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The Big Stories || Covid-19 levy must be abolished || One on One with Kofi Akpaloo - JoyNews

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Transcript
00:00 Well thank you for staying with us on the AM show. It's time now for us to get into
00:04 our big stories and today we're hosting a gentleman. He's a businessman, a man of
00:09 many things and he's also wanted, tried a few times now to become president of
00:14 this country without success. He leads the LPG, the Liberal Party of Ghana and
00:22 today he joins us for a conversation on matters of national scope, not just the
00:27 politics but also governance matters and everything in between that is happening.
00:34 I'm talking about none other than Mr. Kofi Akbalu. He joins us for this
00:40 conversation. A very good morning to you sir. Good morning sir. Thank you for
00:44 coming. Thanks for hosting me. You have a very colorful outfit this
00:50 morning. Is it the weather? It's a Friday way. It's a Friday way. That's
00:57 interesting. So it's been a while since we had a conversation. It's true. On this
01:01 show and today you show up. I just want to find out from you, the LPG, is it
01:13 still alive? Yeah we are more than alive. Is the LPG still alive? Yes it is. I mean
01:18 others have started their campaigns, the MPP, of course they are heading towards
01:22 their primary and we'll get into that. The NDC has already started and they are...
01:27 You want to rub shoulders with these guys, these parties and I don't see a
01:33 scintilla of action from the LPG. What is happening? Maybe you are not watching.
01:39 I'm not on the ground. Yeah you're not watching because LPG is everywhere now.
01:43 You'll find, at least you'll see my poster. You'll see my poster. I have seen some of
01:49 your mini billboards. Yes. In many different places. All over the country.
01:55 But is that your campaign strategy? Is that your campaign? Yeah because you see
02:00 we are just a small party. We're trying to rub shoulders with the big guys and
02:06 that's another strategy that we can adapt by making sure at least somebody
02:12 will be talking about it. You'll see the poster is... What is this? Is the person alive
02:18 or dead or something like that. It just strikes conversation and people
02:23 start talking about it and those who are looking for a third force now begin to
02:27 think that if this guy is serious we'll support him. So one way or the other, we are
02:33 getting more people joining us on a daily basis and we know we have
02:38 our phone number at the bottom of it and people are calling us, showing interest
02:43 to be part and parcel of the party. So it's happiness. It's giving us
02:49 the visibility because people are getting to know us and knowing that it's another
02:54 party aside MPP and NDC. And LPG to us, we are doing better than previous. You're
03:01 doing better than previously. If you look at your electoral fortunes, they have
03:06 been nothing to write home about. You have not been able to claw away. You've
03:11 not shown a sign that you could be that third force. If you look at the number of
03:15 votes you've garnered over time, the two or so elections you have been in, it's
03:21 been a very poor showing. Now people of Ghana are complaining badly. They are
03:26 tired of the misrule, misgovernance, misleadership and some of them feel
03:34 outfits like yours are not living up to the billing in that order, in creating
03:41 that third wheel for them. How do you respond to that? Because if you look at
03:46 your electoral outcomes, they point to a certain grave narrative. Yeah, it's good
03:53 that they have identified our weaknesses and it means they have the strength to
04:00 fill that lagoon. So they should come on board, support the idea and let's do it
04:06 together. Because it's a political party, it's not a one-man business. So are you
04:10 basically by this throwing an invitation to all the regalians of goodwill to
04:15 join your party? Exactly. We need everybody on board because we ourselves alone
04:21 cannot do it. We need everybody. So your strength, when you complement with us, we
04:27 will be able to do a lot because we believe in synergy. You know, if we put our heads
04:32 together, we can do great stuff. So we are inviting everybody this morning to join
04:37 forces with the LPG. Let's work together. Even we initiated this beginning of last
04:43 year, that all the smaller parties, we should all come together and form that
04:49 kind of alliance to go into the 2024 election. And some, I mean, it wasn't
04:55 successful. So we decided to go... Why do you think it wasn't successful? Yeah,
05:01 because the players were not forthcoming. Which players? I'm talking about
05:06 those who are leading the other political parties. So we couldn't
05:14 materialise. So that's why we decided to go solo and then make sure we sell what
05:19 we can to the people for them to buy into. So we need everybody on board. If
05:23 you are a liberal person or somebody who believes that there is potential in this
05:29 country, we should join forces with us. Let's work together and let's do it.
