The Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that government is focused on building the productive capacities of Ghanaians in order to build a robust economy.
Dr. Bawumia observed that countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Singapore, South Korea and Mauritius among others have become models for developing nations because they made a concerted effort to develop the technological, intellectual and institutional capacities of their people.
He asserts that Africa has continued to suffer economic setbacks due to exploitation, failure to utilise export revenues for industrialisation and the lack of interest to improve the standard of education. He notes these among others contributed to a non-resilient, weak and undiversified economy.
“From the time of independence, we inherited a colonial economy. Our production system, infrastructural development and transport network, banking services, and even our education system were all organized to serve colonial needs and excluded the majority of the population.”
The Akufo-Addo government is therefore implementing policies to effect a paradigm shift from the past where the majority were excluded from fully participating in the economy or realising their full potential.
“What we have learnt from our past and the lessons from others worldwide must inform our paths to building a stronger, resilient, and inclusive economy. The idea of inclusion is critical. It represents a paradigm shift from the past where most of our population were excluded from fully participating in the economy or realising their full potential.
“Our view, as a government is that if you exclude most of your population in the manner we have done in the past, you will not be able to build a strong economy except for a few” Dr. Bawumia stated at the 3rd Advancement Lecture Series of the University of Cape Coast on Wednesday, September 04, 2017.
The lecture series was on the theme: “Developing stronger economies for the African continent: the missing link.”
The surest means to ensure inclusion, Dr Bawumia argues, is by educating majority of the population. “Our approach to building a stronger economy must begin with the ambition and commitment to intensify the development of our human capabilities. The recently introduced Free SHS signals government’s determination to ensure that the greatest number of our young people gain access to pre-university education.
“Education for all is imperative in a world of rapid technological innovations. It is inconceivable that children should be denied access to education at the early age of 12 simply because of their financial circumstances. Enriching our human capital must begin early if the young are to develop their skills of work, gain knowledge and deepen their thinking and creative skills for enterprise and innovations,” Dr. Bawumia said.
He added: “It is also for this same rationale that we are restoring the teacher and nursing training allowances this month and next.
“Another essential part of the inclusion agenda is the issue of an address system. We are going to launch a digital addressing system for Ghana in about two weeks. Our address system, which I believe will be the most advanced in the world, will make it possible to locate every person in Ghana. Even if you are standing in the middle of the Oti river, we can locate you” Dr Bawumia added.
Dr. Bawumia also mentioned policies such as the Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One Factory, One Village One Dam, issuance of a national ID card, making it easier to obtain passports and drivers licenses or register businesses, and the paperless port system, as being part of the overall inclusion agenda to build the productive capacity of the Ghanaian economy.
