By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 06, GNA – Vice President Dr.
Mahamudu Bawumia says the government remains focussed on building a society
that works not only for a few but
everybody.
They were delivering on the promises they made
to Ghanaians and that there was sufficient evidence to that effect.
“We’re going to see some major changes in
2019, where we will begin full-scale operation of the Sino-hydro facility.”
The Vice President announced that from next
year, US$1.5 billion of the US$2 billion Sino-hydro Barter Agreement signed
with the Chinese firm would be utilised.
The money would be used to build health
facilities and road infrastructure – bridges, drains and interchanges.
“Apart from cleaning the mess of incompetent
economic management that alone is worth in itself, and we are putting in place
the structures that will enable us to deliver”, he added.
Vice President Bawumia was addressing the
closing ceremony of a capacity-building programme for Metropolitan, Municipal
and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) held at the Institute of Local
Government Studies in Accra.
The five-day training programme was held under
the theme: “Re-energising MMDCEs to deliver on Government Agenda” and brought
together 254 MMDCEs across the country and some selected Regional Ministers.
They were taken through revenue mobilisation,
data sharing, leadership skills, decentralisation, preparations towards the
MMDCEs elections and how to implement the government’s flagship initiatives.
The Vice President said they had made
significant progress in the management of the economy over the past 20 months.
The macro-economic indicators had recorded
impressive improvement and he made reference to the year-on-year inflation
which had declined from 15.4 per cent in 2016 to 9.9 currently and the
reduction of the debt to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio from 73.1 per
cent to 64.4 per cent.
The economy also grew from 3.7 per cent in
2016 to 8.5 per cent at the end of 2017 and the fiscal deficit was down to 5.9
per cent from 9.3 per cent, and he said, these had come on the back of prudent
management of the economy
He added that they were aware that improvement
in the macro-economy alone was not sufficient and working towards translating
the gains into the real economy.
The Vice President said he found it refreshing
that the training had equipped and enhanced their management skills to improve
their performance for successful implementation of the government’s flagship
programmes.
Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Local
Government and Rural Development, urged the MMCEs to involve the people in the
implementation of the assemblies’ programmes and action plans.
They should work hard to ensure better
sanitation outcomes, increase revenue mobilization and the successful roll out
of the “Planting for Export and Rural Development”.
“As the representatives of the President at
the local level it is essential that you’re fully conversant with the
government plans, programmes and policies in order to understand them and able
to interface them to the people and implement them in the assemblies’ action
plans and programmes.”
GNA