Accra, Oct.14, (GNA)-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday returned to Accra after an eight-day tour of three regions, covering 42 main stops.
The tour brings to 14, the total number of regions the President has visited this year.
The President’s tour took him to the Bono, Ashanti and Eastern regions, which afforded him the opportunity to witness at first-hand the progress of work of some projects in those regions on his administration’s flagship programmes.
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Information Minister said this at a briefing in Accra on Monday.
The Minister said the tour also afforded the President the opportunity to hear directly from citizens, interest groups and traditional rulers who gave him valuable insights into what they made of his administration’s delivery so far and what more they wanted him to focus on.
Key issues that engaged the President’s attention on his tour were Education, Infrastructure and Agriculture, he stated.
On education, he said, the President was impressed with the delivery of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme, and was particularly happy to see all three streams benefitting from the programme.
The President was happy to see the progress of work on dormitories and classroom blocks, which were aimed at ending the double track system once fully completed.
« The President is highly expectant that excellent results from the first batch of beneficiaries in June 2020 will put the critics of the programme to shame, » Mr Oppong Nkrumah said.
On the Planting for Food and jobs programme, the Minister noted that, all the areas visited gave positive feedback and requested government’s intervention to cover other crops like cashew.
He said President Akufo-Addo was committed to ensuring that his team in Parliament pushed for the passage of the Tree Crops Bill, when Parliament resumed in October to allow the necessary institutional support for Cashew and other tree crops to be fully rolled out.
He said Cabinet had already given policy approval for the passage of the Bill and hoping for parliamentary consideration and approval.
On Infrastructure, the President interacted with Ministers, Consultants and contractors working on key projects such as roads, warehouses, youth development centres, an airport, educational institutions and agriculture centres.
The President admonished contractors behind schedule to get on track while urging his ministers to ensure those owed were paid.
The Finance Ministry has in response outlined how it planned to make over one billion cedis in payment available with immediate effect in fulfilment of its commitments.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said plans for the final two regions-Volta and Greater Accra would be announced in due course.
