The government is not exaggerating the ravaging impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the economy as alleged by a section of the public, according to Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Minister of Information.
“Even at the household level, COVID-19 has made its devastating impact: so, such claims are unacceptable,” he said at an encounter with the media at the Press Centre in Ho on Friday.
About 50 journalists from the region defied a downpour to meet Mr Nkrumah who was on a day’s working visit to the regional capital.
According to him, government was purchasing COVID-19 vaccines at the diplomatic levels and also looking into the possibility of producing the vaccines locally in a decisive move towards the quick recovery of the economy.
“Our target is still to vaccinate at least 20 million people before the end of this year,” Mr Nkrumah added.
As a priority, he said, government was serious with plans to inject money into the productive sectors of the economy to guarantee growth and offset the effects of the coronavirus.
Shedding light on that recovery plan, Mr Nkrumah said that GH¢100 billion would be committed to the agricultural, road, healthcare, housing and other sectors of the economy for that purpose.
He said that out of the amount, GH¢30 billion would come from treasury while the private sector would contribute GH¢70 billion.
“We must help private institutions to operate and help recover the economy at a fast rate otherwise foreign investors will go somewhere else,” Mr Nkrumah explained.
He touched on the issue of the safety of journalists on assignment and said that: “We need the media and that is why their safety is a priority agenda to us.”
The minister gave the assurance that various state agencies were being involved in the campaign to appreciate the vital role of the media to protect, adding that the appropriate legal process would definitely be pursued against those who violated the rights of journalists with impunity.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO