The Director of Communications at the Castle, Koku Anyidoho, says President Mills’ government is now ready for a full “take-off” after creating the necessary “preconditions” for growth. Mr Anyidoho said President Mills has had to expend the last few months to stabilize the economy by fixing sky-rocketing inflation and cost of borrowing, and a gaping budget deficit. In an exclusive interview with Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr Anyidoho said so far the President can look back and applaud himself for a good work done. “There is a bit of comfort now, looking from where we came from early last year… The President can tell himself and his team that hey! we’ve done well. There is still some work to be done but we can claim some credit for how far we’ve come,” he said. “For now, President Mills can claim that 'I have created the necessary preconditions for take-off and so the macroeconomic indicators are good.'” The President has, since April 1st been embarking on unannounced visits to some key state institutions. He has so far been to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Customs, Excise and Preventive Services, the Internal Revenue Service and the Finance Ministry. His latest visit was to the Tema Harbour where he familiarized himself with the operations of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service. Some analysts have questioned the rationale behind Prof. Mills’ latest “walkabout” strategy but Mr Anyidoho explained that it fits into the President’s campaign promise to deliver “Change” to Ghanaians. “The touch-and-go visit is now what will change everything; it’s about the follow-ups and so the President is gone. He’s committed himself to this, what do we do next as a team? And the ministers are in place, other officials [and] operatives are in place and that is what will really send the message down that, look, he came here not for, as we say, [ill motives] but he really meant well. And so he’s come and he’s gone and these are the significant results that we can see after his visit,” Mr Anyidoho said. “He wants to go to as many key critical areas as possible. Once it starts at the top it will trickle down,” he added. On how long the President intends to embark on such visits, Mr Anyihodo said “I’m not going to be able to sit down here and give you a time-line. It is part of his governance agenda, it is part of his change process and the change and the new agenda that he is bringing to the Presidency and to the governance process. He has a four-year mandate.” With President Mills failing to fulfill his promise to address the nation on a monthly basis, Mr Anyidoho said the unannounced presidential visits serve the same purpose the broadcasts would have done: engaging the populace. Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana