The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. John Dramani Mahama, says an NDC government will not abolish the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). According to him, an NDC government under Prof. John Evans Atta Mills would rather expand the programme and make it all embracing. Mr. Mahama said at separate rallies at Sankore in Asunafo South; Goaso in Asunafo North; Acherensua in Asutifi South and Atronie in the Sunyani East Constituency as part of his 10-day campaign tour of the Brong Ahafo Region. Mr. Mahama was accompanied on his tour by Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, the NDC vice presidential candidate for the 2004 elections and other leading members of the party. He assured the people that an NDC government would place the welfare of Ghanaians above that of the personal interest of those in government and would not discriminate against any section of the populace, since Ghana belongs to all Ghanaians. He said the NDC would also not abolish the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), since it was the NDC that started it on a pilot basis. On education, he said the NDC would not abolish the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), but would make sure that everything including school uniforms, books and other fees were free for all pupils. Mr Mahama added that an NDC government would further give priority to agriculture, and that under an NDC government a Golden Age of Agriculture would be declared to support all categories of farmers to cut down on food imports as well as give cocoa farmers 100 per cent bonus as against the 70 per cent being given to them now by the government. Source: Daily Graphic