05:34 Kwaku Owusu is watching us from Manchester. Thank you so much for doing
05:39 the watching, Kwaku Owusu, all the way from Manchester in the United Kingdom.
05:43 But while you call upon ordinary Ghanaians to join the LPG, the Liberal
05:50 Party of Ghana, I'm sure they will also be asking the question, "But what
05:55 incentive are you giving me to be able to join your party? What is it? Is it a
06:00 clear roadmap that you have that will turn our fortunes around?" I'm sure many
06:05 Ghanaians will also look at you and say, "Look, the NDC and the MPP, they have a
06:08 certain machinery, huge, vast machinery, not just financial resources, a support
06:15 base, and some credentials over the Fourth Republic, having won elections,
06:22 gone in opposition, having won elections and gone into opposition. They have that.
06:27 Your party doesn't have that. What are you using to convince ordinary
06:32 Ghanaians that they should come on board and join the LPG? Are you getting...
06:38 I'm sure many Ghanaians, like we usually say, 40% on any given day, would
06:43 likely fall for the NDC and for the MPP. What then happens to those in the middle?
06:48 How do you convince them? Yeah, what I would tell them is that they should always
06:52 believe in small beginnings. They should have that belief that something
06:59 starting small like this, you look at it and see what role you can offer to make
07:06 it bigger. Because, you know, some people came together to form MPP, some came
07:12 together even though it was a ruling kind of party or something like that, and
07:18 then they removed their P to make it NDC. So definitely people came together with
07:24 that understanding that they can manage Ghana. So if you are there and you see a
07:29 lot of issues surrounding this country and then you believe that it can be
07:35 solved by yourself, why don't you join forces with that so that we can have the
07:41 opportunity, the platform, to get that problem solved. We have a lot of problems
07:47 going on in this country. We know the problems, the solutions we want. Yeah, the
07:50 solution is that you have some of the solution. I have a bit of it. One person
07:57 cannot have all. So it's a collective effort. Bring your ideas, let me bring my
08:01 ideas, let's put them together and let's see what we can do together. So another
08:06 thing that the bigger parties have over the smaller ones is the pool of, should I
08:13 say, resources, human resource. Yeah. They would have, you know, people with a
08:18 certain clout, people with vast knowledge and experience in energy, in law, in
08:24 education, and all of that. That is what you need in terms of governance. Yeah. Do
08:29 you have any of that? I mean, how realistic is it for you? Do you have any
08:34 of that? I can invite anybody at any point in time to solve a problem. It
08:43 doesn't matter whether the person is part of my party or is not part of my
08:46 party. So far as the person has the requisite know-how, I should be able to
08:51 bring the person on board and say, "Hey, please, let's do this. Let's do it well."
08:55 Because it's all about building a future for the generation unborn. We need to
09:00 prepare this land for them, and we cannot leave it anyhow. We need to have that
09:05 understanding that you are not doing it for Kofi Apollo, but rather you are doing
09:08 it for the kids who are yet to be conceived in the womb, because you have
09:13 to prepare this country for them. And so if you have any idea, if you have any
09:20 experience, you have any special qualities, why not? We will involve you to do it,
09:26 because this country belongs to all of us. So you're going to be liberal, you're going to live to
09:30 the name of your party and be liberal in terms of bringing other people
09:34 into the group. The only difficulty there is though is that oftentimes,
09:38 like we see with the big parties, once you get bigger, then you start focusing
09:43 on internal interests, like we see. The boys, jobs for the boys and girls and all
09:48 of that. But let me just run this angle by you. There are some who say, "Why some of
09:54 the smaller parties like yours are not viable, you are not making any progress,
09:59 is the fact that some of you are just doing business with it. Some of you
10:04 just want to have it on your CV that I have contested as a presidential
10:09 candidate in Ghana. It adds to your business appeal, doing business out there.
10:14 In fact, some suggest that parties like yours, you merely come to add to
10:21 the numbers and foil other parties. One party contracts you to come and
10:27 muddy the waters for another party. How do you respond to that? In fact, they may
10:33 be right. They may be right. But you see, every party has its own
10:40 purpose. Just before you go, when you say they may be right, does that mean
10:45 your party as well? No, our party is not like that. Our party is trying to
10:51 fill the lagoon between the MPP and NDC because we are a liberal party. We are
10:57 part of the Liberal International. We are part of the African Liberal Network.
