President John Mahama has revealed that certain elements within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) wanted the Mills-Mahama administration to have killed private waste management company Zoomlion when the NDC took office in 2009.

Addressing of workers of Zoomlion Ghana Limited and other subsidiaries of the Jospong Group of Companies on the occasion of their 10th Anniversary at the Trade Fair Centre in Accra on Friday, December 2, 2016, Mr Mahama said the resolve of late president Mills as well his personal resolve to ensure such local firms grew, protected Zoomlion from being killed.

“The history of our country is replete with businesses going down because government has changed. We will like to label our indigenous businessmen with a political paint brush. So, the person is running his business, and we say: ‘Oh he is an NPP businessman or an NDC business man or he is a CPP or GCPP businessman. And so when government changes, it is like you must run down all these businesses that are not on your side.”

“Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong had started his business when we came into government. He established it under the illustrious administration of President John Agyekum Kufour. And so, by the time we came into office, his company had spread quite across the country.

“Thank God for the life of Prof Mills and thank God that Prof Mills’ thinking and I were on the same wavelength. When we came into office, there were many on our side that believed that Zoomlion was an NPP company and must be killed; that it had become a monopoly in the waste management sector and that we do things to open up and other businesses should come in.

“But Prof is very principled, and determined person with my support said he (Dr Agyepong) is a Ghanaian businessman and he is employing Ghanaians. It is the responsibility of the government to provide employment to our people and so whether he is red, green, or black as far as he is providing jobs in the economy, his business must thrive and continue,” President Mahama noted.

“As President, I believe strongly in the Ghanaian indigenous business persons. Our companies if they get the right support, they can prove themselves. That is what my government has been determined to do,” he noted.

“For me, when it comes to Ghanaian businesses; I’m colour-blind. … I’m politically blind. It doesn’t matter who you are. As far as you are a Ghanaian and contributing to the growth of the economy, you have a right to do your business and earn profit.”


Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/