We Have Been Sensitive To Ghanaians’ Plight and Suffering

The head of Ghana’s Economic Management Team (EMT), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the Akufo-Addo-led government is sensitive to the plight and suffering of Ghanaians thereby the “robust” social interventions it has in place.

According to the vice President, the 62.3 billion cedis social interventions put in place in the last five years by the government have served as “shock absorbers”, cushioning Ghanaians in this pressing global era.

He outlined that Free SHS, Fertiliser subsidy, Teacher Training Allowances, Nursing Training Allowances, NABCO, BECE exam fees subsidy, COVID Expenditures, Financial Sector Clean up and Excess Capacity Payments have cost the country GHC 5.3 billion, GHC 2.95 billion, GHC 770 million, GHC 860 million, GHC 2.1 million, GHC 250 million, GHC 8.1 billion, GHC 25 billion and GHC 17 billion respectively in the last five years of implementation.

Speaking at New Patriotic Party’s National Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON) Training and Orientation Conference, Dr Bawumia said without these interventions, the situation of Ghanaians would be far worse.

“Imagine what many households would be going through today if in addition to the price increases on the markets.

“Clearly, millions of households would have been in a much worse shape without these interventions. Looking around Africa, so many countries going through this crisis do not have the social interventions that the NPP government has introduced. We have been very sensitive to the plight and suffering of Ghanaians. Without these shock absorbers things would have been much worse for our citizens”, he said.

That notwithstanding he acknowledged that the country is going through a challenging era.

“From the man on the street to the business mogul, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the shelter we seek or have, to the benevolence we extend to friends and family, the health of the economy is the foundational instrument. To bring this home, essentially the economy is what we feel in our pockets. I acknowledge that we are going through challenging times. This is the reality irrespective of the cause.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini