President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government to be presented to Parliament in November by the Finance Minister will focus on nine critical sectors of the economy.

This, the President said was to create jobs as quickly as possible.

President Mahama made the revelation during a courtesy call on him at the Presidency in Accra by a delegation of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs led by its President, Nana Barima Twereku Ampem III, the Omanhene of the Ntotroso Traditional Area.

The Delegation was at the Presidency to congratulate President Mahama on his decisive victory in the 2024 general election and to thank him for initiating numerous developmental projects in the Region.

“The (Finance) Minister will announce the details, but we expect the support and buy-in of our traditional authorities,” the President stated.

“We intend to make about two billion dollars available every year in sectors that can create jobs. The programme will be driven mainly by the private sector because government is not in business; it is the private sector that will manage it.”

He said Mr Eric Opoku, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, who is a son of the Ahafo Region plays a key role because they were expanding agricultural production across the country.

“One of the priority areas is oil palm. There is no reason Ghana should continue importing vegetable cooking oil when we have the land to produce oil palm, ourselves,” the President said.

“When the programme begins, we will engage you because you are the custodians of the land. You will need to release land for the implementation of the project.

President Mahama also asked the chiefs to participate directly instead of only releasing land; saying “You must take part in oil palm plantations because they will provide income for your communities and contribute to national development”.

The President said they had also introduced the poultry project because Ghana spends almost $500 every year importing chicken, adding that chicken was something Ghanaians could produce themselves.

He said the poultry programme includes support for small, medium and large-scale poultry farmers and that some people thought the programme was only about receiving chicks to eat, but that was not the intention.

The President said the intention was for beneficiaries to sell the birds, reinvest the proceeds, buy more chicks and expand their poultry farms.

He said they were looking forward to the completion of the broiler processing plant at Bechem.

Adding: “That factory will provide a ready market where poultry farmers can sell their birds and obtain cash to expand production”.

President Mahama said he cut the sod for the Bechem Broiler Processing Factory, and that the project was progressing steadily.

He reiterated that he looks forward to inviting the chiefs back to commission that factory when it was completed.

Nana Barima Twereku Ampem III, the Omanhene of the Ntotroso Traditional Area, and President of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs was full of praise for the President for initiating numerous developmental projects in the Region.

He also thanked him for initiating the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Project, which according to him when completed would go a long way to enhance the faster movement of people, goods and services between the Ahafo Region and Accra.

He also commended Newmont for their contributions towards the Ahafo Region’s development as part of their corporate social responsibilities.