Nana, I throw salute
Yesterday marked the 100th day in office of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
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It is heart-warming that since the President and his Vice, Dr Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia, took their oaths of office at the Black Star Square on January 7, 2017, in the presence of the 275 elected parliamentarians, as well as a cross-section of Ghanaians and foreign dignitaries, the expectations of the people have remained high as a result of the mouth-watering promises contained in the NPP manifesto which eventually won the party power.
As it stands now, President Akufo-Addo remains on record as the first President of the Fourth Republic to have put his government machinery in place way ahead of his 100th day in office.
In much the same way, the President has demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that he is ready to fulfil the numerous promises he made to the people of this country.
This was manifest when the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, presented the 2017 Budget Statement to Parliament in March.
Promises
Among the issues dealt with and which had some connection with the promises made were the abolition of the one per cent Special Import Levy; the 17.5 per cent VAT/NHIL on financial services; the 17.5 per cent VAT/NHIL on selected imported medicines that are not produced locally; the removal of import duties on raw materials and machinery for production within the context of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) Protocol and the 17.5 per cent VAT/NHIL on domestic airline tickets.
Others are the five per cent reduction in the VAT/NHIL on real estate sales; excise duty on petroleum and the reduction of the special petroleum tax rate from 17.5 to 15 per cent; the abolition of duty on the importation of spare parts, as well as levies imposed on kayayei by local authorities.
Others are the review of taxation on the gains from the realisation of securities listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange or publicly held securities approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the reduction in the National Electrification Scheme Levy from five to three per cent; the public lighting levy from five to two per cent, the replacement of the the 17.5 VAT/NHIL rate with a flat rate of three per cent for traders and the implementation of tax credits and other incentives for businesses that hire young graduates.
What is on record at the moment makes it easier for one to safely say that the President has taken off in a whirlwind fashion and he is poised to fulfil the other promises he made during the campaign period.
There are still some important promises that Ghanaians are waiting with bated breath for their execution and implementation by the President and his able lieutenants, chief among them being the following:
Free senior high school
The flagship policy of the government, the free senior high school, has already been confirmed by the President will roll out at the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year in September. The programme, as expatiated by the President at the Okuapeman SHS recently, is to benefit first-year students entering SHS this year who will enjoy everything free, with day students also being provided with lunch in the school.
Office of the Independent Prosecutor
It is abundantly clear that Ghanaian politics has polarised society over the years and some groups of people in this country hold that perception that the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice is highly politicised. As a result of this suspicion, attempts by the A-G’s office to deal with wrongdoing against the state are perceived to be witch-hunting. It is, therefore, heart-warming that one of the forward looking promises by the President is the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. It is a very laudable idea.
When this office is established, it is definitely going to boost democracy and help deal with corruption, which has engulfed this country.
The Special Prosecutor will be able to deal with corruption without looking over his shoulders.
I suggest that the President refrain from making any direct appointment to that office. The occupant of that special office must be elected by an electoral college. The position must be widely advertised and prospective applicants made to put in applications for the Electoral Commission to conduct the election and select the most suitable applicant to that office. This will avoid the suspicion that the appointee will draw his power from the President. By that, the office holder will enjoy a lot of autonomy and power. It is my hope that the necessary legislation to facilitate the establishment of this august office is ignited without any further delay.
Economy
The manifesto promises are very feasible, especially when the huge spillage going on in the system is corrected and blocked. For some time now, the state has been denied a lot of revenue. News making the rounds indicates that an amount close to one billion dollars has been salvaged as a result of the blockage of some spillage in some sectors of the economy.
The President inherited a bogus system/weak economy and that explains why he has been given the mandate to appoint officers to help him tackle the challenges confronting the economy.
Planting for jobs
There are no jobs at the moment, but Ghanaians have to live and survive. It is the duty of the government to take care of people to reduce crime. Our current system is creating criminals and its my prayer that the President succeeds in all the initiatives he is rolling out to make life worth living for the numerous Ghanaians out there.
Under the policy, 200,000 farmers across the 216 districts are being selected to work on a pilot basis in its first year. There are about five million farmers and fishermen across the country and it is the expectation of the government that by 2020 this number will be hooked onto the programme.
The national launch of this programme will be done by President Akufo-Addo at Goaso in the Brong Ahafo Region on April 19 as part of the commemoration of the 100th day in office of the President.
Creation of jobs
The one-district-one-factory policy, to me, is one of the easiest among the promises in the NPP manifesto to be fulfilled. The jobs promised are not the type that will last for a day or even a week but are sustainable, while the factories will benefit from the direct supply of raw materials from the respective communities where they are established.
Forward march
Sadly, one issue that has emerged during President Akufo-Addo’s 100th days in office are the attacks by vigilante groups believed to be associated with the NPP. This, to me, is a blot on the great strides that have been made by this administration so far.
But, as our elders say, there is a Mensah in every home and so we should not let this single incident dent the successes that have been chalked up under this administration.
The President and his team need applause and encouragement to urge them on to continue with the good initiatives they have embarked on.
Nana, I throw salute. Move on and make Ghana great and strong.