Cabinet Retreat: Gov't firms up priority programmes for second term

A three-day Cabinet Retreat has ended at the Peduase Presidential Lodge in the Eastern Region as the Akufo-Addo government firms up its priorities for the years ahead.

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, updating the media on key decisions reached at the Cabinet Retreat at Peduase Lodge on Monday, said the government intended to implement a robust COVID-19 Recovery Programme, to resuscitate the economy, which was adversely affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said the 2021 Budget and Policy Statement slated for Friday, March 12, would clearly provide detailed and specific interventions to restore the national economy to normalcy.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that President Akufo-Addo had charged his ministers and appointees to work collaboratively with a high sense of urgency to deliver on the mandate of bettering a lot of Ghanaians and creating jobs.

Government would pursue aggressive measures towards transforming the economy, ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

The Information Minister said Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, the Head of Government Business in Parliament and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, would read the budget in Parliament and would detail out various interventions, which would be hinged on COVID-19 Recovery Programme to strengthening the micro-economic indicators and fiscal regime.

He said during the Cabinet Retreat which began on Saturday morning, March 6, immediately after the 64th Independence Day Anniversary, afforded the opportunity for the President's representatives at the various ministries, departments and agencies(MMDAs), to brief him on various activities and happenings at their respective sectors between January 2021 and now.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah indicated that the government would roll out plans to mobilize revenue resources to invest in economic sectors affected by the pandemic, in order to get back on track.

"We need to mobilize revenue resources to invest in the various sectors of the economy and there would be specifics in the Budget.

"We cannot borrow always since our GDP ratio has gone beyond desirable numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic," he stated.

"There are a mix of measures on the table and so the best way out is to mobilize revenue and the President is very mindful of that and would not burden the population with new taxes," he opined.

President Akufo-Addo on Friday, March 5, sworn-in 28 ministers and gave them the instrument of appointment after being vetted and approved by Parliament.