In the December 2024 elections, the NDC won 15 out of the 17 Parliamentary Seats in the Western region.
President Mahama has therefore, thanked the people in his address at a grand durbar of the Chiefs and People of the region held at the Sekondi Methodist Park during his “Thank You Tour” of the region.
The nationwide tour, which began on Friday, January 24, in Ho, the Volta Regional Capital is to enable the President to express his appreciation to Ghanaians for the overwhelming support and trust reposed in him in the 2024 elections.
President Mahama said: “I wish to first give thanks to the Almighty God for protecting and preserving our lives and sparing us to assemble here today to give glory to his name.
“It is a great joy for me to stand here before you in the heart of the Western region, a land of immense promise, rich history and extraordinary potential.
“I am here with a deep sense of humility and gratitude to say a sincere thank you for the overwhelming support you showed me during the last election.”
He noted that Ghanaians’ trust and believe in his Government’s vision for resetting and renewing their country, was what had brought them that far, and that he does not take it for granted at all.
“Today I stand before you not just as your President, but as a son of this great land of ours, Ghana, and as a leader who believes in the potential of our people, and as a servant who is ready to work tirelessly to ensure that the Western region and Ghana as a whole, move forward into a future of prosperity, dignity and progress,” President Mahama stated.
“We will have the opportunity as a nation soon to pray and give thanks to the Almighty God, as enjoined by the Holy Book that says that in all things give thanks.”
The President, who also thanked God for his beautiful blessings on the nation, said he would soon announce a planning committee made up of religious leaders to plan the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving.
He proposed that this National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving should be held on July 1, which was also Ghana’s Republic Day and also marks Senior Citizens Day.
He said, he would soon present to Parliament amendments to the Public Holidays Act in order that they could restore July 1 as a holiday.
“In the amendment of the Public Holidays Act, we shall also make provision to fulfill our promise to the Muslim community of an extra holiday to mark the Muslim Festival of Eid al-Fitr.”
President Mahama said the Western region had long been the bedrock of Ghana’s economy.
He said from gold to cocoa, from oil to timber, the region had contributed immensely to national wealth; declaring that “and yet for far too long it has not received its fair share of development. Nananom, this must change.”
“I am here today, Nananom, to assure you that under my leadership as President of the Republic of Ghana, the Western region will take its rightful place as a priority in Ghana’s development agenda,” the President said.
He said the great wealth of the region must translate into better roads, into quality health care, into improved job opportunities, into improved education and a better standard of living for the people.
The President recalled that during the 2024 election, he came to the region to sought the blessing and the mandate of the Chiefs and People and they responded by affirming him, by entrusting him with the leadership of this country.
“And today I came here simply to say two words: “Thank You” to all the hundreds of thousands of people who voted for me here in the Western region,” the President said.
“I am here to reaffirm my commitment to honouring the trust and confidence you have reposed in me.”
He said, his Government would deliver on their promises and that he was hopeful that the Chiefs and People would see tangible, life-changing developments across the region soon.
President Mahama called on traditional leaders, religious leaders, businessmen and women, the youth and every citizen, to join hands with his Government as they embark on the journey of rebuilding Ghana into the country they all wanted.
“We will move forward together with hope, unity and determination. The Western region is the heartbeat of Ghana’s progress.
“Let us therefore rise together and build a future that is prosperous, that is just, that is fair and that is filled with opportunities for all.”
Nana Kobina Nketiah V, the Omanhene of the Essikado Traditional Area and Acting President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, appealed to President Mahama to ensure that the region got its fair share of the national cake.
He also cautioned President Mahama to be mindful of praise singers.
GNA
