The President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday sent a warning to people he would appoint in his administration that if they came in with the aim to make money at the expense of the state, then they should rather resort to the private sector where real money was made.
Delivering an address at a post-annual general meeting (AGM) private sector forum of the Private Enterprises Federation (PEF) in Accra yesterday, Nana Akufo-Addo said under his government, the public sector would not compete with the private sector.
Gov’t will support, not compete, with private sector
“None of the people who are going to be working with me are going to be your competitors. Ours is the public sector, and you are the private sector. The former is meant to be a supporter, not a competitor, of the private sector. And that is how it is going to be,” he said to loud applause from the gathering.
He said the NPP, in view of its outlined programmes and policies, had an ambitious plan, adding that those plans were ambitious but deliverable.
“I believe they are deliverable programmes for my administration. These programmes will not be deliverable if you, the private sector, are not confident or able to play your crucial part,” he urged.
“You asked for a government that spoke your language and believed in the private sector; you asked for policies that supported rather than hindered your plans; you asked for a government that listened and worked with you rather than dictated to you; you asked for a government with a team of professionals able to deliver on our promises and you asked for transparency and accountability in government. You are getting it. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work,” he said.
National recruitment agency
Nana Akufo-Addo said his administration would work with stakeholders, including employers and trade unions, in an open and fair manner on employee welfare, as well as ensure living wages for all workers.
“We intend to develop, in collaboration with employers, trade unions, educational institutions and other state bodies, such as SSNIT, a database of the labour market with the view to establishing a National Recruitment Agency to serve as the primary source for channelling job openings to Ghanaians,” he said.
His government would also work with employers and trade unions to formulate a policy of comprehensive occupational health and safety standards, he said.
Holistic approach
“In sum, ours is a holistic approach to job creation and our goal is that by the end of the next decade industrial and manufacturing activities will be the mainstay of our economy,” he added.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PEF, Nana Bonsu-Osei, said as Nana Akufo-Addo was about to usher in a new frontier to find solutions to the multiplicity of challenges in the economy, the federation had committed itself to fully engage with his government.
That kind of engagement, he said, would not only be as partners on policy formulation but also lead in the implementation of the directives, programmes and opportunities that would come out of the various implemented policies.
He enumerated a number of taxes and other policy actions that had stifled the smooth operation of businesses in the country.
Quarterly meetings with govt
In that regard, he called for, on behalf of the PEF, structured and functioning meetings between the PEF, its members and other private sector players with the President-elect and his economic management team.
Such a meeting, he said, should take place within the month following the end of each quarter during his Presidency to review the performance of the economy and its impact on the operations of the private sector at the end of each quarter.