Former President John Dramani Mahama says he made a mistake during his administration by buying tractors for farmers.
If given the opportunity to do it again, he claims he would prefer to buy the tractors, put them in the care of a manager and offer tractor services to farmers.
This would ensure that a person with the necessary skills would maintain the tractors for a long time, he claimed.
He claimed that the tractors his administration bought for farmers were quickly breaking down because they were not properly maintained.
"I came to the realisation that we made mistakes with some of the things we [did]."
"We brought tractors and farm implements from abroad and gave them to the farmers."
"The farmer wants the services of a tractor; he does not need a tractor or other agricultural equipment. So a person who knows how to maintain a tractor needs to have a service point where he can offer his services to the farmer.”
He continued: “But when we sent the tractors to the farmers, within a year or two the tractor broke down because he [the farmer] didn't know that you have to change the engine oil, filters and grease every six months.”
So the former president said, "We're going to try a new approach.”