Kumasi. This practical experience positions him as a candidate who can address the party’s challenges effectively and work towards its prosperity.
“Anybody who aspires to bear the flag of the NPP, that should be the priority. I have a very clear understanding of the problems on the ground, I have been a member of Parliament at Kwadaso so I understand the concerns expressed by activists on the ground.”
Senior Research Fellow Professor Smart Sarpong, from Kumasi Technical University, has provided counsel to Dr. Afriyie Akoto, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture and a hopeful candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer position, as well as his competitor, Addai-Nimoh.
Professor Sarpong advised them to thoroughly assess their chances in the competition and contemplate withdrawing if they believe their prospects are limited. This guidance follows Alan Kyerematen’s recent decision to withdraw from the NPP’s flagbearer race, citing intimidation and other factors.
During a panel discussion on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on September 6, 2023, Professor Sarpong recommended that Dr. Afriyie Akoto and Addaih Nimoh draw inspiration from Kyerematen’s actions and engage in a self-evaluation of their potential in the race.
He underscored the significance of recognizing one’s strengths and level of preparedness when entering the political arena. Professor Sarpong encouraged the candidates to carefully evaluate their capacity to secure a victory in the competition and, if it appears insufficient, to contemplate stepping aside.
“In fact, last week I said that the fourth and fifth aspirants (Afriyie Akoto and Addaih Nimoh) should also look at themselves and do tactical alignment, and I will plead that based on what Chief (Alan Kyerematen) has done, they should draw their minds onto a serious assessment,” Professor Sarpong stated.
“They should sit down and reflect on their chances in the competition, and if they realize that it isn’t encouraging, then the best way for them is to pull out. They should step aside because the goal is to go and win. So, if you check your strength and preparation and you realize that can’t guarantee you a win, then they should do an assessment and use guidance from passages like Luke Chapter 14, verses 18 to 32. Everyone going for a battle must prepare very well and know what to do. So, if you check and that won’t help you, then you should step aside.”
On September 5, 2023, Alan Kyerematen formally declared his withdrawal from the race, citing a range of reasons for his decision. Among these reasons was the alleged intimidation of delegates that occurred during the Super Delegates Conference held on August 26, 2023.
A flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has unveiled a business plan that aims to provide financial resources to the party and create employment opportunities for its members.
The plan involves setting up businesses owned by the party at the national, regional and constituency levels.
Dr Akoto, a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, said these businesses would compete for contracts in the market and generate profits for the party and its members.
He said this would end the suffering of the party members and make the party more robust and competitive in the global environment.
He called his plan: ‘Linking party to government’.
Interaction
Dr Akoto shared his visionwith the party delegates from the Cape Coast South constituency during his Central Regional campaign tour last week.
The tour, which started at Gomoa West constituency, also took him to Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam constituency.
He was accompanied by two co-campaign Chairmen, Alfred Boye, a former Greater Accra NPP Regional Chairman, and Ken-Wuud Nuworsu, a former NPP Volta Regional Chairman; the National Coordinator of the campaign team, Peter Oteng Darko, and Campaign Spokesperson, Dr Prince Sodoke Amuzu.
Dr Akoto, a former two-term Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, told the delegates that workers in all the party-owned businesses would be party members.
“At the constituency level, the managing director of the company will be the constituency chairman while the board members will be the council of elders or elders of the party.
We [referring to the government] will award contracts to these businesses to make them profitable.
You are going to be gainfully employed in this setup, and all your suffering will be a thing of the past”, he said.
He added “with this machinery in place, when something happens at the constituency level, you don’t need to call anybody to bring their contributions because there will be enough to take care of contingency issues”.
Deception
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto urged the delegates not to fall for candidates who promised to pay salary to polling station executives or give 10 appointments each to all the 275 constituencies if they became flag bearer of the party and President of Ghana.
“Don’t let anyone deceive you of paying you salary when he is elected.
It is a fallacy.
What I have outlined is sustainable and the best way to resource you financially.
My vision is the best.
It is globally accepted and is done in the US, UK, and South Africa and all the advanced countries.
When the companies are set up, we will give the contracts to executives to generate profit to take care of our members”, he explained.
He further said none of his competitors had a better solution for their plight than him, stressing that “I have served the NPP well in all capacities and I feel your burden more than any other of the flag bearer aspirants.
A vote for me will bring all these sufferings to an end because I understand what you are going through at the polling stations”.
Former food and agriculture minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akotois certain that Ghana can reduce its reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if it gives the agriculture sector greater attention.
Speaking to the media, on March 15, Dr Akoto said the country’s economic fortunes can be improved by the agriculture industry.
“To be permanently out of the hands of these international institutions and bilateral donors we must focus on the agric sector; the literature is clear from which sector developed nations focused their energy,” he said.
“We’ve been mining gold for over 100 years, what has that gotten us. Oil same, we’re still in the hands of the IMF,” Akoto told the host Kwaku Nhyira-Addo.
“We’ve been borrowing heavily on the Eurobond marketfor the past few years. So, we shouldn’t go on that illusion that mining will take us out. We discovered oil during former president Kufuor’s time, what has that gotten us? Has it gotten us out of the clutches of the IMF?” Akoto asked.
