The Very Reverend Solomon Kwesi Bruce, Superintendent Minister of the Atonsu-Agogo Methodist Church, said local businesses should be aided to substantially increase their market share.

This, he indicated, was the way to go to enable them to thrive – expand, create wealth and jobs for the people. He was speaking at a special service held to mark the end of the church’s calendar year. “Unleashing the economic potential in Africa” was the theme chosen for the programme.

It provided the platform for the church to review its performance in the areas of evangelism, education, health and general wellbeing of the people.  The Very Rev Bruce said the preference for imported poor quality products to what had been produced locally by many a Ghanaian consumer, was unhelpful to the growth of country’s manufacturing sector.

 Things, he added, needed to radically change, if the one district one factory policy was to succeed - achieve the intended outcomes.  He called for intensification of the national campaign to help all to understand why it was in everybody’s interest that they patronized made-in-Ghana goods.

The Very Rev Bruce said they could not continue to support the economies of other countries to the disadvantage of their own. He underlined the need to work harder to keep the economy going amid the intense competition brought about by globalization.

He used the occasion to call for the government to act boldly to punish any corrupt public officials to make corruption a disincentive. He said given the enormous natural and human resources gifted the continent by God, there should be no reason for Africa to be poor.  What was holding back its progress was corruption fueled by greed and selfishness on the part of people placed in positions of trust, he stated.

He applauded the government for implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) policy, and rallied everybody to help sustain it on the path of success.