President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his government’s commitment to working hard to bring relief to the citizenry as well as returning the economy to the path of growth.
He said government had not thrown its hands up in despair over the global crisis, assuring that “we are determined to bring relief to the Ghanaian people, and return the economy to the high rates of growth that characterised the management of our economy in the three years preceding the COVID outbreak in 2020”.
The President gave the assurance during the opening of the 12th Biennial and 50th Golden Conference of the Methodist Church of Ghana.
He emphasised that his goal, since assuming office, had been to help improve the living standards of the people in more ways than one.
“Every policy initiative, whether it is the Free Senior High School policy, the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs or the One-District-One-Factory initiative, has been implemented with the well-being of the Ghanaian at heart,” the President stated.
Before COVID
 The President noted that before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana had one of the fastest growing economies not just in Africa, but across the world.
“However, the ravages of the pandemic, worsened by the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have led to spiraling freight charges, rising fuel costs, high food prices, steep inflationary spikes and widespread business failures. I am fully aware that these are very difficult times for us in Ghana, just as they are for most people in the world, cold comfort as that may be,” he said.
The President said one of the ways towards bringing the economy back on track was the approach to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“It is an important step. Other steps will be taken, in particular, to deal with the unacceptable depreciation of the cedi. Reining in inflation, by bringing down food prices, is a major preoccupation of the Government, and this season’s emerging, successful harvest will assist us achieve this objective, together with other policies that are being put in place,” he added.
Commitment
 The President assured that government would continue with the programmes for the expansion and modernisation of the country’s educational system to create a 21st century workforce.
He reaffirmed commitment to strengthen the systematic reform of the country’s healthcare system to ensure a resilient, robust healthcare delivery system and the realisation of the agenda of industrial transformation that holds the key to future prosperity.
He added that the enhancement of agricultural productivity to guarantee the prospects of food security, and the execution of the comprehensive infrastructural development plan in roads and railways will be pursued vigorously
“Premium will also be put on the conclusion of the digitalisation process to obtain the full benefits of the 4th industrial revolution and the protection and greening of our environment to address climate change.
Government will empower the security services to consolidate the peace, security and stability of the state at all times.
“The establishment of a free and just society, where entrepreneurship and individual initiative are the sources of wealth creation with a strong social safety net for the marginalised and disadvantaged. And the improvement of the governance architecture to deepen accountability and respect for the rule of law in our body politic,” he reiterated.
Methodist Church
Commending the church’s contribution to education, healthcare, social welfare and the financial development of Ghana, the President noted that the collaboration of the State and Church had been an essential feature of Ghanaian governance.
“This has inured very much to the benefit of the Ghanaian people. I would, in this respect, use this important platform to express the gratitude of the nation for the very proactive role the Church, indeed the religious community as a whole, played in assisting our people to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic at its height,” he indicated.
“Since the pioneering days, in 1835, of Rev. Joseph Rhodes Dunwell, the person after whom the Church’s insurance company has been named, the activities of this Church have impacted positively not only on the lives of its congregants, but also on the progress of Mother Ghana. You have been a good example of what it means to love one another, and give cheerfully to those in need, and I have no doubt that this legacy of the Church will long endure,” he added.
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