The New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has made a clarion call to the youth to vote for their future in the December 7 elections.
Addressing the youth of the country yesterday during the ‘Bawumia Youth Connect’, he said it was imperative that the youth take active part in the coming elections because it holds the key to their future.
“I plead with you to make an informed choice, one between the one who has had his chance and blew it and the other who is asking for a similar chance to deliver; the decision is yours to make, not to bring back what was discarded in the past, but to vote for your future,” he said.
He called on the youth to shun the idea that all politicians are the same and that their votes would not make a difference, saying, “I can tell you that your votes can make a big difference. I will tell you why we are all not the same and cannot be the same.”
The NPP presidential candidate indicated that the election is about voting for the candidate “who can deliver for you, whom you can trust, who has the vision, integrity, trust, competence, a sense of where the world is today and your place in it, and the humility to serve you and the decency not to insult you,” he said.
“I am not John Mahama, he is a former President and former Vice President, I am a Vice President who has never been President before, who is asking you for the opportunity to show you what I can do if offered the opportunity to lead you this December,” he added.
He called on the youth to trust in him, as he pledged to protect the public purse and use it selflessly to serve them.
“To the young voters of Ghana, I say to you: Do not switch-off. I ask you to get involved, December is about you and who can deliver for your future,” he stressed.
Digital Economy for Jobs
Dr. Bawumia also used the opportunity to share his plans for empowering the youth through education, skills development and jobs.
Touching on leveraging the digital economy to support job creation, Dr. Bawumia said he plans to build a Ghana where technology, data and systems are leveraged for inclusive economic growth.
“I want us to apply digital technology, Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM), Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for the transformation of agriculture, healthcare, education, manufacturing, fintech and public service delivery,” he opined.
He noted that his goal is to eliminate the digital divide by achieving close to 100% internet penetration.
“We have already made very significant progress in this direction by increasing internet penetration from 34% in 2016 to some 70% in 2023 (by more than double!!!). The task in the next four years is to move from 72% to over 90% as exists in the advanced countries. I want to make sure everyone has access to the internet at affordable costs. It is possible!” he said.
He added that his vision is to see Ghana build the digital talent required for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which means providing digital and software skills to hundreds of thousands of youth.
“This along with other policies will create jobs for the youth, including school dropouts. In collaboration with the private sector, we will train at least 1,000,000 youth in IT skills, including software developers to provide job opportunities worldwide,” he promised.
Generally, he said there would be an enhanced focus on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education, and the support for the establishment of a National Open University Ghana in collaboration with the private sector with a focus on ICT, TVET and STEM.
“To prepare our children for the Fourth Industrial Revolution workplace, I will enhance the positioning of the education system towards STEM, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and vocational skills to cope with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and job creation. My government would make Coding and Robotics standard in senior high schools,” he added.
Furthermore, he promised to increase investment in the country’s telecoms industry, explaining that the cost of data for the ordinary Ghanaian has become too expensive.
“It goes against the very ethos of our digitalisation journey. We commit to working with industry players in setting clear policy guidelines that will remove any investor uncertainty and difficulties in business planning, including the expeditious allocation of spectrum, driven more by the goal of enhancing digital inclusion and less by revenue considerations,” he stated.
In addition, he said his government, when elected into office, would work with educational institutions and leading Ghanaian and global tech firms to establish a National Robotics, Engineering, and AI Lab for research and training of young Ghanaians locally as well as provide venture funding and grant support for commercially viable tech projects by Ghanaian start-ups to drive innovation, foster high-tech entrepreneurship, create jobs, and support growth of Ghanaian high-tech businesses.
“We will also establish a Fintech Fund with seed capital of US$100 million to attract additional private sector funding to support Ghanaian start-ups developing payments and financial services solutions, specially focused on region-wide, exportable solutions, abolish E-Levy and eliminate import duties on mobile phones until manufacturing capacity is established in Ghana to enable many Ghanaians affordably access mobile devices,” he stated.
