Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has lauded the feat realized by the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) with over two million jobs created within the formal sector.
Speaking on Ghana’s economy during the Nation Building Updates, on the theme: “The future of Ghana’s economy”, Dr. Bawumia cited various government intervention programmes with jobs created such as NABCO and Planting for Food and Jobs.
Highlighting the various achievements of the Akufo-Addo administration, he noted that, unemployment situation in the country as a national security as the erstwhile Mahama administration worsened the unemployment situation in the country due to the mismanagement of the economy.
“We have created jobs, especially for the youth. Another challenge we sought to address was the hopelessness and the despair that a lack of employment opportunity under the previous erstwhile government had plunged our youth into. The human cost imposed of a long line of able-bodied, educated youth of this country by the economic mismanagement of the NDC government had grown to become a national security threat.
“Nothing is more dehumanizing and more frustrating for young people than being jobless. Again we did not run away from the challenge. We took the bull by the horn and in four years we have created over two million jobs in the formal sector including through government programmes such as NABCo, YEIP, Planting for food and jobs amongst others”.
Dr. Bawumia further elaborated on the reduction of taxes and other tariffs on businesses which he claims has never been recorded in the annals of economic management.
“We have abolished or reduced over 15 taxes and levies to reduce the burden of taxes on businesses and individuals and this is unprecedented in the history of economic management in Ghana. It has never happened in the history of Ghana.
“We have also reduced electricity tariffs for residential, business and industrial consumers and again no government in the history of Ghana has reduced electricity tariffs in cumulative terms during its term in office except the government of Akufo-Addo in our first term.”
Touching on the financial sector cleanup, the Vice President noted that, the current government inherited a mess, which was eventually salvaged by admirable decision taken by the government.
“We have cleaned up the mess in the financial sector that we inherited. We took decisive decisions to avoid the collapse of the financial sector. In addition to this, the government on compassionate grounds has decided to pay up to GHS50, 000 to all customers of defunct companies”.
Dr. Bawumia used the opportunity to tout the government’s achievement in every sector of the economy.
He said, in less than four years, the Akufo-Addo government has created over two million jobs in the formal sector.
The Vice President noted that the New Patriotic Party government apart from stabilizing the economy is transforming same.