President Akufo-Addo remains focused on containing COVID-19 — Vice-President
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remains focused on providing leadership during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, has said.
He said while the economy was withstanding the shocks from the pandemic, the government was also assuaging the sufferings of Ghanaians by providing stimulus packages for households and businesses, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises.
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Vice-President Bawumia was speaking to the Presidential Press Corps after a COVID-19 management meeting at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday.
He described recent remarks by former President John Dramani Mahama that sought to downplay efforts by the government in the fight against the pandemic as untenable.
Dr Bawumia said people should not remain silent when untruths were being peddled, especially by Mr Mahama, when available data showed how abysmal the government he (Mahama) had presided over had performed.
Difference
The Vice-President said while the Mahama-led administration compounded the sufferings of
Ghanaians during the power crisis (dumsor), coupled with hikes in electricity tariffs, among others, the Akufo-Addo government was providing mitigating measures for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said ordinary people and businesses suffered greatly under the four years of “self-inflicted dumsor crisis”, including an average electricity tariff increase of 45 per cent per annum, saying that under President Akufo-Addo, the tariffs had been reduced, water supply was free, while a GH¢600 million stimulus package was being provided for the people.
Dr Bawumia said the government had also, in a period of three years, embarked on major projects and programmes, including the implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) policy, the One-district, One-factory (1D1F) initiative, the One-village, One-dam programme, railway rehabilitation and the creation of jobs.
“I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that the data show that in the history of the Fourth Republic, no government has provided as much infrastructure in its first term in office as the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” he added.
He said during the dumsor crisis, which crippled Ghana’s economy for four years, former President Mahama did not offer any mitigating measure to businesses and individuals, even though that was an internally generated crisis.
He said Ghana’s public finances were in such a precarious state, compelling Mr Mahama to run to the IMF for a bail out.
However, the Vice-President said, a little over three years in office, President Akufo-Addo had been able to manage and transform the economy, adding that he had performed much better than the situation the government inherited.
“I can say, without any fear of contradiction, that the data show that in the history of the Fourth Republic, no government has provided as much infrastructure in its first term in office as the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,” he added.
He said during the dumsor crisis which crippled Ghana’s economy for four years, former President Mahama did not offer any mitigating measure to businesses and individuals, even though that was an internally generated crisis.
He said Ghana’s public finances were in such a precarious state, compelling Mr Mahama to run to the IMF for a bail out.
However, the Vice-President said, a little over three years in office, President Akufo-Addo had been able to manage and transform the economy, adding that he had performed much better than the situation the government inherited.