Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) last Friday, rounded up his weekly campaign in Ayawaso West Wuogon, Madina and Adentan constituencies in the Greater Accra Region.
From markets to container shops to lorry stations, food vendors to seamstresses, the Vice President and his team, listened, analysed and took notes on the aspirations of Ghanaians, while explaining his ambitious solutions for Ghana’s next chapter.
Dr Bawumia, who has maintained that the Akufo-Addo and NPP government, have performed creditably since taking the reins of the country from the Mahama and National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised an “Upgrade” in Ghana’s socio-economic fortunes.
He is confident that “Together, with unity of purpose, it is possible to achieve the Ghanaian dream of accelerated development”.
Earlier in Tema, the NPP Presidential Candidate, was described as the cynosure of attention earlier in the week, as a campaign tour of the metropolis took him through the harbour city.
At stop-overs in Tema Central, Tema West and Tema East, Dr Bawumia, drew thick crowds, who thronged to listen to him.
The climax of the whole tour happened at Tema Manhean, where he lit a mood of jubilation among the fisherfolk with a promise that a fish smokers fund that the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) has promised, will be implemented if he is elected.
The Vice President, had toured with a powerful entourage of government functionaries and party bigwigs, including the MCE for Tema and Parliamentary Candidate for Tema East, Yohane Amarh Ashitey.
The campaign tour had started from the Tema West Constituency, then transited into Tema Central, before climaxing at Tema East.
In Tema East, the Vice President, stopped over to interact with the fisherfolk and tribal chiefs.
He later stopped over at the Full Gospel Church International to interact with members of the Clergy, before the campaign entourage headed out for the Tema Manhean Lorry Park in New Town for a massive rally to climax the tour.
To a thick crowd of mobbing adorers at New Town which is effectively regarded as a stronghold for Dr Bawumia, the Presidential candidate, reiterated his policy outlook of using digitalization to drive the next phase of Ghana’s development.
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According to him, President Akufo-Addo, has set the country on a good footing that he will build upon, if elected as President.
At his every word, the crowd, mostly clad in NPP and Dr Bawumia’s paraphernalia, bellowed enthusiastically.
The crowd would absolutely go bananas after the Vice President had called on voters to vote for Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the NPP’s Parliamentary candidate for Tema East, so that a vision to set up a fund for fish smokers, can be implemented.
According to Dr Bawumia, the fisherfolk had to understand that to vote for the NPP and its Parliamentary candidate is to vote for the Fish smoker’s son.
“Vote for the fish smoker’s son” he said to wild applause and jubilation.
Other speakers at the rally were, Yohane Amarh Ashitey himself, who also got wild cheers after making a brilliant submission, and Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, a former MP for Tema East and currently, the Greater Accra Regional Minister.
Dr Bawumia’s presence created a traffic crisis in the metropolis where he got the largest Greater Accra votes in the presidential primary that elected him as flagbearer.
Those in attendance at the colourful political rally, include Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, former General Secretary of NPP, Mr Stephen Aboagye, 2nd Vice Chairman of Tema East, Dennis Amanor Tetteh, Tema East Submetro Chairman, Bawa Ustarz, a leading member of Tema East NPP and Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, a former TMA Boss.
During the week, the NPP flagbearer, also shared why he initiated the establishment of ZIPLINE Drone operations in Ghana.
Speaking at a Youth Connect event as part of his campaign ahead of the December 7, general election, Dr Bawumia disclosed that the reasons include a personal experience of losing his father due to blood loss, following an operation at the Tamale Teaching Hospital in 2002.
“Today, we have brought drones into Ghana to deliver medicines, vaccines, and blood. Many people were dying needlessly because they could not get medicine on time. A snake can bite you on the farm, and you need medicine—anti-snake serum immediately.
“A mother can be giving birth in a village and needs blood immediately. In 2002, my father had an operation in Tamale and he was losing blood. We were looking for blood; the blood bank was locked. We tried to find the operator, but we couldn’t find him. By the morning, my father had passed away,” Bawumia narrated.
He added: “So when I heard about drones and ZIPLINE and what they could do in delivering blood, I took my team and went to San Francisco.
“We met the ZIPLINE company, and we convinced them to come to Ghana and set up six drone centres in Ghana. We have six drone centres which are delivering medicines, blood, and vaccines to 2700 hospitals and health centres in Ghana. Every day we are saving lives. So far, the drones have flown 540,000 flights, and what is interesting is that all six drone centres are managed by Ghanaians, no foreigners are managing the drone centres. They are hundred per cent being manned by Ghanaians.”
Dr Bawumia, asserted that currently, Ghana is the world’s leading medical drone service, an achievement Ghanaians should be proud of.
“It is very important that recently the US Vice President, Kamala Harris, made a statement congratulating Ghana for taking the lead and the leadership role in medical drone delivery.
Why did she say so? Because your own Ghana, our own Ghana, is the whole world’s largest medical drone delivery service, the whole world. We are leading the whole world. A few months ago, ZIPLINE came and took somebody from Ghana to go and train drone flying operators in San Francisco. And so we are taking the lead,” Bawumia added.
The Vice President, on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, launched the drones-for-medical-supplies initiative at Zipline’s first distribution centre at Omenako, a town in the Suhum Municipality in the Eastern Region.
The $12.5 million contract is to enable the Ghana Health Service, to fly blood and other essential medical supplies to deprived and hard-to-reach areas.
