New ministers outline vision

Minister of Finance, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, says he hopes to lift the economy out of the doldrums by the end of the government's first term.

He said he would adopt transparent and disciplinary policies aimed at protecting revenue and expenditure, putting value on money in order to stop the bleeding in the economy.

Mr Osafo-Maafo was speaking to the Ghana News Agency shortly after President John Kufuor swore him in with other ten new ministers at the State House on Thursday.

The new Finance Minister said he would pay serious attention to the operations of revenue collecting agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Value Added Tax Service to ensure that they perform efficiently.

In the short term, Mr Osafo-Maafo said government is seeking foreign assistance from its development partners and the Bretton Wood institutions to level the debt stock.

Currently, the government has come out with a package within which it hopes to negotiate with the donors, he added.

Ghana's external debt has shot up by 200 million dollars in the last two years while internal debt rose to six trillion cedis, representing about 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.

Mr Osafo-Maafo reiterated indications that prices of petroleum products would have to be increased enough to meet the production cost and make up for the shortfall in revenue.

He, however, declined to give estimated figures of the expected price increases but said it would have to be done soon to prevent further economic damage.

He said workers' salaries would be raised accordingly to cushion the eroding effect of fuel price increases.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said as part of disciplinary measures people found to be "bad nuts" would be removed from the system through the due process of the law. He predicted a brighter future for the country's economic march.

"The future is bright, we should be able to see our fortunes turn around by the end of our first term."

Foreign Minister Hackman Owusu-Agyemang said the main thrust of his vision is to pursue "economic diplomacy" through policies and programmes that would make the ministry relevant to the economic development of Ghana.

"We shall provide all the services required by others to ensure that Ghana is put on high pedestal on the international scene."

He said he would make sure that officials at the country's missions abroad are armed with the necessary information to attract foreign investment, thereby contributing to the economy.

It is also important to pay special attention to Ghanaians living abroad and encourage them to contribute to the development process at home, Mr Owusu-Agyemang said citing the passing of the dual citizenship act by Parliament as an incentive.

The new Foreign Minister said he would work at opening more consulates as he finds it necessary to make consular processes more convenient and less expensive to potential investors and genuine travellers coming to Ghana.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang said he also hopes to streamline the process for the acquisition of passports by eligible applicants.

Interior minister, Alhaji Malik Yakubu Al-Hassan, said his ultimate goal is to bring about "an orderly society where law and order will flourish."

He said his immediate concern is to end the serial killings of women and effectively deal with organised armed-robbery.

"I 'd also work hard to bring order into our roads," Alhaji Al-Hassan who is also MP for Yendi told the GNA.

He said in order to succeed, there is the need to motivate the security agencies especially the police. "We need to lift up their spirits to enable them embrace the challenges."

Alhaji Al-Hassan said he intends to set up a security fund with contributions from public- spirited organisations and individuals.

Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, Minister of defence said he would work closely with the military command and others such as the Armed Forces Council to build on the achievements of the Forces.

"I have a lot of new ideas which I hope to share together with them. They are very good and efficient people and I will be proud to help build on their achievements," the soft-spoken new minister said.