President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday [June 25, 2018] disclosed that his net salary is GHS29,000.
The President made this known during an address at a meeting with business leaders and entrepreneurs in Accra.
After his disclosure, he made a personal donation of GHS25,000, in addition to a package of the Business Development Ministry, to be given to the youngest shortlisted applicant of the Presidential Pitch start-up competition. The president said: “…By the way, that is one month’s salary. My take home pay is GHS 29,000”.
Mr Akufo-Addo singled out Vanessa Limann, a 19-year-old lady from Gwollu in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, for praise, out of the 20 shortlisted applicants.
The President’s Pitch was opened to Ghanaians between the ages of 18 and 35 years, with business ideas that were feasible, innovative, scalable and impactful.
2,000 entries were received in total from various sectors including agro-processing, ICT, engineering, tourism, textile, sanitation and transportation, among others.
The 20 selected individuals will be given mentors and attached to various businesses and others will also be stationed at incubator hubs and given a working space to develop their ideas.
At the end of the competition, 10 winners will be given support by government to the tune of GHS 50,000 each.
President Akufo-Addo stated: “It is my expectation that the 10 beneficiary companies should help create jobs, and, at least, employ three people each”.
He said, it was the primary agendum of government to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive as part of efforts to build a strong economy to provide a good standard of living for all citizens.
The president said it was in the same vein that government was instituting measures to cut down on the cost of doing business in Ghana.