The Convention People's Party (CPP) says in the comparison of records, it comes up tops. In a press release signed by it's vice public relations officer, Ebenezer Obeng Antwi, the party cites the achievements of its founder, Dr Kwame Nkrumah as a testimony of their ability to deliver if voted into power in December. Read the full press release below COMPARING RECORDS: WHAT THE YOUTH MUST KNOW ABOUT THE C.P.P. (PART1) For the last few months, the major political parties have all been talking about their records and achievements and it is against this background that TESCHART-CPP, KNUST wishes to draw the attention of the general public especially the youth of our beloved country about some of the great strides of the CPP and why they need to vote for the CPP in this and subsequent elections. We present to you here below a few of the major achievements of the CPP. EDUCATION 1. Established the Kwame Nkrumah University Science and Technology and the University of Cape Coast. The University College of Legon was also upgraded to a full-fledged university, University of Ghana, Legon. 2. The CPP also established six Technical Institutions (Polytechnics). 3. Established sixty-one Training Colleges 4. The party also established ninety-two Secondary Schools. 5. The party further established 1739 Middle Schools. 6. 7061 primary schools were also established. The most important of all was that education was virtually free and compulsory and it was even criminal for a parent not to send his/her child to school. HEALTH Not only did the CPP build several minor hospitals but it also established the major hospitals that we can boast of not only as a nation but Africa as a continent. Amongst such magnificent health institutions include: 1. The Okomfo Anokye Hospital in Kumasi. 2. The Efia-Nkwanta Hospital in Sekondi-Takoradi. 3. The Korle-Bu Hospital was upgraded to a Teaching Hospital. 4. The Legon Medical School and the Faculty of Pharmacy at our own KNUST. 5. Six Polyclinics were built in Accra alone. This was to ease congestion in the larger hospitals and they served only out-patients in the urban centers. Here again quality health care delivery was free and for that matter no need for any health insurance scheme HOUSING 1. Established a separate Ministry of Housing as well as the State Housing Corporation to cater for the housing needs of the country. 2. The Tema Development Corporation was established and it was in charge for the general development of housing for workers in the harbor township. 3. The Rural Housing Loan Scheme was established to assist those in the rural communities. 4. The First Ghana Building Society was also established which through mortgage schemes assisted many people to build or own their own houses. AGRICULTURE 1. The Cocoa Purchasing Company was established to remove the monopoly being enjoyed by foreign companies in the purchase of cocoa. 2. Experimental farm stations and institutions were established where agricultural supporting staff were given appropriate professional and practical training. Schemes were also established whereby farmers were invited to study first-hand modern agricultural methods at the experimental farms and stations. 3. The Soil Research Institute was established at Kwadaso near Kumasi, which helped in mapping out suitable lands in different parts of the country for agricultural use. 4. The Agricultural Credit Bank (now Agricultural Development Bank) and the Agricultural Co-operative Societies which were established gave soft loans and other incentives to farmers which encouraged them to embark on large-scale farming. 5. The United Farmers' Council, Workers' Brigade, State Farm Corporation, The State Fishing Corporation and the Food Processing Division of the Ghana Industrial Holdings Corporation (GIHOC) were established in order to increase food production. 6. Agricultural shows were held at both district and national levels. Exhibits and prizes awarded at these shows gave farmers valuable incentives to improve yields of crops and breeds of livestock. 7. Several agricultural industries were established. The Pwalugu Tomato Factory, the Zualugu Meat Factory, the Tamale Oil Mill and the Asutuare Sugar Factory are just a few of them. RURAL SERVICES The Rural Feeder Road Scheme was established to link outlying villages of the trunk roads and to district and other commercial centers. PRIVATE SECTOR 1. The CPP government promoted private participation in the economy of the country, while at the same time the government itself entered into enterprises owned either solely by the state or in joint-partnership with the private sector. 2. To promote the rapid expansion of the economy, the government introduced various forms of inducement, including generous customs duty and tax reliefs for infant industries, and the repatriation of sizeable parts of profits and personal incomes of foreigners working in the country. INDUSTRIES AND INDUSTRIALISATION 1. The Capital Investment Board, the Industrial Development Bank and the Standard Board were established to control quality of production. 2. The Volta River Hydro-electric project was established at Akosombo. This not only supplied electricity to Ghana but neighboring countries like the Republic of Benin and Togo. The dam itself served as the world's largest man-made lake. It also served as a growing fishing industry and provided transport from the north to the south. 3. The CPP government established the Ghana National Trading Corporation. 4. The Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Commercial Bank were also established. 5. Infant industries producing essential and priority goods were granted not only exemption from customs duty on raw and semi-raw imported industrial materials, but also a reduction in company tax. TRANSPORT 1. Constructed and tarred the Accra-Kumasi trunk road. 2. Constructed and tarred the Accra- Takoradi- Axim- Tarkwa road. 3. Constructed the trunk road from Kumasi to Tamale and beyond in the north. 4. The construction of the Adomi Bridge and another one at Sogakofe on the Volta River connected trunk roads constructed in the Volta Region to those in the main parts of the country. 5. A railway line was constructed starting from Achiase, on the Huni-Valley to Kade railroad to join the Accra-Kumasi line at Kotoku near Nsawam. Another railway line was built from Achimota to the sea-port of Tema. 6. The CPP government also established the Black Star Shipping Line. 7. The Ghana Airways Corporation was established. 8. We also constructed the Tema Harbor and Township. We further constructed the Tema Motorway to connect to the sea-port to Accra. As said earlier, this is just a few of our achievements and as students who queue before getting a bed in our various tertiary institutions, who are not guaranteed of a better accommodation after their first year, who cannot afford the cost of a hostel, who graduates a tertiary institution without knowing where to go next due to the lack of jobs, we humbly advise our colleague students and the youth of this country to assess our situation critically and vote for the CPP. The CPP is the party that belongs to you and me and with the Edwumawura being the flag bearer, our cry will be answered. THE CPP HAS DONE IT BEFORE AND IT IS SURELY GOING TO IMPROVE ON ITS PAST PERFORMANCE.