Vibrant local economies are the foundation of a strong national economy. This begins with eliminating government corruption, which siphons capital out of local communities. National policies have failed to address local infrastructure, investing in these economies requires a National Development Plan for the present and the future.
Unemployment and underemployment are systemic problems that must be addressed through education and training. It is backward thinking to suggest that job creation requires lowering wages, ignoring workplace safety, or disregarding workers’ rights. The complete opposite is true: to create jobs that provide a livable wage, the government must fulfill its obligation to enforce laws that protect workers’ wages, safety, and health. Furthermore, the corruption and bribery linking an intertwined industrial class with government oversight agencies must be untangled.
A National Development Plan focused on a systemic reimagining of basic services is the first step in the battle to end unemployment and underemployment. Local infrastructure, funded by local taxes, is key to training a workforce to fill living-wage jobs.
I will advocate for working men and women, working tirelessly to protect the labor rights and fair workplace standards vital to the working class. Every government-funded project must commit to hiring trainees and apprentices.
Well-paying jobs can be created by restoring and modernizing our roads, bridges, and public infrastructure. I will support funding to rebuild and upgrade critical infrastructure throughout all regions.
I will propose and institute direct job-creating resources through the institutions and industries that play a vital role in our nation’s economic health. These vital institutions and industries include ports, airports, transportation corridors, energy facilities, and research and innovation centers. I believe additional jobs can be created through strategic investments in these engines of economic power. Government seed investments, free from corruption, will represent strong value. Every cedi invested by a corruption-free government in infrastructure upgrades and maintenance grows local economies by 7 to 8 times more than the investment.
