Mahama pledges more jobs

President John Dramani Mahama pledged to create more jobs and expand infrastructure in an address on Monday after he was sworn into office. 

 

“More jobs must be created. More roads, bridges, schools and hospitals must be built. The infrastructure that we already have must be expanded, strengthened, and made better able to withstand the increased usage.  

“I have taken an oath that as president of this nation, I will work hard to place us on the right path, and I will lead us over the hurdles and past the obstacles that might threaten to keep us from meeting our goals. The promises that I have made are promises that I intend to keep,” he said.

Among the President’s manifesto promises is to create a GH¢10 million Jobs and Enterprise Development Fund to support youth entrepreneurial ventures and increase job-creation.

The manifesto has also assured of thousands of jobs to be created in new industries such as petrochemicals, fertilizer, and steel manufacturing – which will be built using the oil and gas resources that are currently being developed.

“Ghana should, and will, be a place where economic opportunities are available to everyone. I recognise the vital role that our private sectors, especially small and indigenous businesses, play in the expansion of our workforce as well as in the growth and stability of our economy.

“We must continue to invest in our agricultural sector, and grow our economy so that it lifts the bulk of our most crippling financial burdens, especially among the poorest of the population.”

 “I want to assure the business community that I will be an ally. I will extend whatever support I am able to reinforce your contributions to our development,” he said in Monday’s address.

He observed that Ghana is on the cusp of enormous transformation. 

“We are moving forward at a rapid pace. New resources are at our disposal; new alliances are being formed. The opportunities posed by these gains could result in a self-sufficiency that was always imagined and desired, but was never a realistic occurrence in the foreseeable future, not in the way it is right now. 

He indicated that it is true that other countries have met adversity while trying to make the most of prospects such as the ones before the country. “But those countries are not Ghana!” he said.

“They do not have the benefit of our history or the example of our heroes. We have been the first before, the success story. We have blazed trails before for others to follow.”

Before the elections, President Mahama promised to grow the economy by at least 8% annually, and increase the per capita income, currently in the region of US$1,500, to US$2,300 by 2016. Now that he has the mandate, he will face calls to translate the gleaming growth numbers into tangible development outcomes.

His government in its first term has largely maintained a stable economy – with inflation trapped within a narrow 8-10% range for 30 consecutive months – and continued with financial sector reforms targetted to improve access to capital by households and businesses.