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President John Dramani Mahama

CAPE COAST. — President John Dramani Mahama launched his 2016 presidential campaign here on Sunday with a promise to continue with the party’s transformation agenda for the country.

By the time he ends his possible second term, Mahama said the Ghanaian economy would have been firmly grounded and deliver the needed benefits to citizens.

As early as 9am, local time the coastal city of Cape Coast, about 151 km west of the capital was bustling with activity as party faithfuls were moving to the venue for the launching.

“Our first term has been a challenging but positive and fulfilling one presenting the opportunities to lay a firm foundation for our dear nation,” the president said to the cheering supporters who occupied the 16 000 seater Cape Coast Sports Stadium.

Mahama who was in a sombre with confident mood was glad that his government has led a successful campaign of socio-economic infrastructural transformation, which can help the country’s economy to take off.

He assured Ghanaians of good economic prospects in the very near future as a result of the good work done by his government over the last three years.

“We are in an IMF program and by the time we exit that program next year the economy will be more robust,” he noted, pointing out that for the first time in Ghana’s history the government had run the annual budget with zero percent financing from the central bank, “meaning that all of our expenditure has come from the revenue raised by the government, which is unprecedented in the history of the country.”

The president noted that the economy was coming out of the woods as a result of the three key steps taken under his watch in the last four years.

“Our focus over the past four years was in three major steps of stabilising the economy, fixing the energy crisis and investing in an impressive socio-economic infrastructure,” Mahama told the ecstatic crowd.

He assured the supporters that “By the end of my second and final term, we would be doing a firm single digit inflation, below three percent budget deficit and a fast growing GDP.”

The ruling party will launch its manifesto in about two weeks to state clearly it’s proposed programs for the country should it retain power in the December polls.

The opposition NPP is also yet to launch its manifesto although it’s flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo promises to reshape the economy. — AFP