'Our current economic difficulties will soon be a thing of the past' – President Akufo-Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured that Ghana, under his leadership will be returned onto the path of progress and prosperity, adding that “very soon the difficulties in our economic circumstances are going to be a thing of a past”.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “steps are going to be taken very soon, in my own address to the nation, and in the first budget, to let the Ghanaian people know that the commitments we made in order to get their mandate were not just hollow words and that there was every intention to live by those commitments. Those commitments, in our vision, are the way forward for the progress and prosperity of our country.”

The President made this known on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, when the Standing Committee of the National House of Chiefs paid a courtesy call on him at the Presidency.

In his response to remarks made by the President of the House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV, President Akufo-Addo noted that the “business” of political leaders is to capture the spirit of the time and make policy for the furtherance of the interest of the people.

“It is the considerations of the public sector which should guide us. We should never put ourselves as competitors with people in the private sector. I want to assure you, and through you to all the Chiefs of our country, that to the extent that I have control over those I am working with, that is going to be the situation,” he said.

He reassured the Chiefs that “there will be no situation whereby Ministers, deputy Ministers, or members of government are going to see themselves as competitors to the private sector. Our business is to make the policy, define the rules and regulations that will make the private sector flourish and grow.”

Touching on the development of entrepreneurship, which was a central feature of Togbe Afede’s remarks, President Akufo-Addo stated that the development of entrepreneurial talent “is a make or break for our country”.

He noted that “if we can find young, Ghanaian men and women who have that sense of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, and given the right framework, our country can make it and our people prosper.”

It is only through the development of entrepreneurial talent in Ghana, according to the President, that “we will be able to emulate others who have come from the same conditions as ourselves, and, yet, are today enjoying advanced standards of living. I speak of our brothers and sisters in Asia. I cannot accept that the Asians can do something we Africans cannot do. We can do it, and the opportunity is there for us.”

The President, in concluding, urged the citizenry to continue to cherish the institution of Chieftaincy and assured that his administration would find a way to make this institution a feature of our governance system.

“There are many things we need your assistance in – protecting our environment, providing a solid base for the education of our youth, amongst others. We need each and every one of you gathered here to help in the development of our country,” he ended.