President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the country’s economy has began showing signs of recovery from the COVID-19 setbacks.
According to the President, the comprehensive GH¢100 billion Ghana COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) “Obaatanpa” programme introduced by his administration to address the economic challenges caused by the pandemic had began to yield results.
“I’m happy to report that the Ghana CARES programme is inspiring the desired dividends that we anticipated,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo made these remarks at this year’s presentation of New Year Greetings to members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Peduase Lodge in the Eastern Region on Wednesday evening.
The annual New Year Greetings, which was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creates an opportunity for members of the diplomatic community to meet the President and his top officials to interact among themselves.
The event aims to strengthen the bonds of friendship and promote goodwill between Ghana and other countries as well as international organisations.
Present at the ceremony were the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare, among other dignitaries.
President Akufo-Addo was upbeat that the programmes and policies put in place by his administration to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic would return the country to a path of robust and sustained economic growth.
“The overall real GDP for the medium term is projected to grow at an average of 5.6 per cent, and we remain committed to returning to the fiscal deficit target threshold as enshrined in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, (Act 982) from this year.
“We will continue along the line of promoting inclusive growth, encouraging investments, and improving the standard of living of Ghanaians.
“It is encouraging for me and my party, the New Patriotic Party, to record that the rate of growth of the economy at 5.6 per cent against the background of exceptionally difficult circumstances of the COVID Era, is still considerably better than the 3.4 per cent we inherited in calmer times from our predecessor’s administration,” he said.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to work to accelerate the development of the country and ensure prosperity for her people.
On the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President informed the Corps that the government had succeeded in securing nearly 26 million doses of vaccines.
So far, he said a total of 11 million vaccine doses had been administered, adding that “we will ramp up our vaccination campaign to ensure that more and more Ghanaians get the jab.”
“We’re still determined to reach our target of at least 20 million Ghanaians vaccinated,” he said.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey and the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, who is also the Ambassador of Colombia in Ghana, also delivered solidarity messages at the event.
Members of the corps took turns to exchange pleasantries with the President and his ministers and interacted with them.
FROM YAW KYEI, PEDUASE