Former Minister for Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has indicated that the Planting for Food and Jobs policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo government was his own initiative.
He emphasized that the New Patriotic Party did not have such a policy in their 2016 manifesto.
“Planting for Food and Jobs was my idea. Before 2016, there was no such policy in our manifesto. I brought it, and it was rolled out during my time as the Minister for Agriculture,” he said.
Speaking to Nana Jantuah on Nhyira FM’s KuroYiMuNsem show, Dr. Afriyie Akoto touted his achievements with the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), indicating that the policy increased local food production.
“After we implemented the planting for Food and Jobs, farmers had increased yield, which shows the program was a success. I believe if we had enough funds allocated to these projects, it would create more jobs and help transform the sector,” he stated.
Dr. Akoto refuted criticisms that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is part of the current administration and must be blamed for the economic challenges in the country.
He says the Vice President has a lot of good policies to transform Ghana, but such policies are subject to approval by Cabinet.
He believes in his competencies and ideas of the NPP Presidential Candidate to restore the country.
“Although I had the PFJ as my own idea, I didn’t get the full support in terms of budget allocation. Dr. Bawumia is someone I have worked with on many instances, and I can say on authority that he has great ideas and policies to develop this nation. Yes, he has been a vice president, but he is not in charge of affairs, and when given the full mandate, I trust his abilities to deliver,” Dr. Akoto affirmed.