Why not include jobless citizens in the stimulus package? – Ras Mubarak asks

NDC’s Member of Parliament for Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak, has called for the inclusion of individuals who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 period in government’s GH¢600million stimulus package.

This, according to him, will put these jobless people in a better financial situation than their current situation.

“People may have lost their jobs but might not necessarily be a business owner. If we are giving all the money to business owners, what happens to those who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19. Those people have to be assisted. The ordinary Ghanaian needs to be assisted. It doesn’t matter whether you are working for somebody or your business collapsed as a result of COVID-19. Let’s look at how many Ghanaians have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. These people need to feed,” he stated on OKAY FM’s morning show.

Nonetheless, Ras Mubarak has stressed the need for the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations to be summoned in Parliament to provide data on job losses within the COVID-19 period.

He said such a briefing could inform legislation and policy moving forward.

Background

The government has announced a financial package to cushion businesses and enterprises affected by the lockdown.

Businesses operating in nine selected sectors of the economy are the ones to benefit from the GH¢600 million stimulus package meant to cushion micro small and medium enterprise (MSME) from the negative impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The beneficiary sectors are healthcare and pharmaceutical, manufacturing, Agri and agri-business, water and sanitation, tourism and hospitality, education, textiles and garments, commerce or trade, and service.

These sectors, established to have been negatively impacted by the virus, were identified as beneficiaries under the modalities of the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) Business Support