Mr Sampson Asaki Awingobit, the Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), has called for the signing of a social contract between the business community and all political parties.
Mr. Awingobit, who is also a presidential candidate hopeful for the People’s National Congress (PNC), said having such a contract with politicians would help the captains of industries demand promises made by candidates before becoming presidents.
‘We should sign a social contract with the vice president and other candidates; so that tomorrow, if they become president, they would not say that they didn’t know these challenges would come, so, as a result, they cannot implement their policies as promised,’ he said.
He said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in reaction to some business promises made by Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, when he launched his campaign for the 2024 general election as the presidential candidate for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr
Awingobit said the business community would look into the various manifestos of the parties, to make an informed decision, stressing that they were interested in the policies of all political parties.
He said without a social contract, there is no legal document for the business community to stand on to demand the policies promised by the candidates during the electioneering.
He said for instance, Dr Bawumia, campaigning for his party for the 2016 and 2020 elections made several juicy promises that caught the attention of the business community.
He added that the NPP however failed to implement the promises and policies which included moving away from over-taxation to production and replacing Okada with electric cars for operators.
‘So, we see policies that were stated, and we never saw them implemented; at that time, we thought he was speaking in the capacity that if they come to government, he will be able to influence,’ he said.
Source: Ghana News Agency