The Mahama administration is a shameful and disgraceful beggar, flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Ivor Greenstreet has said.
Speaking at the Institute of Economic Affairs’ Flagbearers’ Evening Encounter ahead of the 2016 general elections, Mr Greenstreet said unlike the Mahama administration, which goes about cup-in-hand begging for money from international partners, a future CPP government with him as president will tap the potential of almond, alone, to raise a lot of money for development.
“Why be shameful and disgraceful like the NDC, chasing the Chinese around in circles for US$ 3 billion when God has given us fertile lands that with a little effort, we could aim to generate US$300 billion. Cut that target in half, even more than half and earning a US$100 billion alone will clear the country’s debts,” he told the audience.
According to him, “the price on the international market for almond oil is as much as US$ 10,000 a tonne, and I am understating the price”. “Cocoa has never gone above US$3,600 a tonne. Oil palm is currently US$800 a tonne.”
The lawyer-turned-politician said a future CPP government would “mobilise two million youth to plant 32 trees per person in an eight-hour work day at 175 trees per hectare, meaning that a total area equivalent to 7,314,285.7 hectares, will be planted giving us almost 26 million tonnes for the whole area.”
“A rough estimate based on the above could potentially produce 30 million tonnes of oil, multiplied by 10 per litre and Ghana’s could potentially generate US$300 billion dollars,” he stated, adding: “Financing of this programme, will be made available from different local and international sources and it will be an incentive-based scheme based on out grower system.”
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com/100.5FM