The Independent Ghana is reliably informed that Minister for Food and Agriculture Owusu Afriyie Akotohas resigned from his position.
Dr Afriyie Akoto reportedly tendered his resignation letter to the President later today, Tuesday, January 10.
The reasons for his resignation are not immediately known, but sources have revealed that the Minister wants to focus on his Presidential bid ahead of the 2024 elections.
The Minister according to source met President Akufo-Addo later today to hand over his resignation letter.
His decision comes days after Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen resigned from his position to focus on his presidential ambitions.
Dr Afriyie Akoto served as a Member of Parliament for the Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region for two terms.
In Parliament, he held the position of Deputy Ranking Member and subsequently the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs until 2017 when he was appointed the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
In November 2022, in the midst of economic challenges and rising food prices, Dr Afriyie Akoto implemented the controversial Planting for Food and Jobs policy at the premises of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to sell cheaper foods to Ghanaians.
Profile of Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto
Honourable Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto graduated from the University of Ghana (Legon) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. He obtained his M.Sc. and PhD degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Cambridge, England.
He worked as an Economist, Senior Economist, Principal Economist, and Chief Economic Advisor over a period of 18 years at the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in London, England. He has also worked as a consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations on Soft Commodities (Cocoa, Coffee, Sugar).
Between 1995 and 2007, he was the CEO of two international commodity companies, Goldcrest Commodities Limited and Plantation Resources Limited both based in Ghana.
In 2007 he was appointed the Chairman of the NPP manifesto committee and was the principal author of the Party’s Manifesto for the 2008 elections. He was subsequently elected as a member of parliament in 2008. He spent two terms as a Member of Parliament for Kwadaso Constituency in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. In Parliament, he held the position of Deputy Ranking Member and subsequently the substantive Ranking Member for the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs until 2017.
In 2017 he was appointed the Minister for Food and Agriculture.
In this role he has spearheaded the design and implementation of the Government of Ghana’s popular and transformational agricultural flagship programme, Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ). Under the leadership of Hon. Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto Ghana has been transformed into the breadbasket of the West.
In 2019, Ghana was ranked fourth on the African continent by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) in its Global Food Security Index (GFSI). In that year (2019) the sector grew strongly by 4.7% followed by 7.4% at peak of the covid in 2020 and 8.4% in 2021 – the highest annual performance in the Fourth Republic. This sterling performance compares with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s (CAADP) benchmark target of 6% growth of agriculture for the attainment of national food security
Maize production reached 3.4 million tonnes in 2021 from 1.7 million tonnes in 2016; and rice production nearly doubled to 1.2 million metric tonnes from 665,000 metric tonnes in 2016 under the PFJ.
Under his leadership an Act of Parliament established the Tree Crop Development Authority in 2020, to coordinate and promote the development of six tree crops – cashew, rubber, oil palm, coconut, mango and shea. At full development, these selected crops have the combined potential of generating an additional USD12 billion per annum to supplement the annual USD2 billion from cocoa.
He has also initiated a Bill in parliament for the establishment of the Grains Development Authority and has already prepared a memorandum for cabinet consideration of the Bill which will substantially increase loanable funds to agriculture and its value chains. Also in the pipeline are draft Cabinet memoranda for the establishment of the Horticultural Development Authority and Poultry Development Authority
He oversaw the re-launch of the National Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme through which a total farm area of 56,343 hectares has been fully treated across the cocoa growing regions as of 30th September 2022. As a result of the success of the programme, thousands of farmers who had abandoned their cocoa farms due to the devastating effect of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) have returned to their farms.
Since 2017, Hon. Dr. Akoto has directed substantial budgetary resources to the construction and rehabilitation of 12 irrigation schemes of which 6 are above 90% complete, five are between 45% to 70% level of completion and the Pwalugu dam is currently at a level of 5%. Together, these irrigation projects will make available 31,415 hectares of land for all year-round crop production when completed.
Through his initiative, measures taken by the Government to address major marketing problems in the agriculture sector include the construction of 80 warehouses of 1000 metric tonne capacity each for food storage and to reduce post-harvest losses.
In his bid to accelerate the process of agricultural modernization, he, instituted several bilateral arrangements that resulted in the importation of assorted agricultural machinery including tractors, power tillers, planters, threshers, combine harvesters and hand-held equipment for smallholder farmers at a total of over $100 million. These farm equipment and machinery are being sold at a subsidized rate of 40% to farmers and agro-processors.
Dr. Akoto has implemented the construction of three greenhouse training centres with an attached commercial unit at Dawhenya, Akumadan and Bawjiase for training youth in high-quality vegetable production. These vegetables are sold to high end shops such as Palace Mall, Shoprite, Starbites, KFC and Burger King in Tema, Accra and Kumasi.
For his transformational leadership, the Hon. Dr. Akoto has won several awards and appointments of recognition. In February 2019, AFRICAN SEEDS which is the intergovernmental Seed Agency of the African Union, conferred on him the title of SEED CHAMPION OF AFRICA.
