'Support government to transform the economy'

Dr Edward Omane Boamah, the Minister of Communications has rallied Ghanaians to work together to change the structure of the nation’s economy.

He said they should accept to stand with the government by supporting the raft of measures it had taken to deal with the economic challenges.


Dr Omane Boamah made the call at the “Government for the people forum (G4P)” organized in Kumasi.


The forum, the first in the series planned to be held across the country to highlight the government’s development achievements, was also to help the people to make inputs into the governance of the nation.


Dr Omane Boamah said the government is determined to transform the economy by promoting local production of most of the basic commodities to reduce importation.


He said interventions to boost local rice, sugar and poultry production were already beginning to yield results.


The country is beginning to see the easing of the difficulties that it faced, especially the pressure on the local currency, he noted, adding that, this could be sustained, if more products, which used to be imported, are produced locally.

He said the forum was to showcase to people that, in spite of the severe challenges, with regards to financial inflows, significant successes had been achieved.


Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, the Education Minister, conceded that access to education remained a challenge to many, although there had been some improvements.


The strategic focus of her Ministry now is to ensure equity, improved access and efficient management of the education sector at all levels.


She said her declared zero tolerance for absenteeism was meant to promote accountability in schools – making sure that only teachers, who work, get paid.


Dr Victor Bampoe, Deputy Minister of Health, announced that 3,700 functional Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds had been built nationwide.


The vision of the government is to construct a CHPS compound in every electoral area to improve access to quality healthcare.

She also spoke of intensification of the national response to the deadly Ebola outbreak that has become a global health emergency.


There has not been any confirmed case of the disease in Ghana, which had already claimed lives in excess of 4,000.


Mr Samuel Sarpong, the Ashanti Regional Minister, said a lot had been achieved in the region under the Mahama Administration.


About GH¢153,745,342.00 had been spent on education infrastructure, with about GH¢75 million pumped into road projects and more than GH¢13,400,000.00 invested in health.


Mr Sarpong gave the assurance that the government would continue to provide development projects to improve the lives of the people.