Defence Minister justifies dissolution of NMP

Defence Minister, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor, MP has been justifying government’s decision to dissolve the National Mobilisation Programme (NMP). According to the Minister, the NMP was unproductive and its functions overlapped those of other organisations,

Dr. Kufuor who is also the Ghanaian President’s brother, said although it was the government's desire to create jobs, it would not in anyway create them for creating sake.

He was answering questions from the public at the Peoples' Assembly held at Navrongo in the Upper East Region.

He said like any good government the NPP was prepared to initiate the necessary programmes that would bring jobs to the people but it would adopt the necessary means to ensure that those employed made productive contribution to the economy.

The government, therefore, took the bold initiative to ensure that the taxpayer's money did not go to feed unproductive and inefficient segment of the labour force by dissolving the NMP.

The Defence Minister said the cash and carry system was cruel to human life and added that government would do everything it could to abolish it before the end of its tenure of office.

He noted that a section of the public had been impatient and wanted to see the changes the government promised materialised miraculously.

It had always been necessary to emphasise the state of the economy before the NPP took over governance so as to put the public in the limelight, the Minister, hastened to add.

He said governments all over the world especially those in the advanced countries supported their farmers with subsidies adding that the time had come for government to take steps to give such support to farmers in order to encourage more people to go into it because it was the backbone of the economy.