President Akufo-Addo has described mocked pictures, videos and comments flying on social media, following the opening of the Kumasi City Mall, as an act of fear.
He says the social media troll was necessitated by the fear that some people will no longer have the bragging right of owning the biggest facility in their communities.
“They fear they no longer have the bragging right,” the President remarked as he joined the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and other dignitaries to officially open the mall, described as the largest shopping center in the northern sector.
The ninety-five million dollar mall is a combination of market centers put together as a unit, making it a one-stop shop.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated his government’s commitment to empowering the private sector, emphasizing that “private sector development is the basis of our economic philosophy”.
CONTROLLING IMPORT
The president described the Ghanaian economy as one which is dependent on imported products, a situation that needs to change.
“The economy is import dependent and we cannot create the thousands of jobs for our people if we continue to import things we can produce here,” he noted.
NON GHANAIAN RETAILERS
The president said the government will ensure the full compliance of the trading laws to ensure foreigners do not compete with locals in the retailing sector.
“Government will ensure that non-Ghanaians do not engage in retail business,” he assured.
Chairman of the Kumasi City Mall, Kofi Sekyere, in his speech paid tribute to the late Owusu Achaw for pioneering modern day Mall and blazing the trail for other investments.
He described Kumasi as an active business environment where an investor can enter with certainty.
“Kumasi has always been an active trading hub and therefore it was imperative that the Mall was introduced here,” he stated. “This mall fits squarely into the government’s innovative agenda of ‘One-Distric-One-Factory’ as this small privte investment could be the beginning of a revival of a number of Kumasi’s and Ghana’s manufacturing base, especially as the number of malls increase over time”.
By William Evans-Nkum | 3news.com |Ghana