Let's use Coronavirus pandemic to drive industrialisation - Okudzeto Ablakwa

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, has called on government to take advantage of the ingenuity of young Ghanaians in the wake of COVID-19 to support the country's industrialisation drive.

He said the pandemic brought to the fore "beautiful stories of ingenuity" of young people inventing solar-powered handwashing sinks and affordable ventilators to beat the virus.

"We expected that some of the allocations that have come in for example, the $1billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) facility, will be allocated to some of these brilliant innovators so that we can start an industry," Mr Ablakwa stated.

He said this when the Volta Region COVID-19 Technical Team from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented 40 sets of complete Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Keta Municipal Hospital to support the COVID-19 fight on behalf of their Flagbearer, Mr John Dramani Mahama.

He said government should look beyond the current situation and think about ways to an economic recovery after the country stemmed the tide of the pandemic by putting all the allocations that had poured in into judicious use.

"We have $100million from the World Bank, we have $1billion from IMF, we have $200million from Stabilisation Fund and the National Trust Fund continues to receive all kinds of donations. It is important for government to set aside money to support these young innovators to start up fully and be able to commercialise their inventions," Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said.

“It does two things. It helps you with the fight to defeat COVID-19 now and then you'll also in the process, be establishing industries that will create jobs to help the economy even after the pandemic," Mr Ablakwa said.