A member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) has commended government for keeping Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of using farming to drive export and development.
Madam Lucy Animwaa Anin, a leading member of the CPP said it is pleasing to be alive to see Dr Nkrumah’s vision, as the First President of Ghana, being revisited by the current Government through the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), launched a few days ago.
Madam Anin, a former Member of Parliament for Bechem, said Dr Nkrumah’s Government introduced the planting of palm and rubber in the state farms through the Workers Brigade, which provided employment for many youths at the time.
“If previous presidents had held on to the vision of the country’s First President, job creation would have been rampant and unemployment non-existent”.
She said under Dr Nkrumah’s Administration, the country was into massive palm plantation in the state farms, which led to Ghana having the privilege to teach Malaysia the technics of palm plantation and giving that country seedlings to commence its farming.
Madam Anin said the project was abandoned by successive governments and that it would be a great relief to the soul of Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah as his vision would live on, which would accumulate foreign exchange for the nation.
“Nkrumah never dies because his vision for Ghana, Africa and the world will live on,” she said.
Government seeks to use the PERD programme to promote the development of selected export tree crops including cashew, coffee, oil palm, coconut, mango and rubber.
Madam Anin is the only surviving member, and the youngest of the first 10 female MPs, under the CPP Administration.
She entered Parliament at age 22 and represented the then Brong Ahafo Region.