The first of two Presidential Debates that hosted candidates of political parties with representation in Parliament ended successfully in Accra on Wednesday night. Nana Akufo-Addo representing the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Edward Mahama for the People’s National Convention, Prof John Evans Atta Mills for the National Democratic Congress and Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Convention People’s Party answered varied questions on governance, the economy, energy, health, security, education, women and children, Ghana’s oil find, regional integration, pension and a host of other subjects. The Presidential Debate was organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA, with the support of Joy FM and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, under the theme: Strengthening the Pillars of Ghana’s Democracy. A second debate is planned for November 12 in Tamale. The debate turned out a very useful exercise, with the four candidates exchanging pleasantries before and after their grueling sessions. The four candidates concurred that Nuclear Energy could be one of the viable alternatives the nation must consider to boost its energy supply. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, who was first to give his view on what the country can do to generally ensure adequate supply of energy, said it is time Ghana put into utmost use plants that have been rendered virtually useless for over 15 years. He said his leadership would tackle the energy issue with a sense of urgency without “worrying about who is executing a contract, and would give the job to the best person available to get those jobs done”. He believed Ghana would, within four years become a net exporter of power and fuel. According Prof. Atta Mills, the power crisis that hit Ghana about a year ago could have been contained if the government had taken steps to continue measures that were initiated by the NDC. He said the previous government started the Aboadze Thermal Plant, the Osagyefo barge and West African Gas Pipeline to augment Ghana’s energy supply. “We are even experimenting on wind energy. We are going to insist that traffic lights would be powered by solar; there is biogas also to be expected and even tide wave energy.” Dr. Edward Mahama advised; “In order to avoid future problems we need to have a healthy mix of hydro, thermal, solar and wind for energy sufficiency.” Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the country is currently not producing enough energy to meet domestic demand and noted that government has taken “several measures to address the gap” with the future in mind. The presidential candidates also spent some time on the subject of the nation’s economy. The first question thrown to the candidates on the issue related to how they will create jobs and put money in the pockets of Ghanaians. And first to answer was the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo. He said at the level of public sector jobs, he is committed to increasing the number of policemen from 25,000 to 50,000. “We are committed to putting 20,000 sanitary inspectors on the streets every year for the next five years. We are also committed to increasing the employment range of the National Youth Employment Programme from a 108,000 which it is now to some 500,000,” he said. In tandem with his party’s philosophy, Nana Akufo-Addo said the private sector was critical in dealing with the question of job creation. He said small and medium scale enterprises in the country should be supported because they are the main providers of jobs. “That is why we have committed ourselves to establishing an industrial fund. One billion cedi fund to make it easier for people who want to create new enterprises to access capital,” he explained. Moving Ghana’s economy from producing raw materials to industrializing and value adding economy, for him, is a sure way of creating jobs. He said his government will lighten the tax burden on companies by reducing corporate tax from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. Touching on Foreign Direct Investment and how to manage it to inure to the benefit of Ghanaians, Nana Addo said he will grow the local private sector by providing technical assistance and capital to small scale enterprises, if given the nod. Fifty per cent of government supply must come from the local industries to provide ready market for locally produced goods to insulate from unfair competition. He believes even the United States welcomes FDIs because they stimulate growth. On the question of how to apply the oil resources to the benefit of Ghanaians, Nana Akufo-Addo said an oil fund would be set up. Under the supervision of Parliament the fund will dispense the oil revenue judiciously with a huge chunk of the wealth going into the development of the Western Region where the oil is found. The CPP Presidential candidate, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom was next to address the question of creating jobs and putting money in the pockets of Ghanaians. He said he will use the state’s purchasing power to buy locally produced goods and provide ready market for producers and thereby keep them in business. “You come to a state function and nothing will touch your lips and tempted to touch your tongue if it was not produced in Ghana,” he decreed. He thinks buying and selling is not a bad idea so long as it involves goods produced by Ghanaians in Ghana. Dr. Nduom posited that the only reason why the oil find should be pursued and explored is because it would benefit Ghanaians, else it should remain under the earth.