By Iddi Yire, GNA
Koforidua, May 01, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that the Government will absorb the reconstruction of the Western Rail lines reconstruction under the Big Push Programme.
He said this in his remarks at this year’s May Day Celebration Parade held at the Jackson Park in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital.
“We are considering absorbing the Western Rail Line under the Big Push programme.” The President announced.
He said the completion of the Western Rail Line would open up the bauxite and manganese concessions in the Western Corridor and also make it easy to transport the nation’s cocoa beans from the plantations to the ports.
He said the Government had worked very hard to revive many state-owned enterprises that were previously in a state of collapse.
He announced that the Tema Oil Refinery was now back in operation.
Adding that the Government had recapitalized the Agricultural Development Bank and the National Investment Bank.
He said the Tema Shipyard was bouncing back, and that many other state-owned enterprises were now running more efficiently.
President Mahama urged the Ghana Trades Unions Congress (TUC) and organized labour not to sit back and look on aloof when management and governing boards were mismanaging their enterprises, because when these enterprises collapsed, it was the workers that suffer the most.
And so when you see things going wrong, don’t sit aloof. Point it out and make sure corrections are done,” he said.
Mr Joshua Ansah, the Secretary-General of the TUC, reiterated that the private sector was key to solving the employment crisis.
“While government‑led job creation is welcome, sustainable employment must be driven by a supported and competitive private sector,” he said.
He noted that the Government must also intervene to reduce high lending rates and consider capping the spread between lending and deposit rates to stimulate investment.
GNA.
Kenneth Odeng Adade