Vice President receives Pan-African Parliament delegation

Accra, May 8, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama is upbeat that the economic policies being implemented by government would help restore stability in key macro economic indicators that have gone off beam in recent times. Rising inflation and budget deficits have been a challenge for the new government, but Vice President Mahama said government was doing all it could to Re-invigorate the economy to overcome the difficulties inherited.

He said, while things remained a bit difficult,government was however, implementing a number of austerity measures to contain the situation.

The Vice President was speaking during an interaction with members of the Human Rights and Justice Committee of the continental legislative body, the Pan-African Parliament at the Castle, Osu, on Friday. The delegation is in the country to participate in A dialogue over the relationship between the New Partnership for African Development for Africa (NEPAD) and the attainment Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said despite the difficulties being faced, There were also some opportunities which government wouldtake advantage of as part of efforts to put the economy back into shape.

Touching on the relevance of the Pan-African Parliament, Vice President Mahama regretted the mixed reaction which the institution has received so far. The anomaly, he explained, was due to the fact the mandate of the institution has not been well-articulated for it to receive popular appeal.

Vice President Mahama promised to use his influence at the African Union to champion the relevance of the institution. Mr Angelo Beda, who led the delegation congratulated Mr Mahama who was a former member of the Parliament on his election as Vice President. He said the Pan-African Parliament was fast becoming a breeding ground for new generation of African leaders and urged him to use his position to articulate the challenges facing the august body.