Former President John Dramani Mahama has promised to restore stability and inclusive growth to the economy and rejuvenate the almost collapsed banking and financial sector.
“This will involve sweeping reforms at the Bank of Ghana because the Central Bank itself has been part of the problem,” the former president said.
Mr. Mahama made the statement when he was delivering his acceptance speech at the University of Development Studies on Monday after being elected flagbearer of the NDC over the weekend.
“I will ensure that Ghana never suffers such a deadly debt management programme that threatens to send elderly people holding government bonds to their early graves and wipe out the investments of the Ghanaian middle class.
“Prioritize local participation in the banking, financial, telecommunications, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors to generate more jobs for the youth. The Ghanaian young women and men we interact with on a daily basis and their colleagues in other African countries are simply tired of jobless GDP figures,” Mr Mahama said.
According to him, the next NDC government will actively attract viable and serious private sector investors to partner government to invest in the productive sectors of the economy for more jobs to be created adding “This will involve an emphasis on agriculture and agribusiness and will have a strong focus on making Ghanaians own their own micro enterprises.”
“Complete abandoned and ongoing projects instead of rushing to start new ones. We will carry out an inventory of all hospitals, schools, electrification, water, and road projects which have stalled or been abandoned and make annual budgetary allocation for completing them.
“Beyond the economic front, we will also be very thick on governance because transparent and accountable governance at all levels remains an assured fuel that fires the socio-economic transformation of successful nations.
“We will establish a Governance Advisory Council to help improve political governance, curb corruption, and ensure the respect for human rights is upheld. The Council will include representatives of civil society organizations, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and ordinary Ghanaians, and among others, they will be empowered to release a State of Governance in Ghana report every year.
Mr Mahama promised that he will run the leanest but most efficient government under the fourth republic by appointing not more than 60 ministers and deputy ministers.
“I will work to abolish the payment of Ex-gratia and cut out waste and ostentation in Government.
We shall work with Parliament and all stakeholders to complete the constitution review process and strengthen separation of powers,” he said.