Prez Mahama touch down in Kumasi

President John Dramani Mahama yesterday took his “Accounting to the People” tour to the Ashanti Region, where he inspected work on some projects and inaugurated others.

In Kumasi, the President inspected work on the first phase of the new
Kejetia Market being executed by a Brazilian construction firm, Contracta.
He announced that the Cabinet had approved the budget for the second and the third phases of the $298 million project.
He also inspected work on the Asawase Market, which is about 80 per cent complete, and inaugurated an entrepreneurship village for the Kumasi Polytechnic.
Aboabo drains
President Mahama announced that tender had been opened for work on the Aboabo drains  and that he would personally visit the area to cut the sod for their construction.
Aboabo is one of the flood-prone areas in the city.
Outside Kumasi
Outside the regional capital, President Mahama inspected work on the 120-bed Kumawu District Hospital and also cut the sod at Piase and Kuntenase in the Bosomtwe District for the construction of a campus and a renewable energy centre for the Kumasi Polytechnic.
He also inspected work on a water project which is expected to be completed by September this year.
He said the water situation had improved since he took over as President in 2012, increasing accessibility from 58 per cent to 76 per cent.
The President told Zongo chiefs at a durbar at the start of the three-day tour that the government would not be bias in the distribution of the national cake, stressing that each region would have a fair share of development projects.
He said the provision of development projects was not contingent on which region voted for his party.
Election

On the upcoming general election, President Mahama said much as he believed that it was God who elected presidents through the people, he was optimistic that the work he had done in his first term was good enough to win him a second term.
He said the many projects that had been executed by the government in the areas of education, health, housing and roads were there for all to see.
He said the first four years of every President was used to build a solid foundation for a good take-off in his second term.
President Mahama encouraged all registered voters to check their names in the voters register during its exhibition next month to be sure that their names had been properly captured in order not to be disenfranchised.
Grand welcome

Earlier, a large crowd of NDC supporters had thronged the Kumasi Airport to welcome the President and his entourage.
Busloads of party faithful, more than 100 motorbike riders and flag-waving fans trekked to the airport as part of the welcoming party.
The teeming supporters brought traffic to a standstill, particularly at Aboabo, one of the four safe seats of the party in the region.
While President Mahama was travelling to Kumawu, there was a sudden downpour but the unyielding supporters riding motorcycles in particular honked and tooted their horns incessantly as they formed a colourful escort party for the President.