Govt Achievements Must Be Told

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Stephen Asamoah- Boateng, has noted that the election ahead of us should not be used to fabricate untruths about the state of the nation.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, on Tuesday this week, he made it known that the government, and the people of Ghana's achievements, should be made known to the public, since the achievement was not by accident.

According to him, when the government speaks of economic growth, it does not suggest the eradication of poverty, nor suggest that Ghana has the best economy in the world. "Development in Ghana has been an ongoing process, and there are many areas of national life that still need improvement," he added.

He mentioned that the increase in the public sector wages bill could not be attributed solely to union pressure, but also partly to the result of government's commitment to increasing public sector wages.

This, he said, was to serve as means of attracting and retaining more qualified professional into the sector.

Mr. Asamoah-Boateng indicated that in keeping with government's commitment to improve the welfare of farmers and fishing communities, government has stepped up enough investment in activities such as disease control, agricultural mechanization, provision of agricultural extension service, disease control, agricultural mechanization, and many other incentives.

Boasting about the achievements of the government, the Minister said by the close of December 2000, the total public debt to GDP ratio was 189%, but at the close of December 2007, the public debt had come down to 48%.

The Minister stressed that in spite of the unfovourable pressure, year-on-year inflation in Ghana, has dropped from the December 2000 figure of 40.50%, to 13.75% at the close of April 2008.

He continued that the government had successfully been able to re-denominate the currency peacefully, without any riots, as compared to what happened in the previous government.

In helping the financial issues of the public, he disclosed that the government would press on with the ongoing financial sector reforms.

"The licensing of credit reference agencies has started in accordance with the Credit Reporting Act. Soon, credit reporting would become an important part of banking," he added.

In a related development, the Minister for Aviation Ms. Gloria Akua Akuffo, has made it clear that it was the mandate of her ministry, to ensure maximum safety in the aviation industry of the country.

Speaking at the "Meet the Press" series in Accra, she said it was her determination "to make Ghana an aviation hub, and gateway to the West African sub-region, by the year 2015."

According to her, liberalizing the air transport regulatory framework, restructuring the existing institutional arrangements, increasing private sector investment in infrastructure and equipment, encouraging general aviation and support service, and developing the human resources and information technology, has always been the policies of the ministry.

According to Akuffo, the mission of the of the ministry was "to promote a competitive, efficient and cost-effective aviation sector, whist ensuring safety and security standards, as well as an orderly growth of air transport, to support social and economic development, whilst minimizing the negative impact on the environment."

She mentioned that granting approval for the licensing of air transport operations, except Air Travel Organizers License, and negotiating bilateral air service agreement with trading partners, were some of the ministry's main functions.

She also announced the rehabilitation of the Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi airports. According to her, the new VVIP lounge had been fully furnished in all the airports, and there has been provision of temporary aerodrome grounds lighting.

She indicated that though the ministry was pulling its weight, it had to go through the problem of inadequate funding, in terms of domestic airline, general aviation, infrastructure development, and budgetary allocation for the ministry.

The Minister pointed out the way forward, was enhancing commercial activities to increase revenue for development, seek donor support, increase budget allocation, increase in general aviation operations, and acquisition of aircrafts, as well as the certification of the Ghana International Airlines.