President John Dramani Mahama says the private sector remained pivotal to the growth and development of the national economy as it could drive a well planned job creation regime in the country. “Government will therefore collaborate with investors to set and maintain progress of economic activities that were crucial towards the socio-economic development of the country.” President Mahama announced this when he outlined the National Democratic Congress' (NDC's) programme in his turn of the IEA evening encounter at Accra. The interaction gave the opportunity to Election 2012 presidential candidates whose parties’ have representation in Parliament to project their mission, vision and policies that they would be implementing when they win elections. President Mahama said Ghana under the Mills/Mahama administration had made tremendous economic strides worthy of note and therefore deserved another term to accomplish some of the projects that were yet to be completed. He mentioned the attainment of single-digit inflation, low interest rates, and the attainment of lower middle income status as some of the achievements of the NDC government that needed to be consolidated in the second term, given the opportunity. President Mahama said government was aware of the infrastructural deficit of the country and would step up the provision of potable water, good roads, sustained energy to encourage industrialization and development in the coming years. He said government was also working feverishly to reactivate the transport system on both land and sea to make Ghana a better destination for her neighbours in the West African sub-region. The President said cotton production had been doubled in the three years of the NDC administration, while a shea butter factory had been established in Buipe in the Northern region to create more jobs for the rural folks especially women in the savannah zone of the country. President Mahama announced that a number of tractors have also been distributed to farmers on hire purchase basis, while improved seeds and extension services had been provided throughout the country to enable them to step up production for both domestic consumption and for export. The President said the Northern Rural Growth and Savannah Accelerated Development Authority were some of the programmes government had embarked on to mitigate the plight of poor and needy people in the savannah zone.