11:02 Our focus is promoting liberalism here. So we are not working for NDC,
11:10 neither are we working for MPP. We are working for the liberal purpose. That is
11:17 why we are here. So we came and we met a couple of parties and some have
11:27 faded out or whatever, but we are still around.
11:32 Because our target is different from their target. You say you are here
11:38 for the liberal purpose. Let me ask you, what is that liberal purpose? It's to make
11:42 sure we promote fundamental human rights, to make sure we have free enterprise,
11:51 making sure those who are in the lower classes are able to lift into
11:58 the middle class, helping the middle class, making sure we have lower taxes.
12:04 That is the agenda. Making sure fundamental human rights are well
12:10 respected. You speak about fundamental human rights, which quickly brings to
12:15 mind the conversation on LGBTQI. What is the stance of the LPG on LGBTQI?
12:21 LGBTQI, what stance are you talking about? What is the position of the LPG on?
12:26 Promoting LGBT? I'm merely asking for your stance. What is the position of the LPG?
12:35 I mean, you're hoping someday to be president and I'm asking you, what is
12:39 your position? Former president Atta Mills, today by the way happens to be his
12:44 birthday. Happy birthday to him. I mean, may he rest in peace.
12:49 Was asked the question. He had a stance. Former president
12:53 Muhammad was asked the question. He had a stance. The current president, Nanado,
12:57 was asked the question. He had a stance. What is your stance? I'm sure
13:02 if Ghanaians are considering you, they would also wonder, okay, so what's your
13:04 position? No, I don't understand that question. But if from where, what I can
13:10 say is that, I don't know if people... Is it that you don't understand or is it that you don't want to?
13:17 You're afraid to answer the question? No, no, no, no. I'm not afraid. I'm one person that's not shy. You know, let me tell you
13:23 something. Is anybody looking to get married in that format here? Is anybody
13:31 looking to do that? Can you tell me one person who has come out or a group of
13:35 people have come out and said they want to do... Actually, there are. They are practicing it?
13:40 Not practicing it, but there are people who say we should have those rights.
13:44 There are people, you mentioned human rights, some of them couched them as
13:47 human rights. There are those who have advocated that we should allow
13:52 these people to be in Ghana. And I'm merely asking what your position is. Will you kill somebody?
13:58 Will you kill somebody because the person is a gay or is a lesbian? You can't kill the person
14:04 because he's a gay or a lesbian. Are you making laws to send those who are gay to
14:12 prisons or lesbians to prison? Are you making laws like that? If you followed
14:17 the anti-gay bill, as we call it for short in Parliament, you would realize
14:21 that, well, far away from what Uganda has. Theirs is a bit extreme, but this new
14:26 bill, this bill actually, not a new bill, if passed into law would also enhance
14:32 what the law says about unnatural carnal knowledge and include certain other bits
14:37 on the LGBTQI++ terrain, which would prevent such people...
14:44 You wouldn't even be able to openly talk about some of these matters
14:50 in the sense of promoting it. I'm sure you're aware of all of that.
14:54 But you see, the bill is a non-starter. It's a non-starter? Why?
15:00 Because the bill alone itself is promoting the LGBTQ+.
15:05 The bill, this bill, that's the purpose of the bill.
15:10 While the sponsors are saying that they are trying to stem the tide, because our
15:13 constitution, the 1992 constitution, is not clear enough, our criminal code is not
15:19 clear enough on the delineation, the activities of LGBTQ.
15:23 To me, I think the bill is rather promoting the LGBTQ.
15:28 Yes, because looking at how long we've been talking about this,
15:33 how many years we've been talking about this, every day we are getting people,
15:39 we are creating that awareness for people to know what is LGBTQ, they start asking questions.
15:44 If somebody builds a sandbox somewhere, me, myself, I didn't see that sandbox.
15:49 And there's somebody who is saying that is coming out with a bill to fight against
15:55 LGBTQ, will go and take a picture of the sandbox.
16:00 I know what you're referencing.
16:01 Yes, and put it on the internet. What is he doing?
16:06 He's rather promoting it.
16:07 So you're saying Sam George and Roxanne Nelson, Dapia Mekpo and everything else,
16:12 those who are sponsoring this bill, those who are posting, are merely wasting their time,
16:16 and that this is an enterprise that will end the UK.
