Stabilising Ghana’s economy is my priority – Akufo-Addo

New Patriotic Party presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo has said stabilising the porous Ghanaian economy would be his priority if elected as President in the next general elections.

Speaking at a national symposium at the Accra International Conference Center as part of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the burial of Dr. J.B Danquah, the former Foreign Affairs Minister said bringing back macroeconomic stability to the management of the national economy is his topmost priority.

"As the presidential candidate of the NPP, I have been asked what the first priority of an Akufo-Addo government would be and my answer was straight to the point: bring back macro-economic stability to the management of the economy.

“Without it, all our efforts will get down to naught. Danquah realised this long ago and I should at this stage share another of Danquah’s sayings from the Legislative Council with you.

“He is talking here about the Colonial Government’s management of the economy. ‘Now I say, Sir, that the Government has been extravagant in the manner of handling the country’s finances because never once does it seem to consider the question of the country’s economy. The very word economy appears to have disappeared completely from the dictionary and vocabulary of the present Government.”

The former Attorney General added: "We need to bring back confidence in the economy so that businesses and families can plan their budgets properly. What the NPP will do differently is that we will bring back that confidence. We will ensure fiscal discipline on how taxpayers’ monies are spent and ensure macroeconomic stability.

“Investors, domestic and foreign, will only be interested in Ghana when they can be assured of the bankability of investing in our economy. We will move away from high budget deficits and reckless borrowing because we know of the benefits of fiscal responsibility – low inflation, reduced interest rates, exchange rate stability, avoiding HIPC and making savings for social and capital expenditure."