Nadowli (UW/R), March 6, GNA – The private sector has been urged to supplement government’s efforts in sustaining the development drive of Ghana through the implementation of cutting-edge projects and policies.
“The economic challenges that the nation is going through today is a manifestation that the government’s efforts to meet the needs of the people ultimately need to be supplemented by the private sector,” Madam Catherine T. Lankono, the Nadowli-Kaleo District Chief Executive (DCE), said on Sunday.
She made the observation at Nadowli during the Upper West Regional commemoration of Ghana’s 65th Independence celebration, on the theme: “Working Together, Bouncing Back Better”.
The event was characterised by spectacular display by personnel from the security services, cadet, basic and senior high schools (SHS) with music by the Regional Fire Service band.
Captain Francis Ekoe Yankey of the 10th Mechanised Battalion of the Ghana Armed Forces commanded the parade.
Madam Lankono said government was setting the development pace, which could only be successful with the unflinching support of the private sector.
She stressed the urgent need for all to support the proposed E-levy to help sustain the national economy for sustainable development.
Madam Lankono said through government’s interventions, over the years, the country had become self-sufficient in food production while sustained efforts had been made to formalise the economy through the digitalisation agenda.
She said as part of the President Akufo-Addo-led Government to equip the youth with entrepreneurial skills, it had revamped the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes through investments worth about a billion dollars.
Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, said governments, over the years, had taken various initiatives to improve the living conditions of the people in the areas of education, agriculture and health.
He said President Akufo-Addo had built on that with prudent economic management to bring sustained growth consistently from 2017 to 2019, making Ghana the preferred destination of foreign direct investment in West Africa.
”We had become self-sufficient in food production and, for the first time in a long while, exported surpluses to our neighbours. Sustained efforts through digitisation were being made to formalise our economy. We had hastened our critical journey of industrialisation and value-addition activities, whose end result would be to create jobs for the teeming masses of Ghanaians”, he said.
“Sadly, the emergence of the global pandemic of COVID-19 derailed our progress and wreaked havoc on all aspects of our national life. Lives and livelihoods have been affected, the economy has suffered, and Government has had to cushion households and businesses from the effects of the virus.”
He said the electronic transaction had provided a platform for bringing the informal sector to formal financial services, and that provided a channel to implement a tax regime that reached almost all citizens.
Potential revenue generated from the E-Levy would be used to finance the ‘YouStart’ Initiative, road construction and develop the digital space amongst several others, and appealed to Ghanaians to accept it.
The event also recognised the Best Male and Female students in the 2020 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the district, where Master Isaac Diekyebe and Miss Cynthia Kulinye received a brand new HP laptop each.
The Queen of Peace SHS, Nadowli D/A JHS, Nadowli R/C Primary School and the Nadowli Victory Academy Nursery received prizes ranging from footballs, jerseys, television sets and teaching and learning materials for their outstanding performances.
GNA