The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-
Addo, has reiterated the commitment of his government
towards the industrial transformation of the country’s
economy, the diversification of agriculture and an increase
in agricultural productivity, and the creation of a strong
social services sector in Ghana.

These, according to President Akufo-Addo, represent
Ghana’s path towards the realisation of the 2030 United
Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a set of
goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure
prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development
agenda.

The President made this known on Friday, 9th June 2017,
when he called on His Excellency Mr Peter Thomson,
President of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly,
at the UN building in New York, USA.

With Ghana’s economy being largely dependent on the
production and export of raw materials for many years,
President Akufo-Addo noted this situation has resulted in
Ghana’s economy being unable to create the necessary
numbers of high-paying jobs that will enhance the living
standards of the masses of the people.

It is for this reason, therefore, that President Akufo-Addo
told Mr. Peter Thompson, that the addition of significant
value to Ghana’s primary products, through initiatives, in
collaboration with the private sector, such as the 1-
District-1-Factory, is a priority of his government.

To this end, the President stated that his government has
introduced a raft of policy measures aimed at creating an
enabling environment for the private sector to flourish.

These measures, he added, will shift the focus of Ghana’s
economy from taxation to production, and, hopefully, make
Ghanaian businesses very competitive in West Africa, Africa
and beyond.

On agriculture, the occupational mainstay of the majority of
Ghanaians, President Akufo-Addo indicated that initiatives
such as the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, and
the 1-Village-1-Dam project in the three Northern regions,
are the answers to the twin-problem of the migration of
youth to city centres in search of non-existent jobs, as well
as ending the disgraceful spectacle of Ghana importing
food stuffs from neighbouring countries.

President Akufo-Addo pointed to the fact that the countries
that have done well, even without natural resources, are the
countries that have invested in education and skills
training. Education and skills training, he added, are the
most important source of empowering and providing
opportunities to the youth to help drive Ghana’s
development, and in the process create jobs.

From September 2017, he told the UN General Assembly’s
President that his government has found and committed
resources to begin the Free Senior High School policy.

Having inherited a National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS) indebted to the tune of some GH¢1.2 billion, which
threatened the very survival of the scheme, President
Akufo-Addo stated that his government has put in place
measures to find the money to pay off the debt, and revive
the NHIS, thereby taking away the fear getting sick from
Ghanaians.

The implementation of these policies, President Akufo-Addo
noted, will put Ghana on the firm path towards progress
and prosperity, as well as meeting the 15 UN Sustainable
Development Goals.

As co-chair of the UN SDGs Advocates Group of Eminent
Personalities, President Akufo-Addo stressed that he,
together with all other members of the Advocates Group,
will do all in their power to mobilise political support for the
realisation of the goals, and promote global development
that leaves no one behind.

In concluding President Akufo-Addo commended His
Excellency Mr Peter Thomson for his leadership of the
Assembly in ensuring a seamless and smooth transition at
the United Nations when António Guterres replaced Ban Ki
Moon as the new UN Secretary General.

TheCable