President advocates teamwork for Ministers of State

President John Kufuor has asked Ministers of State not to allow individualistic and selfish tendencies to break their team spirit and cohesion. He said: "We want positive dividend for our people to come out of the democratic, peaceful environment we have worked so hard for. Let us all resolve to work together to win as a team for our country."

President Kufuor was addressing the opening Session of a day's seminar on Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) for Ministers of State at GIMPA in Accra.

The seminar was organised to consider the final implications of the GPRS programme that would be the driving force for the national budget for the next three years.

Attended by all Ministers of State, the seminar would also come out with the agenda for the rest of the tenure of office of the government.

President Kufuor said the government had to fashion out an action plan to move the economy and society forward in conformity with its vision for the future.

"The whole nation is waiting to hear us. Ghana's development partners are also waiting to know how we are going to implement our vision to unleash the wealth of the country, centering around the private sector as the engine of growth".

He said the seminar should come out with an action plan to move the economy forward in order that the average Ghanaian would begin to feel the positive change, promised by the government, in their daily lives.

President Kufuor said the government would come out with a firm action plan showing clearly and distinctively a list of priorities that would be evident in this year's budget for the medium term period.

"When we are committed to the implementation of the action plan, most of the citizenry would know the direction of government and come along and offer us the mandate to continue to be in office, " he added.

The government’s action plan would be centred on five major areas; notably infrastructure, rural development, provision of social services, legal framework and private sector development.

According to the President, three major trunk roads in the country would be given priority attention and these are the Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Aflao and Accra-Yamoransa roads.

In addition, one major feeder road to a productive area in every region would be selected for rehabilitation or development to open up the country for investment, increase in productivity and creation of jobs.

President Kufuor said development of the ports of Tema and Takoradi would be accelerated through private sector participation to make them competitive for global trade.

He said existing telecommunications agreements would be re-negotiated to open up the sector for competition to bring about efficiency required in their operations and thereby reduce the cost of services provided to customers.

President Kufuor said with the efforts and sacrifices made by the people in the energy sector hardly had there been reserves to meet contingencies. Therefore, government would work diligently to enlarge the base and diversify, in order not to truncate national development programme but increase the availability of energy to boost industrial growth and production.

Rural development would be centred on agriculture production and inroads had been made in the production of rice and maize to achieve self-sufficiency and with good management reduce the high import bills on rice.

Government says mechanisation and improvement in the use of irrigation facilities would be intensified as well as improvement in extension and research services.

It would also encourage production of cash crops such as cashew, partner the private sector for increased industrialisation and agro-processing and to add value to traditional crops such as cocoa.

He said social services would be centred on education and improved health delivery would be given priority through the introduction of a comprehensive scheme as well as the development of model health centres for every district in the country.

Government also has indicated that it is working on a new policy on education to include pre-school education for children from four years, improve all levels of education.

President Kufuor assured the judiciary that they would be supported with basic infrastructure courtrooms, better conditions of service and competent staff to dispense justice quickly.

President Kufuor said the Attorney General's Department would be equipped with competent staff, who would have improved conditions of service including courses outside the country for prosecutors and lawyers to improve on their efficiency.

Law enforcement agencies would also be catered for with the provision of about 500 vehicles, provision of good communication gadgets and improvement and expansion of facilities at the Police Training School by the end of the year to increase in-take.

The President said the new Ministry of Private Sector Development would be given the needed support and co-operation to build up a productive ministry that would advocate for the private sector and reduce red tapeism and other vices that affected the sector.

He said government would facilitate access to the private and financial sectors to fashion out strategies to promote investments to generate wealth for the people with the support of developing partners.