In the same 2019, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Inter African Coffee Organisation (IACO), a pan-African organisation promoting the interest of coffee producers on the continent.
He is the immediate past Chairman of the ECOWAS Specialised Ministerial Technical Council for Agriculture (CTMS Agric) and, was unanimously appointed Chairman of the Steering Committee for the newly established Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative.
ie Member of Parliament for the Buem constituency, Kofi Adams is threatening to haul the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Owusu Afriyie Akoto before the Privileges Committee.
He contends that the Minister peddled falsehood on the floor of Parliament when he made contradictory remarks on two different occasions on whether or not equipment was imported into the country for the cultivation of maize.
Speaking to Citi News, Kofi Adamscalled on the Minister to apologize or face the Privileges Committee.
“I will be applying to the Speaker for the Minister to be referred to the Privileges Committee unless he comes back to withdraw his earlier answer and apologize before I initiate that process. But clearly, we have to test the provisions in our standing orders and the constitution.â€
Recently, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisudemanded the urgent summoning of the Minister for Food and Agriculture over the state of the poultry industry in the country.
According to him, the scarcity of ingredients like maize for poultry feed and other teething challenges is gradually crippling the sector.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has left Ghana and the rest of the world short of important grains.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has publicly expressed concern about the shortage of fertiliser and its relationship with the production of grains.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Friday, June 17, 2022, Mr. Iddrisubemoaned the current state of the poultry industry and underscored the need for urgent action.
“There is a seeming problem with the poultry industry in Ghana. Poultry farmers have difficulty accessing what they call poultry feed,†the Minority Leader said.
He noted that the closure of some poultry-related businesses because of some difficulties had come to his attention.
“We are already an unacceptable net importer of poultry when we have the capacity and capability to produce the poultry that we need,†Mr. Iddrisu said.
He noted further that the poultry industry “remains a major source of employment apart from satisfying the protein needs of Ghanaians.â€
In 2021, chicken imports were estimated at 350,000 metrictonnes.
According to forecasts for 2022, imports of chicken could rise to 400,000 metric tonnes.
Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto has projected that the country would have reached self-sufficiency with about 29,000 metric tonnes as surplus to spare by 2023.
He said rice production had jumped from 138,000 metric tonnes in 2016 to 665,000 in 2019.
He He attributed this achievement to the introduction of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative introduced by the Akufo-Addo administration.
The PFJ programme is a Government of Ghana (GoG) designed and implemented programme aiming to promote growth in food production and create jobs across the country.
The programme is structured around 5 Pillars. These include: ¬ Seed; ¬ Fertilizer; ¬ Extension Services; ¬ Marketing; and ¬ e-Fertilizer & Monitoring
Dr Akoto Afryie said : “With all these, within two years, the country would be self-sufficient in rice production so there will be no need for us to spend the millions of dollars a year to import rice,†he said.
The minister disclosed this during an interaction with farmer groups and value chain operators in the agricultural sector in the Bono, Bono East and the Ashanti regions, last week.
He was accompanied by one of his deputies, Mr George Oduro, and sectional directors of the ministry.
Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Afriyie Owusu Akoto will be taking his turn as he addresses the issue of profiteering by several traders in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
There has been an outcry by several Ghanaians, as the increase in demand for basic food items and services have resulted in the insane spike of their prices on the markets.
Some parts of the country are currently on lockdown for 14 days as a containment measure directed by the President to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.
As at March 29, Ghana has recorded 152 confirmed cases, 5 deaths and 2 recoveries.
CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority Mr Akwasi Agyeman explained that food sellers at the local level, market women who deal in food items were not prohibited but people would not be allowed to sit and eat at food joints.
The NDC in the Savanna Region is up in arms against comments made by Agriculture Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, that northerners have roof over their heads because of planting for Food and Jobs programme.
The Agric Minister in a recent interview sought to suggest that many people up north recruited into the Planting for Food and Jobs Program and as a result, have been able to roof houses with modernized roofing sheets, build cement block houses and buy motorbikes.
A statement signed by Malik Basintale, Communications Officer for the NDC in the Savanna Region, described the comments as unfortunate and disrespectful.
According to the statement, NPP government has ventured into a derogatory spree and deliberately subjected the five northern regions to insults and denigrations to disrespect indigenes there. In recent time past, former deputy minister for Agric, Mr. William Quaitoo also rein insults on northerners.
It said, beside the comments by the minister being false, it tends to disregard the northern people as humans.
“We find these statements very insulting and grossly disrespectful to us indigenes of the Northern parts of the country and as such we give the minister for food and agriculture Mr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, an ultimatum of 24hours to retract and apologize for the denigration or face the consequences.â€
“Failure to do so, we call for his outright dismissal and demand an unqualified apology from the government for the misconduct,†it added.
Surprisingly, the acclaim saviour: planting for food and jobs has not benefitted a single soul in the region, the statement said.
“We challenge the minister for food and Agriculture, Mr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto to point to us one person and one farm that has been successful in the planting for food and jobs program up north and the cement houses built, the modernized roofing sheets used and the motorbikes bought as a result of the program.â€
