The 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Sunday began his Listening Campaign in Kwahu, Eastern Region. After spending the morning attending church services for God’s protection and guidance, Nana Addo had unplanned conversations with ordinary Ghanaians who narrated their concerns and living conditions to him. The towns he visited were Akwasiho, Esikam, Abenam, Aduhima, Suminakese, Whewhe, Pepease, Nkwatia, Aduamoa and Abertifi. At Akwasiho, Nana Addo bumped into Kennedy Karikari, 22, an unemployed young man. Mr Karikari lamented how financial constraints denied him the opportunity to continue his education beyond Junior High School. Speaking in a close chat with Nana Addo, Kennedy said he had heard of Nana Addo’s programme for free education, recalling how hard his parents tried without success to raise money for him to continue his education after completing Akwasiho R/C School. Nana Addo, touched by the young man’s story, said his reason for making access to quality education a must for every Ghanaian child was because of stories like Kennedy’s. The NPP flagbearer re-echoed the problem of an estimated quarter of a million young people who leave the basic or secondary school level every year without passing and are thrown onto the streets without any basic employable skills. He told Kennedy that, God willing and Ghanaian voters consenting, the next NPP government in 2013 will pursue a vigorous programme of offering skills and creating job opportunities for the masses of neglected Ghanaian youth. At Suminakese, tomato farmers and traders complained bitterly about the bad nature of the roads and its negative impact on their businesses. Madam Yaa Agyeiwaa told Nana Addo, “our livelihood depends on tomato and this is threatened seriously by the bad roads that we have. It is very sad how President Mills has neglected us and we are hoping that when Nana comes to power he will fix the roads for us. President Kufuor started some of it and we hoped the NDC would continue but we have been very disappointed.”