16:19 The energy that they are using to promote it is too much.
16:25 They're promoting it.
16:28 Because people didn't even know the colors of the LGBTQ, they made us aware.
16:33 We didn't know.
16:34 I believe you, as I didn't know the colors of the LGBTQ,
16:38 but because of this bill, you got to know.
16:41 So who is promoting what?
16:43 They are rather promoting it.
16:45 And now, they said, even the bill, if they find you doing this kind of stuff,
16:51 they will put you into jail.
16:53 Is that correct?
16:54 They will jail you.
16:55 That is not black and white.
16:58 Oh, it's black and white.
16:59 But I'm saying that there will be penalties for certain offences.
17:03 Aha, so the end result...
17:06 Once you did something, you would end up in jail.
17:07 No, no, the end result is jail.
17:09 The end result is jail.
17:11 So you jail the person.
17:14 And the person goes to jail, you add in...
17:16 If it's a male, a man, you add him to the male cells.
17:20 If it's a woman, you add her to the female cells.
17:23 So what are you promoting?
17:24 You are rather going to intensify the activities there.
17:27 Okay?
17:28 So to me, I don't see any sense in this.
17:31 Okay?
17:32 And if you want to fight this, you think that it's spreading,
17:36 and you want to fight it,
17:38 you have to sit down and find out the root cause.
17:41 What are some of the root causes?
17:43 The boarding system.
17:45 The prison system.
17:48 So why don't you look at that,
17:50 and see if you can minimize those who are going to jail.
17:55 If you can give them some hard labour,
17:58 staying outside, or close down all boarding schools.
18:03 So that nobody goes there to learn all these activities.
18:05 You are suggesting, Kofi Akpalu,
18:07 that in dealing with the situation,
18:09 we should rather shut down the boarding system.
18:11 Yes, because...
18:12 Is that what you're suggesting as a solution?
18:15 Yes, that's one of the solutions.
18:16 Because you see, the genesis.
18:18 You need to fight it from the genesis.
18:20 Where are people getting this?
18:23 Where are they getting it?
18:24 Some people will tell you they were born like this.
18:26 Fantastic!
18:27 I have interviewed someone who was born a man.
18:31 Of course, he transitioned, so to speak.
18:34 Yeah.
18:35 He was born Maxwell, I think.
18:36 Yeah.
18:37 And later transitioned to Angel Maxine.
18:41 Yeah.
18:41 You know?
18:42 And he says, right from the bat, as a child,
18:45 he felt a bit different.
18:47 Yeah.
18:48 This may not have anything to do with...
18:49 Yes, he ended up, or she ended up in a boarding facility at a point.
18:54 But this had happened long before.
18:55 But such people will tell you that,
18:57 "I always had these tendencies and all of that."
19:00 It wouldn't be on the back of a boarding system.
19:02 It wouldn't be on the back of having been incarcerated or something of the sort.
19:05 So, would that be any real solution?
19:07 Targeting boarding systems?
19:09 Oh yes, it will reduce it.
19:11 I'm saying that's one of the solutions.
19:12 It will reduce it, because people get into the acts
19:15 when they go to boarding schools.
19:17 So, if you want to fight it, then reduce the boarding system.
19:22 It will reduce new entrants, okay?
19:25 Into the activities.
19:26 And then you have to also find jobs
19:28 for the numerous young men and women out there who are not working,
19:31 and who can be lured into this act by somebody sponsoring the person.
19:35 So, find jobs for the people.
19:37 Create jobs.
19:38 We'll get to the economy shortly, and a bit about jobs,
19:41 and what the LPG can do.
19:42 But, also because you've spoken about prison, our prison system.
19:48 And of course, it's quite a situation there
19:50 on what the prisoners have to survive on,
19:53 the numbers in there.
19:55 But what do you make of the death penalty?
19:56 It's come to the fore recently.
19:58 We'll just quickly deal with that and go to the economy.
20:01 Francis Xavier Sosu is pushing in Parliament for those bills
20:06 to see the light of day, so that we'll just scrap the death penalty.
20:10 In fact, since 1992, all of those that we've sentenced to death,
20:14 no one has been executed.
20:15 That's the point.
20:17 Amnesty International is saying it's high time we got past it.
20:20 But there are the likes of Cletus Abaca who say,
20:23 "Wait, what are you saying?"
20:25 I mean, and he painted a picture in Parliament.
20:27 Someone comes to my house, robs me, maybe rapes my wife,
20:30 and all of that, kills me.
20:32 And you feel that person has a right to life when I have lost my life?
20:36 What is the position of the LPG?
20:37 What is your position?
20:38 Yeah, actually, we don't believe in those things,
20:43 like taking somebody's life.
20:45 "Why should you kill somebody? Why should you kill somebody?"
20:50 And people can change. People can change.
20:54 And there are those who also do not change.
20:56 Yes, that's human. That's human.
20:58 You see, everybody is different.
21:01 So people can change.
21:02 So we have to give people a chance to change.
21:04 And you know, sometimes somebody, maybe they'll suspect a person
21:09 as a thief or as whatever, and then they'll lead the person to death.
21:13 Mob action and all those kind of stuff.
21:15 All these things, we need to condemn them.
21:17 But you know, we need deterrence in society.
21:19 One of the functions of penalisation is to deter.
21:25 So you see that Assamese went and stole something,
21:28 and this was the consequence of that action.
21:31 You also don't go and do it because if you know that if you do it,
21:34 you get caught.
21:35 It is the same consequence you will face.
21:37 One of the merits of the law, or its use,
21:44 is to deter people from doing the things that society agrees
21:49 we do not want to see.
21:51 And you say, what exactly?
21:53 You see, sometimes you can be wrongly accused.
21:58 And we have experienced it many times.
22:00 Is that not a drop in the bucket, globally?
22:03 Yes, though it's insignificant.
22:05 But still, if those people were given the opportunity to live,
22:11 maybe it would help their families and relatives and the rest.
22:19 So I would suggest that we should support what my brother,
22:25 Sosu, is fighting for.
22:29 So you are for Francis if you are for Sosu?
22:30 Oh yes, because we don't need to kill people.
22:32 Why should you kill somebody?
22:34 I don't believe in that.
22:36 Let's find solutions to those problems.
22:40 Let's look at the economy.
22:41 And I just want us to wade into the economy
22:44 and look at some party political issues,
22:45 and then we'll take it from there.
22:49 The economy is in a very tight space.
22:51 Exactly.
22:52 We've got the IMF on board, but we are struggling.
22:57 Exactly.
22:57 It is clear.
22:58 Yes.
22:59 What would the LPG do differently in terms of managing our economy?
23:05 We need to look at creating wealth.
23:13 How do you do that?
23:15 We need to look at the young people.
23:17 Most of our young people are around.
23:20 We need to help them to come out with realizing their visions.
23:25 Because when you go into the book of Joel, chapter 2, verse 28,
23:30 it says in the latter days, the young people will have visions,
23:35 and then the old men will have dreams.
23:38 So if the young people are going to have visions,
23:42 then which means we need to be serious with the young people,
23:47 identify them, support them, no matter what party they belong to.
23:54 So far as they are Ghanaians, and they have fantastic business ideas,
23:57 we should support them to realize it.
23:59 Okay, so I'm looking for more.
24:02 I don't want you to re-echo or be an echo chamber for the problems.
24:07 What are the solutions?
24:08 No, no.
24:08 The solution--
24:09 How would you support them?
24:10 Yeah, the solution is that you need to find money to support your businesses.
24:13 How would you find that money?
24:14 Yeah, I'll come there.
24:16 Just a minute.
24:17 If you go into the global space,
24:21 you see that those who have transformed this society,
24:28 they all started when they were young people.
24:32 If you take a person like Bill Gates,
24:34 13 years when he started learning programming on his own,
24:37 and then 19, he formed Microsoft.
24:42 This one is Dell, yeah?
24:43 This computer is Dell.
24:45 It's an HP brand.
24:46 Okay, you know Dell Computing?
24:48 Started by Michael Dell when he was at school.
24:53 iPhone, Apple, started by--
24:57 Steve Jobs and his friends.
24:58 Yes, Wozniak.
25:00 You know, Woz was 24 years.
25:03 Steve Jobs was, what, 21 years.
25:05 So the youthful human--
25:07 Exactly.
25:08 Here we are neglecting them.
25:10 We are not supporting them.
25:12 We think they are young people, they don't have anything.
25:14 Until we have that realization
25:16 that the young people carry vision.
25:19 So we need to identify them and invest in them
25:23 so that they can change the narrative.
25:26 You have both sides.
25:29 You have both sides.
25:30 And then use the both sides to go and secure a loan
25:32 of $2 billion, okay?
25:35 Now, but what would the $2 billion do for you?
25:40 Instead, you could afford.
25:43 Borrow money to invest in what?
25:46 Refining the what?
25:47 The both side.
25:48 And turning the both side into aluminum.
25:50 Already you have vacuum.
25:52 So you feed vacuum with the aluminum
25:56 to turn it into aluminum.
25:58 And then you build extrusion plant
26:00 to start producing profiles.
26:02 Now we have assembly plants coming here.
26:06 They need engine blocks.
26:07 They need pistols.
26:08 They need car parts and the rest.
26:11 So the extrusion plant can produce all of them.
26:14 Even Boeing can buy most of their parts from here.
26:18 Now, all the natural resources that we have
26:21 until we go into adding value,
26:27 we are going nowhere.
26:28 - But value addition is not as simple as you make it.
26:31 Recently, I mean, there's a private enterprise
26:33 that has created a refinery somewhere in Thema.
26:36 We look at our own tour, the Thema oil refinery
26:38 and the woes it has faced.
26:40 Even look at our gold, in terms of processing the gold.
26:43 We do a lot of the processing globally, not just Ghana.
26:47 In Switzerland, can you imagine that?
26:49 So what exactly is going to be different?
26:52 How, these things you are talking about,
26:55 the MPP and the NDC have told us the same things before.
26:57 - No, see, because they don't have how to do it.
27:02 - And you do.
27:03 - Yes, because let me tell you something.
27:04 Now you are selling Thema oil refinery.
27:07 Government doesn't need to own Thema oil refinery.
27:10 We need to give Thema oil refinery to the private sector.
27:13 But if you didn't go to a foreign company,
27:16 you should rather go to Ghanaian company.
27:18 Invite Ghanaians, let them put a bid.
27:22 - Would you be willing to invest in a Thema oil refinery?
27:25 - Yes, why not?
27:26 I believe you too.
27:27 So why don't we float shares, become private entity,
27:32 give it to Ghanaians all over, buy shares into that company.
27:35 We can raise the needed capital
27:38 to expand the activities of Thema oil refinery.
27:41 You don't need to bring any foreign investors
27:43 to come and own, because everything is in the hands
27:45 of the foreign investors.
27:46 They will take everything away.
27:48 And our leaders are so happy to give everything out
27:51 to foreign direct investors.
27:54 I'm not against foreign direct investors,
27:56 but what are we doing?
27:58 We are not creating capital here.
28:00 Look at the tax rate.
28:01 If your tax rate is 50 something percent,
28:04 how do you create capital?
28:05 The taxes are too much.
28:07 So we cannot do anything ourselves.
28:11 If you go to Thema here, most of the big companies there
28:15 are owned by foreigners.
28:17 Everything is owned by foreigners.
28:19 - That is a problem that we have in this country.
28:21 - Yes, because we are not creating capital.
28:23 You see, our problem is that we are not creating capital.
28:26 We are not teaching our kids from school,
28:29 savings and investment culture.
28:31 If you don't save and invest, you can never be rich.
28:35 If you want to be rich, you need to know how to save
28:38 and invest.
28:40 So it should be a public thing that we should teach
28:44 our kids from infancy to understand that every little
28:47 amount that they have, they should be able to leave some
28:49 to save and then invest later.
28:52 - How do we, very quickly, so we wrap on the economy,
28:55 how do we prevent Ghana, ourselves,
28:58 from going back to the IMF?
29:00 - The solution-- - 17 times.
29:01 - Yeah, the solution is that we have to create capital.
29:04 That's the only solution, create capital, invest.
29:06 - How about industrialization?
29:07 You've spoken about the aluminum bit, but for example,
29:10 we have lithium now.
29:12 We may not have started exploiting it, but if you were
29:15 in power and we had lithium to exploit, I mean, batteries
29:20 for vehicles like you've mentioned, for our phones
29:23 and the rest, what would be your thinking on the use
29:26 of lithium?
29:26 - Yeah, the use would be simple.
29:29 Invite Ghanaians all over, Ghanaians all over the world.
