President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended the provision of free water to Ghanaians by another three months, taking it to December 31, 2020.
This is to enable Ghanaians continue observing the safety protocols, especially washing of hands under running water, as the country seeks to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement signed by Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, and released yesterday, appealed to consumers to use water judiciously in the observance of the Covid-19 safety protocols.
“The Ministry further wishes to urge all landlords and tanker service providers to refrain from charging or selling water to consumers as Government is paying for the water,” the statement added.
Support for Ghanaians
The extension will now make it nine months of provision of free water for Ghanaians. As part of efforts by the Akufo-Addo government to mitigate the effects of the novel coronavirus on the economy, the government in July announced the setting up of a GHC100 billion development programme, known as the ‘Ghana Coronavirus Alleviation Revitalisation of Enterprises Support Programme: Ghana CARES’.
The initiative, which was informed by broad consultations, and has been named the ‘Obaatanpa Programme’, is aimed at transforming the economy from its current state and also cushion all sectors that have been hardly hit by the COVID-19.
Government in March announced the provision of free water for all Ghanaians as well as free electricity for life-line consumers and 50 per cent for the rest. In July, it extended the intervention by another three months.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in announcing the extension, explained that the free electricity supply would be enjoyed by life-line consumers for the rest of the year.
Government further announced a reduction in the Communication Service Tax (CST), from nine per cent to five per cent in the short term, to reduce the cost of communication services, a reduction which took effect from last week.
Again, health professionals were provided with a GH¢10 million life insurance package while taxes for some 137,000 health workers were also waived.
President Akufo-Addo further instructed the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection to provide free feeding for all 584,000 final year JHS students, and 146,000 staff, both in public and private schools, as well as free feeding for all final year students, staff and form two students of all Senior High Schools in the country.
Mitigating impact on the economy
To mitigate impact of the novel coronavirus on the economy, the government established a Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) to facilitate economic recovery; lowering of the cap on Ghana Stabilization Fund (GSF) from the $300 million to $100 million to allow for the transfer of excess funds to the CAP; reduction in the policy rate by 150 basis points to 14 per cent and a drop in regulatory reserve requirement from 10 per cent to eight per cent to increase the supply of credit to the private sector.
Commercial banks were also made to provide a syndicated facility of GH¢3billion to support key industries; to grant a six-month moratorium on principal repayments for selected businesses; and to reduce interest rates by 200 basis points, also to increase credit supply to the private sector.
The government also put in place a GH¢600 million soft loan scheme, with a two-year repayment plan, for micro, small and medium-scale businesses.
Critical support
While Ghanaians were hailing the interventions, the flagbearer of the opposition NDC, John Mahama, questioned President Akufo-Addo’s decision to “throw freebies at the citizenry”, even in this period of the pandemic.
During an interaction with members of the Association of Road Contractors, Mr Mahama said: “This government is prioritising consumption”, adding, “no government develops prioritising consumption”.
“If you say everybody should stay at home and we will give you everything free, free, free this, free that. All the countries that have developed, they didn’t develop like that,” Mr Mahama said.
His comment was quickly met with a response from President Akufo-Addo who said, contrary to that assertion, his government was rather providing critical support to ordinary Ghanaians whose lives and livelihoods have been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the President, it is his conviction that “in times of crises, it is the duty of a responsible and sensitive Government to protect the population and provide relief.”
“We are not providing freebies; we are providing critical help to households, families and businesses, in the midst of this pandemic, because we care,” the President responded.
Source: dailystatesman.com.gh
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