The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said the Akufo-Addo government did not only seek to stabilize the economy, but they also took steps to transform the nature of the economy whilst providing an assessment of their policy impacts on the agriculture sector.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia revealed this on Thursday night when he made a compelling case dubbed “The Case for Four More Years to do more for you” for the re-election of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on December 7, 2020 for a second term in office.
“These we have achieved through Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development and Rearing for Food and Jobs. PFJ has led to a 71% increase in the national production of maize and 34% in paddy rice. Yields per hectare of maize, rice, and soybean have also increased significantly and we now export 19 different food items, including maize, to the rest of ECOWAS countries”.
“Again, through One District One Factory and Strategic Anchor initiatives, we are adding value to our raw materials through industrialization. In four years, 76 companies are in operation and a total of 107 1D1F factories are also under construction. We expect every district to have a factory in the next 2 years.”
The Vice President also indicated that the Akufo-Addo government have abolished or reduced 15 taxes and levies to reduce the burden of taxes on businesses and individuals which is unprecedented in the history of economic management in Ghana.”
“We have also reduced electricity tariffs for residential, business and industrial customers. No government in the history of Ghana has reduced electricity tariffs in net terms during its term of office,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia also highlighted the fulfillment of the objective by the Akufo-Addo government to modernize, digitize and formalized the Ghanaian economy, which he said was largely informal. He revealed that when they came into office, “Over 90% of Ghanaians had no unique identity, there was no working address system, over 70% of the bankable public had no bank accounts, most transactions were cash based, less than 10% had Tax Identification Numbers, and clearing goods at the port, obtaining a driver’s license, passport, renewing your NHIS card, purchasing electricity units, obtaining birth certificates,” and many others, were manual and became breeding grounds for corruption as bribes were demanded
He said the Akufo-Addo government “made the strategic decision to address these chronic problems by digitizing the Ghanaian economy as well as the prices of delivery of many government services to increase government revenue, eliminate corruption and ultimately provide public services to citizens more efficiently and more conveniently“.
Dr. Bawumia noted further that with the successful issuance of digitized national ID cards to 15.5m Ghanaians in 4 years, the implementation of mobile money interoperability, digital address system and the digitization of various government services, the Akufo-Addo government has made significant strides in its digitization agenda.
Dr. Bawumia stated unequivocally that President Akufo-Addo has delivered on his 2016 promises and appealed to Ghanaians to give him 4 more years to continue with his good works which is to stimulate economic growth, support industrialization, accelerate agriculture modernization, consolidate 1D1F and the implementation of Free SHS and TVET and move Ghana ahead.
“We ask you to give us four more years because our Government, borne out of the NPP, under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has kept faith with you, Ghanaians, by delivering on the commitments we made to you.”
“On December 7, remember that we have achieved together, and what, we can achieve together over the next four years, and vote to retain Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President, and for NPP MPs, all of whom are number 1 on the ballot, so we can deliver once again on our mandate”.
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