The Women Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the North East Region, Hajia Rashida Poanaa Mahama has urged NPP supporters and electorates in the region and over the country to take the ongoing Limited Voter Registration exercise seriously to ensure the numbers for the party in the 2020 elections.
She also called on them to believe in the NPP government because most of their policies will reflect in their second term in office.
According to her, the Akufo-Addo led government has indeed shown how committed they are to the growth and development of the country hence the introduction of the Flagship programs which are currently in their early stages.
She mentioned that as the policies and programs roll on, the people of Ghana will see and begin to understand the urgency with which President Akufo-Addo decided to implement those policies.
“All these policies, I will say are in their preparatory stages, and we will begin to see the full benefit in our second term. So I will urge all well meaning Ghanaians to have faith in the government, vote for us again to continue in 2020 for the full implementation of these social intervention policies,” she said.
Hajia Poanaa Rashida Mahama also pointed out that the Akufo-Addo government had inherited a messed up nation, with its economic fundamentals pointing to a bad direction, it’s health and education sectors were in a mess, but currently the NPP government turned the country around for the better.
She mentioned inflation rate, massive infrastructure, free SHS, School Feeding, 1D1F, One Village One Dam, and the strengthening of the Health Insurance Scheme as some major things that the government is doing to bring Ghana economy on track.
She mentioned also that over the last 21 months of Akufo-Addo administration, Ghana’s economy has been revived, with the various macroeconomic indices all pointing in the right direction.
Hajia Poanaa Rashida Mahama averred that prior to assumption of office on 7th January, 2018 of the NPP, all the indices of economic performance and management were abysmal.
She said: “Look at the fiscal deficit, Debt-to-GDP ratio, rate of growth in agriculture, rate of growth of industry, overall rate of growth of the GDP, and utility tariffs. All of these figures were going in the wrong way. The poor performance of the economy under the erstwhile John Mahama administration, influenced the Ghanaian people to vote for the NPP in the December 2016 elections.”
According to her government has, thus far, put the economy back on track, taken measures to help make Ghana as an attractive and business-friendly destination, and is re-establishing a strong social foundation for the nation’s development.
“The measures government has taken, in terms of the results, are definitely positive. The 3.6% rate of growth we inherited in 2016, by the end of 2017 had grown to 8.5%. And, this year, there is every indication that the same rate of growth of expansion of our GDP is going to take place,” she said.
“The growth of the economy, from 3.6% in 2016 to 8.5% in 2017, even before rebasing, only show that the decision the Ghanaian people made to change course, and entrust the management of the economy into different hands, has paid off.”
Inflation, which stood at 15.4% in December 2016, as at August 2018, is at 9.9%.
“The deficit, which was at 9.3% in 2016 had come down to 5.9%. Growth in agriculture, which was at 3% in 2016 metamorphosed to 8.4% in 2017, largely due to the success of the initiative that we brought in of Planting for Food and Jobs. Negative 0.5% growth of industry transformed into 17.7% in 2017,” the President said.
With the country, from 2009 to 2016, not witnessing any reduction in utility tariffs, she said, the era of former President Mahama was characterized by the erratic energy supply, popularly referred to as ‘dumsor’.
Hajia Planaa Mahama Rashida therefore called on Ghanaians to give the NPP the second term in 2020 as it intends to continue the programme of discipline of the public finances and measures that will stimulate the economy and stimulate enterprises in Ghana as the way forward to restoring vigour and health to the economy.
By PROSPER AGBENYEGA