His Excellency President Atta Mills last week Thursday, declared the coming year, 2011, as an Action Year.
Receiving a Chinese Business Delegation at the Castle, Osu, led by Mr. Fan Bing, MD of Standard Bank, the World’s biggest Bank, President Atta Mills stated that in vigorously pursuing the NDC Administration’s Better Ghana agenda, the year 2011, will be an “Action Year”.

According to the President, Ghana does not have the “luxury of time” hence the need to make sure that next year sees a solid a massive infrastructure expansion and industrialization take-off.

In the wake of the President’s declaration and decisively watering down the attempt by IMANI Ghana’s Executive Director, Franklin Cudjoe, to create the impression that President Atta Mills is making a mere political statement, Koku Anyidoho has made the point that Ghanaians will see for themselves whether their President is being sincere with his declaration or just throwing dust into their eyes.

Speaking on Joy FM’s News Night Programme last Thursday, Koku Anyidoho said that true to the President’s declaration of 2011 being an Action Year, massive infrastructure development will take place. “Next year is the year that we will see, the Volta University, the Brong Ahafo University, the Kotokraba market, the Cape Coast Stadium, and the Eastern Corridor road come alive” Koku said.

“Major rehabilitation works at our ports, more schools, more hospitals as well as massive housing projects will also begin” Koku said further. “Dzifa, once these massive projects begin simultaneously, you can be sure that lots of jobs will be created. Steel benders, masons, carpenters, building technologists, engineers, architects, labourers, food vendors, etc, will all visibly feel that the Better Ghana plan is strongly on course” the Head of Communications at the Presidency added.

According to Koku Anyidoho President Atta Mills is very conscious of the respect that majority of Ghanaians have for his integrity and so will not use political propaganda to destroy his integrity. “The President means what he said and next year by this time, you will see for yourselves that President Atta Mills is not a man of cheap political talk; he is a man of his words” Koku said.

Asked to comment on the revelation by IMANI Ghana that Kufuor bequeathed to President Atta Mills an economy worse than the Greek economy, Koku Anyidoho said that it is interesting to note that after almost 2 years of running away from the true facts, IMANI Ghana is now being true to the facts.

“President Atta Mills has continued to make the point that he inherited an extremely challenged and we thank God that IMANI has now decided to add its voice to the voice of those who know the extent to which the economy was dead by the end of 2008” Koku said. Making the point further, Koku Anyidoho said “President Atta Mills inherited an asphyxiated economy and has spent the last two years giving the economy enough oxygen for it to get back to life.

In spite of that, a lot of developmental work is going on but next year will see greater works”. On the issue of Franklin Cudjoe saying that it is wrong for President Atta Mills to declare next year an Action Year because of the massive support coming from China, Mr. Anyidoho said he could not figure out where IMANI was coming from with that line of reasoning.

“President Atta Mills wants to invest in people, expand infrastructure, create jobs, and build a Better Ghana and if the Chinese want to support us, what is the problem with that?” Koku asked rhetorically. “The important things is that the President puts the funds to judicious use; and that is what President Mills is committed to” Koku said. “All in all, it is heartening to note that IMANI Ghana, a strong voice critical of Government, is admitting that President Kufuor left the economy in tatters and that President Atta Mills inherited a bad economy.

If President Atta Mills inherited such a bad economy and has stabilsed it so admirably without any financial bailout, then Ghanaians should continue to thank God Almighty for giving us a very focused and level-headed President who means well for the nation and does not mean well for himself, his family, cronies, and assigns” Mr. Anyidoho said.

According to Koku Anyidoho, with God on the side of President Atta Mills, come 2012, Ghanaians will look at the good works of the President and overwhelmingly renew his mandate to build an even Better Ghana. “Ghanaians are very discerning and in 2012, they will compare the work of a focused President with the cynicism cum vile propaganda of an opposition that is not interested in the forward march of the country and renew the mandate of President Atta Mills for a second term” Koku concluded.

The Informer