Gov’t to support social projects with more funds

Vice President Kwesi Amissah - Arthur on Friday announced that the Government of Ghana is working out a strategy for more funds to support the development of the social sector.

Part of the strategy, he said, is to reduce the level of Government spending by involving more private sector participation in the economy. The Vice President made the announcement at a Town Hall meeting with the Ghanaian Community, on the sideline of an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

The social projects he said include the long projects like schools, hospitals, roads, sea and ports among other civil and construction works.

The Vice President said the Government is committed to the development of social projects. However, the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure had increased the public service salary bill and made the delivery of Government projects difficult.

Vice President Amissah-Arthur explained that the Government had to go for the new Eurobond, which has a much lower interest rate and use part of the proceeds to pay for an old expensive one.

'' The strategy is that we should be able to change the way of how Government has funded its projects, '' the Vice President said, adding that, Government resources will focus more on the social sector.

On the issue of the very poor performance among some basic schools back at home, Vice President Amissah-Arthur said the Government would do its part to train quality teachers and provide the needed infrastructure.

He however, advised chiefs and parents in the communities of basic schools which performed poorly at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to get involved in ensuring effective teaching and learning to reverse the trend. The Vice President cautioned teachers to avoid absenteeism.

The forum touched on issues such as development in education, welfare of Ghanaian citizens in Senegal, the Supreme Court case, its ruling and implications, the biometric passport acquisition and malaria control among others. Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister for Trade and Industry announced the intention of the Government to establish a seaport at Atuabo in the Western Region.

He announced that work on the Freedom of Information Bill had moved from the Executive, with possible introduction of a moratorium to facilitate it to become law.

Mr Yakubu Abddulai, Ghana’s Ambassador to Senegal, who retires very soon, urged the citizens to embrace the idea of the Ghanaian community to be in constant touch with one another and to access quick response in times of trouble.