Govt has expended GH¢27 billion to implement social interventions - Bawumia

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said the Akufo-Addo-led government has spent GHc27 billion on the implementation of key social interventions since assuming office in 2017.

These programmes included the roll-out of the Free Senior High School policy, restoration of the teacher/nursing trainee allowances, the Nation Builders Corps, and provision of free water and electricity for lifeline consumers for six months amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Mahama-led administration could not raise GHc70 million to pay for the teacher/nursing trainee allowances, he said.

Dr Bawumia made the remarks on Tuesday at a durbar of teachers and artisans at Metaheko/Flamingo in the Ablekuma Central Constituency of the Greater Accra Region to begin his four-day tour of the Region.

He said Ghanaians were witnessing much better governance and leadership under President Akufo-Addo with the cedi depreciating by only two per cent this year amid COVID-19 pandemic and an election year.

He cited the restoration of the teacher/nursing trainee allowances, implementation of the Free Senior High School policy for which government pays GHc2.2 billion annually, payment of GHc21 billion to 4.6 million depositors whose funds were locked up in the banking sector clean-up, and provision of infrastructure such as roads, libraries, classroom blocks, and health facilities.

The government, he said, had recruited 90,000 teachers since assuming office in 2017.

The Vice President further explained that in view of the fulfilment of about 80 per cent of the NPP 2016 electioneering campaign promises with more ongoing projects, Ghanaians could trust the government with four more years to deliver more developmental projects.

Dr Bawumia outlined some policies and programmes the Akufo-Addo-led government intended to implement when given the nod in the December 7 elections.

They included the National Transport Recapitalization Scheme, Leasing programme to enable commercial drivers own new vehicles, Tertiary Loan Scheme for university students to receive loans and pay it after completion of school, and National Rent Allowance Scheme for workers to rent decent accommodation and later deducted from their salaries.

The teachers and artisans asked government to provide stimulus package for private schools to cushion them against the COVID-19 pandemic, employ graduate teachers, and ensure that the One-Student, One-Laptop policy was fulfilled.

Vice President Bawumia, responding to their requests, said President Akufo-Addo had directed the Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, to look at the COVID-19 Alleviation Fund and find support for the private schools.

In addition, government wanted to find a local manufacturer to produce laptop computers in the country so that every teacher and student could get one each.

Dr Bawumia said government would provide free internet service to all senior high schools, 46 colleges of education and 260 education offices across the country by the end of the year.

Some dignitaries in the Vice President’s Team were Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Anthony Abeyifa Karbo, Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Saad Habib, Member of Parliament for Bortianor, Ngleshie/Amanfrom, and Mr Sylvester Tetteh, CEO of the National Youth Authority and NPP parliamentary candidate for Bortianor/Ngleshie/Amanfrom.