The Tema branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has praised President John Dramani Mahama for securing a strategic partner for the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) within his first year in office, describing the move as a major boost to industrial revival and employment in the Tema metropolis.
In a statement issued on behalf of the youth and working class of Tema signed by the group’s spokesperson, Godwin Adjei, the NDC grassroots expressed profound gratitude to the President, noting that VALCO, once the pride of the industrial city, had for years remained in decline despite repeated assurances from the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration to secure a strategic investor.
According to the statement, eight years of promises under the former administration failed to yield results, leaving the aluminium smelter plagued by losses and unable to generate the employment opportunities urgently needed by the youth of Tema.
The group said President Mahama’s success in securing a credible strategic partner for VALCO within one year demonstrates decisive leadership and effective economic diplomacy, achieving in record time what had eluded the previous government for nearly a decade.
“We have watched VALCO struggle for far too long. Previous management assured the youth of expansion, yet nothing changed. Today, there is hope. Prosperity is returning to Tema, and the dream of a revived industrial hub is finally a reality,” they stated.
The statement further described the partnership as a key pillar of President Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy policy, explaining that the revival of VALCO will enable the plant to operate on a multi-shift basis.
This, the group said, will lead to massive job creation through a “one job, three shifts” model, expand industrial output, and help stabilize the local economy in Tema.
The NDC grassroots also linked the anticipated revival of VALCO to broader economic gains, including improved financial performance for the company and strengthened confidence in the local economy, drawing parallels with what they described as recent stabilization of the cedi.
Calling for unity, the group described the VALCO partnership as a national achievement and warned against attempts to undermine the development, insisting that such efforts run counter to progress and the party’s mission to rebuild Ghana.
