Engaging, Mr Mahama at a town hall meeting in Koforidua last Tuesday, representatives of the Eastern Regional branches of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) expressed concerns about a myraid of issues concerning the welfare of their members and the impediments they face in their work.

The concerns raised included poor and inadequate educational infrastructure in schools, especiallly in technical universities.

GUTA criticised the high charges at the ports, saying it made goods too expensive in the country. 

Mr Mahama engaged the associations as part of a two-day listening tour, dubbed “Building the Ghana we want”, of the Eastern Region.

The Eastern Regional Chairman of GNAT, Patrick Boison, said education was the bedrock of the country, yet many schools were still running under trees, adding that it did not augur well for both teaching and learning.

Mr Boison, however, indicated that although former President Mahama established schools in remote areas, teacher accommodations were not attached to enable them to stay in such deprived communities.

Professional association in Koforidua

He appealed to the flag bearer of the NDC to critically examine the issue of teachers’ welfare, and see how best to address it, saying rent payment was a major headache for teachers while the car maintenance allowance was not a regular benefit.

The Chairman of TUTAG, Dr Jamal Mohammed, urged former President Mahama to take a critical look at the infrastructure development of the technical universities since they were in a sector that could trigger the country's economic growth.

The Eastern Regional President of the GUTA, Harry Oduro Awuku, urged Mr Mahama to stabilise the exchange rate of the cedi, in terms of the dollar, to make the purchase of goods easy for both traders and consumers.

A representative of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Paul Parker Atitso, asked Mr Mahama to appoint judges by merit and not by political lines if elected president.

Response

Responding to the issues raised, Mr Mahama said their concerns would be addressed if they supported him to win the 2024 general election.

He said the main objective of the listening tour was to interact with the professional bodies to enable him to factor their concerns in the NDC manifesto to help address them.

Mr Mahama indicated that infrastructure in basic schools and technical universities would be given priority in his government in January 2025.

Mr Mahama, said he was unhappy about the increasing number of nurses leaving the country to seek greener pastures abroad.

The next NDC government, he said would address the unemployment situation in the country.

Mr Mahama also pledged to resolve the situation of schools under trees in deprived communities.

He said he was committed and ready to restore the economy and called for the support of professional associations to achieve that.