By Yaw
Ansah, GNA
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – Mr Ekwow Spio-Gabrah,
Presidential Aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says when he is
elected as President all state functions under his leadership will serve
locally made dishes and drinks.
The move, he explained, would be a good
example by the state for the citizenry to emulate, help boost the local economy
by reducing imports, and attract investors to export and earn the nation
foreign exchange.
“It is not the best to serve foreign officials
from countries such as France, Britain, Germany, United States of America and
Denmark with wine made from their respective countries during state events,” he
said.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News
Agency in Accra, to share his perspectives on ways of improving the country’s
economy, Mr Spoi-Gabrah noted that, locally brewed beverages, including palm
wine, pitoo, bisasap (sobolo) and asana (locally made beverage from maize)
would also be served at high-level state receptions.
He said in the spirit of economic
transformation and self-reliance, all institutions, including schools and
government (security agencies) canteens would be required to eat locally grown
rice.
Mr Spoi-Gabrah stated that a strong national
advocacy would be mounted to orient people on the need to eat locally grown
produce, especially rice, to provide jobs and help the economy.
He explained that an earlier initiative aimed
at whipping interest of the public to patronize locally made produce, “the made
in Ghana initiative” under his leadership, in the immediate past NDC
government, did not yield the needed results due to financial constraints, laws
and administrative lapses.
Touching on the challenges in the educational
infrastructure, which had compelled the government to adopt the double track
system, Mr Spoi-Gabrah said Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) over the
years, had failed to mobilize resources from other sources to augment the tax
proceeds.
The Former Trade Minister said government
could source for funding from institutions such as the Ford Foundation,
Rockefeller Foundation, MacArthur Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation to embark on the infrastructure development.
“Few may have political programmes but there
are grants valued at trillions of dollars in the philanthropic environment that
could be accessed to support GETFUND operations such as the free SHS. This kind
of funds cannot tie the country down,” Mr Spio-Gabrah said.
The GETFund he said, had a good track record
including building schools, awarding scholarships to qualified students and
access grant from other non-governmental organization.
He suggested that government should source for
funding from philanthropic institutions and individuals without any strings
attached instead of borrowing with interest from countries like China that
affects inflation, budget deficit and other economic fundamentals.
“If there are these kinds of funds why will
our government resort to borrowing and plunge the country into huge debt.
Borrowing has a negative impact on the economy,” he said.
GNA