Nearly two months after some young Ghanaians hit the streets and with the dust settled, newly elected flagbearer of the NPP, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia prioritised the concerns of the demonstrators in his victory address.
Bawumia, who was elected the NPP's flagbearer for the 2024 Presidential election, remarkably revisited the demonstration, dubbed OccupyJulobi, when he addressed thousands of supporters in Accra shortly after he was declared winner of the NPP Primaries.
"While on the campaign, I became aware of a 3-day demonstration staged by the young people of our country," Dr. Bawumia said.
"They had a simple message for the political class: they needed more opportunities for work, they needed improved living conditions, and they wanted improved public services. These are legitimate demands and we cannot ignore them."
The Vice President said, he has spent the last seven years assisting the President to deliver on many of the demands, adding, however, that with the unforeseen global economic crisis of the past three years making life difficult, many things ought to be done to create more opportunities for the youth, declaring that he has his "own vision and priorities."
"I have spent the last seven years assisting the President to deliver on many of these demands to: create more opportunities for the youth, improve the well-being of our people, create inclusive access to secondary education and healthcare, develop and expand the road infrastructure of our country, create great convenience in accessing public services wherever one finds himself or herself, and to leverage technology to fast-track development," he said.
"Notwithstanding these achievements, the unforeseen global economic downturn of the past three years, which derailed the significant economic gains and impact we made between 2017 and 2021, has had a devastating effect on our economy in the past two years, just as it has, on many other economies in the world. This has affected many, including government itself, the private sector and our households. The cost of living has increased dramatically and Ghanaians are feeling the pinch. I have seen the sacrifices Ghanaians are making and the hardships many Ghanaians are going through and I am as concerned as my fellow countrymen and women."
"By the grace of the Almighty God, together with the remarkable sacrifices, patience and optimism of Ghanaians, the work of economic recovery is underway: GDP growth has picked up, consumer price inflation is on the decline, exchange rate depreciation has dramatically slowed down and the budget deficit as a % of GDP is on the decline). I will continue to work hard to sustain these gains."
Moving forward, Dr. Bawumia declared that he has his own vision for the country, and he will be his own man.
"I have my own vision and my own priorities and will govern as my own man and cannot be remote controlled by anybody except God."
"My vision is to build an inclusive, food-self-sufficient, data-driven and systems-based nation that will fully participate in the global digital revolution to solve our problems and also usher in a golden age of the maximization of the benefits from our natural resources. I want to lead a nation that builds the talents of our youth and assures sustainable jobs, and sustainable growth with macroeconomic stability."
"As Ghanaians, we must move away from the dominant mindset of impossibility to a mindset of possibility."
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia declared that he has his own vision for the country