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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed
confidence that the people of Ghana will reward him with a resounding victory
at the polls in December for his achievements in the face of difficulties. He
said his administration met a difficult situation but had attained great
milestones and would be paid back with victory, adding that “we will not be
complacent; we will work hard for victory, regardless of the fact that ‘one
good turn deserves another.’
We need four more years to do more, especially
four more for Nana”.
Results Fair inaugurated
The President said this when he opened the maiden
Ghana Results Fair, a platform to exhibit policy outcomes of ministries,
departments and agencies to showcase the impact the interventions and flagship
polices implemented by the government has had on the lives of Ghanaians.
Organised by the Ministry of Monitoring and
Evaluation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, the three-day
fair is on the theme:
“Delivering Results to Our Citizens: A Work in
Progress”.
The President said the fair was an indication of
the commitment the government attached to the expansion of inclusivity and
accountability and that it would serve as medium for open engagement between
ministries and Ghanaians.
He added that it would also provide an avenue
for receiving first-hand information and feedback from the beneficiaries of the
success or otherwise of government programmes and achievements.
Economy
Touching on the macroeconomic situation,
President Akufo-Addo said his administration inherited a dire one, marked by a
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.6 per cent, fiscal deficit of 9.3 per
cent, inflation at 15.4 per cent, and a weak external reserves position.
He said the banking sector was affected by
poorly capitalised, weak and insolvent institutions, with potentially grave
consequences for the entire financial system, while agricultural and industrial
activities were down.
Solutions
He expressed confidence that the programmes and
policies his government was undertaking would revive the Ghanaian economy,
improve the health and social wellbeing of citizens, create a society of
opportunities for all and help put Ghana back on to the path of progress and
prosperity.
“Indeed, many were those who made disparaging
remarks about our policies, and went as far as describing them as election
gimmicks.
However, by dint of hard work, we have
implemented these flagship programmes and we have begun to see their impacts
throughout the country, with the overarching vision being to realise our vision
of moving Ghana to a situation beyond aid,” President Akufo-Addo said.
Rice
The President noted that due to the positive
impact of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme, Ghana was in the
process of reducing the importation of rice, with some 785,000 tonnes of rice
milled in Ghana last year, adding that by 2022 the country would be
self-sufficient in the production of rice.
He said the country had witnessed two bumper
years of produce, and, last year, Ghana did not import a single grain of maize,
unlike in previous years.
“On the contrary, we are now a net exporter of
foodstuffs,” he added.
On the One District, One Factory policy, the
President told the gathering that 181 factories were being constructed, and
were at different stages of completion across the country.
He announced that presently 58 factories, under
the scheme, were functioning and another 26 were under construction, with
another 26 projects set to commence implementation by the first quarter of
2020.
Results
The Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr
Anthony Akoto Osei, said indications were that the policies and programmes put
in by the Akufo-Addo Administration had achieved a great deal of success.
He said the policies and programmes had also
benefited many Ghanaians and the fair was to provide the public with the
opportunity to access the impact of the success story on the people.
