According to a statement issued by the Flagstaff House Communications Bureau, President Akufo-Addo said this when he met the Ghanaian community in The Gambia last Saturday after attending the inauguration ceremony of President Adama Barrow and the 52nd Independence Day celebration of The Gambia.

Fortunes

It said President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghanaians had confidence in him to turn the dwindling fortunes of the country around.

It said he, therefore, noted that it was incumbent on him (President) to justify the confidence reposed in him, and, as such, assured that he would not disappoint Ghanaians.

The statement said while acknowledging the fact that the economy inherited from the previous government was not in the best of shape, he gave an assurance that “we are going to fix it. We have outlined a number of prudent policies and measures which are contained in our first budget to be read on the 2nd of March.”

Initiatives

According to the statement, the President noted that those policy initiatives and measures would ensure that the private sector was strengthened to flourish.

“It is only when the private sector flourishes that we can create the high numbers of jobs required by the teeming masses of Ghanaian youth. When the private sector flourishes, then we will be on the sure path towards progress and prosperity for all Ghanaians,” the statement quoted him to have said.

The statement said President Akufo-Addo reiterated his belief that his government would revive the Ghanaian economy, adding that “we are going to get our economy going again, and get enterprises in our country to be more competitive, so that they can begin to employ more and more people.”

It said President Akufo-Addo noted that the widespread unemployment in Ghana, “is a major social and economic problem, and we have to do something about it. I believe that we are going to do something about it, and you will see that through the measures we are going to put in place in our budget.”

It said he applauded the Ghanaian community at the meeting for being “law abiding”, stating that all reports he had garnered on his short visit to The Gambia showed that the Ghanaian community, more often than not, did not fall foul of the law. The President, therefore, urged them to continue to be law abiding and be good ambassadors of Ghana.

Concerns

Touching on the concerns raised by the leadership of the Ghanaian community, President Akufo-Addo assured the community that issues regarding the acquisition of Ghanaian biometric passports, and the opening of a consulate in Banjul would be addressed soon by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who was also present at the meeting.

On the matter of high import duties levied on their goods at the ports in Tema and Takoradi, the President indicated that this issue was one of the concerns of Ghanaians and Ghanaian businesses.

The statement said President Akufo-Addo also noted that the issue of high taxes was being looked at by the Minister of Finance, and a number of tax cuts would be announced in the March 2, 2017 budget.

The statement said the President solicited prayers for Ghana, his government and himself.

“I need your prayers all the time for me to be able to succeed. I have put together a very solid team, and I assure you that we will work together with the same spirit – the spirit of wanting to serve our country,” the statement quoted him.