The Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament Mr. Osei Ki-Mensah-Bonsu has assured Ghanaians that the country will soon face economic challenges.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel,” he said in his remarks at the end of the debate on a motion to thank President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the State of the Nation Address (Sona), which he presented. House on Wednesday, the 8th March, 2023.
“One must accept the fact that there is some darkness now but there is light at the end of the tunnel if we stick together and do not become unnecessarily partisan. Ghanaians are watching,” Mr. Kei-Mensah-Bonsu said.
The debate, which lasted six days, began on Thursday, March 9, 2023 with Mr. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Deputy Majority Leader moving the motion, which was supported by Mr. Isaac Adongo, Deputy Ranking Member of the Finance Committee . Of the Parliament.
With regard to the ongoing negotiations by Ghana for economic relief by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr Kei-Mensah-Bonsu in his contribution said that no country engages the IMF if the country is not suffering from economic challenges.
“Have we become reckless in borrowing and spending? The records do not lead to that conclusion. Could we have done better? Looking back, it may seem that we have exaggerated our strength in some areas.
“Despite this, there is empirical evidence to show that this government has under-performed. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the government has done a great job despite the current hiccups.
Backing up his presentation with some facts, Mr. Kai-Mensah-Bonsu said that the rate of economic growth has more than doubled the average 2.8 percent growth rate that President John Dramani Mahama gave to his successor administration .
He said that despite COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the country remains self-sufficient in the staples of cassava and bananas.
“We no longer import them from Cote d’Ivoire. We have not imported maize for human consumption in the last three years. Rather, the neighboring country has been buying these from Ghana, especially maize, yam and rice,” he said.
He said the government cleaned up the banking sector and saved depositors from the mismanagement of some deposit-taking houses, which should not have actually been licensed to operate as banks.
He said that the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) has given employment to more than 100,000 graduates, who otherwise would not have had any employment.
He said employment was offered to more than 1.5 million people, most of them in the informal sector, and more than 350,000 people were employed to provide services in the public space.
Mr. Kai-Mensah-Bonsu said that the allowance of teacher trainees and the allowance of nursing trainees have been restored.
He said that Free Senior High School was started and is still functioning.
Talking about the health sector, he said that 307 fit-for-purpose ambulances have been procured and distributed to all the constituencies across the country.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said that the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has successfully introduced and implemented the Digital Address System.
He said that the government is innovatively implementing paperless system in clearance of goods at ports and harbors which has increased the revenue collection at the entry points.
“Mr. President, this is the State of the Nation. These very few examples out of thousands of programs and projects stand eloquent testimony to the achievements of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration,” Mr. Kei-Mensah-Bonsu said.