29:32 Sell the idea to them, ask them, put your resources together
29:36 to raise the necessary capital and venture into it.
29:39 So you form a company, you invite Ghanaians to buy shares
29:43 in that company and then they will invest.
29:45 - So you have a very business-focused approach.
29:47 - Yes, because that's the way to make money for your people
29:52 because other than that, you invite foreign direct investors.
29:55 They will take everything away and you will get 25%
29:58 and you think that's enough.
29:59 No, we need to allow people, Ghanaians abroad,
30:04 they're over 10 million.
30:07 Ghanaians here, even if you ask 1 million Ghanaians
30:10 to bring $1,000 together, each is $1 billion.
30:15 If you get 1 million Ghanaians to invest $1,000 each,
30:20 it's $1 billion.
30:21 - $1,000 now is around 12,000 CDs.
30:24 How many Ghanaians can freely give that out?
30:27 - There are some Ghanaians who can invest $1 million.
30:30 There are Ghanaians who can invest.
30:31 - Oh, there are, definitely.
30:32 - Fantastic.
30:33 So I'm just using like a pair item, that's per stock,
30:38 $1,000.
30:42 You see how many people who can.
30:43 So if you're able to sell the idea to them,
30:45 for them to understand the benefits,
30:47 the benefit has to be treated with that investment.
30:49 - So are you suggesting our leaders
30:50 are not thinking well enough?
30:52 - I won't use that word, but maybe if not taking
30:58 a proper look at that, because that's the way forward.
31:02 Other than that, you always fall on the foreigners,
31:04 for them to invest, because the airlines are owned
31:08 by the foreigners, the telecommunication owned
31:13 by the foreigners, everything is owned by the foreigners.
31:16 - Before--
31:17 - So how do we create wealth?
31:18 And then your emphasis is only on the taxes.
31:23 So that's why every day they come up with a new task.
31:26 - So come July the 25th, when the media budget is read,
31:31 you don't want to hear of any more taxes?
31:33 - No, no, no.
31:34 I want to see the government reducing taxes.
31:36 If the government is serious and you want to create wealth,
31:39 this government is serious, you want to make more money.
31:42 You should encourage the businesses to employ.
31:46 - What do you think about the e-levy, COVID-19 levy?
31:49 - COVID-19.
31:50 - Levy.
31:51 - I think they should abolish all those things.
31:53 Yeah.
31:54 - And the e-levy?
31:55 - I would suggest maybe they will make it like a fixed 10,
32:00 like maybe 10 CDs for 1,000 CDs,
32:04 up to 5,000 CDs, pay 10 CDs, something of that sort.
32:07 But the 1% or negative 10 to me is too much.
32:12 - All right, the percentages.
32:15 Before I think your very final comments,
32:16 just the IGP and the leaked state.
32:19 You know now, Bugri Nabu has confirmed
32:21 that there was this meeting in his house
32:24 and some things actually were said.
32:28 What do you make of that situation?
32:29 And what do you think about the Asen North
32:31 member of parliament situation, James Jachikwesi?
32:34 Very quick thoughts on those two.
32:35 - Oh, okay.
32:36 Now, the leaked tape.
32:38 Me, to me, I don't see any serious,
32:41 - Someone who is a COP, supposedly, is plotting,
32:45 hatching a plot to remove the IGP on political grounds
32:49 because he's acting in a way that will make MPPs fortunes.
32:53 You don't see any problem with that?
32:55 - No, none of them has any power to remove the IGP.
33:00 - So when you meet a coup plotter,
33:01 you want to wait till the person does something
33:03 before you realize it can be dangerous.
33:05 - What about if you don't know the person is planning?
33:08 - But now we know.
33:09 - So what can you do?
33:10 You can't do anything.
33:12 I mean, if you look at Bugri Nabu,
33:14 who's Bugri Nabu, and then the other man.
33:16 - There's a COP supposedly involved there, party people.
33:19 - They can't do anything.
33:21 - So we should take it from there.
33:22 - It's like somebody sitting at the apprenticeship bar
33:24 and be talking, that kind of stuff.
33:26 They can't do anything.
33:28 You don't need to waste energy.
33:29 Because I think I read it that they're going for
33:34 the receptionist and then the PA of Bugri Nabu.
33:39 And I look at it, it's a waste of time.
33:42 Maybe they'll be, we call it the BNI or the NIB.
33:45 Maybe they don't have anything to do,
33:46 so that's why they are trying to use it.
33:48 - You think the NIB has nothing to do,
33:50 and that's why they are following a plot?
33:51 - It's a fruitless exercise.
33:52 It won't go anywhere.
33:53 - Jachi Kweison?
33:54 - Jachi Kweison, going to court.
33:55 - He's been re-elected.
33:56 And now, there's the court processes,
33:58 and the minority saying every time he's in court,
34:01 we'll also go.
34:02 - Ah yes, congratulations to him
34:04 for winning the Asen of election.
34:06 But the thing is that the law must work.
34:09 Yeah, because he lied on the oath.
34:12 If you do, you have to face the law.
34:14 So I don't think there's anything wrong.
34:17 - As of the point when he was filing his papers,
34:20 he had contested and all of that.
34:22 He had done everything to be--
34:24 - You see, when--
34:26 - To ensure that he qualified to actually participate.
34:29 - At the time, he was filling the form.
34:32 He hasn't.
34:35 So he became only so Ghanian
34:40 without any allegiance whatsoever.
34:43 That was somewhere in the--
34:46 - But the hitches in the process do not affect him
34:48 in terms of his application.
34:48 - No, no.
34:49 - He followed the application.
34:50 - You see, the application--
34:52 - He had followed the processes.
34:53 - No, no.
34:54 When you are filling the form, there's a section
34:56 that will ask you whether you are a civil servant,
34:59 whether you are a Ghanian by birth,
35:02 whether you are 21 years and over.
35:04 So you have to say yes or no.
35:09 And then he said yes, and then he lied.
35:13 So if you have lied, then you have to face the consequences.
35:16 I mean, I don't think we should encourage wrongdoing
35:19 in this country.
35:20 Even if somebody has done something wrong,
35:23 the person must face the consequences.
35:24 We shouldn't say because he's a politician.
35:27 That is why we are here.
35:28 In this country, we are not growing.
35:30 We need to grow.
35:31 We need to grow.
35:32 - Right.
35:33 So maybe some 20 seconds, final words.
35:35 - Oh, my final words.
35:37 We should support LPE, everybody, including you.
35:41 You should support me so that if your brains,
35:44 if you add your brains to ours, we can turn Ghana around,
35:47 can make Ghana a better place.
35:48 Because Ghana is a beautiful place.
35:50 It has a lot of opportunities.
35:53 But we are giving opportunities to foreigners
35:55 and our people are suffering.
35:57 We need to create jobs for our young men and women.
36:00 We need to give them the opportunity
36:01 to realize their dreams here.
36:03 And I believe LPE 2024 will be a different ballgame
36:08 because we are coming like a kite
36:10 and want everybody out there,
36:12 especially the young people to support us
36:14 to take this MPP and NDC out of the system.
36:18 - Well, Kofi Akpalu is a flag bearer
36:21 of the Liberal Party of Ghana.
36:24 He joined us this morning for a conversation.
36:26 From time to time, we have the other stalwarts,
36:29 the other parties also coming,
36:30 the CPP, PNC, among others,
36:32 to find out what they are offering.
36:34 And as you have seen, we've hosted the LPG today.
36:38 It is up to you to decide whether or not
36:40 you'll buy into what he is offering.
36:44 But Kofi, thank you so much for coming.
36:46 - Thank you, bro.
36:47 God bless you.
36:48 - All right.
36:48 Moving on from here, we'll be having more conversations
36:52 and we'll be looking at the MPP's flag bearership race
36:57 or flag bearer race.
36:58 Now, it is heating up and there are certain dynamics
37:01 that we got to know of only yesterday
37:03 from the administrative end of the party.
37:07 We'll be bringing you details of that.
37:09 We also have a conversation on COVID-19.
37:14 Now, the Ghana Health Service says
37:15 a major part of the population
37:17 is yet to fully vaccinate against the virus.
37:20 On the back of that, it has stepped up its game
37:22 in terms of getting all of us fully vaccinated.
37:26 I have had all shots, had booster shots, but how about you?
37:30 This morning, we're hosting Dr. Kwame Mponsa-Akyanu,
37:33 he's programs manager, expanded program on immunization
37:37 at the Ghana Health Service.
37:39 That conversation is up next on the AM Show.
37:42 Do stay.
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