…It’s NDC’s Mess That’s Still Being Felt – Argues Stephen Amoah
By Raymond Quarchie
Chief Executive Officer of Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Stephen Amoah, has spiritedly defended the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party government saying; that all the parameters government inherited from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been improved.
According to Sticker, as the investment consultant is fondly referred to, the successes chalked in reviving the Ghanaian economy and creating a business-friendly environment have been so overwhelming that taxes have been reduced significantly by 40 percent in the last two and half years.
For instance, Stephen Amoah, said, imported- but-not-produced medicines in Ghana, real estate sector, and fuel prices have also seen massive improvements to meet the satisfaction of fuel users, especially commercial drivers.
On Pro-poor policies, the MASLOC CEO mentioned that LEAP, NHIA have been improved, adding that even School Feeding Programme, which has challenges is being restructured and that even at the stage it is, it was better than under the NDC.
He noted that the Free Senior High School education policy, the biggest in Africa, which was introduced by the government is being adopted by other African countries, and has put smiles on the faces of Ghanaian citizens especially the less privileged.
“A lot of state institutions were being paid with bank loans under the former government but under the current government, they are declaring profit and a typical example is the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Nana government, let’s not forget, also scraped the Kayayei tax, Agric is also growing at 3%,” he said.
The apex body responsible for implementing the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) microfinance programmes targeted at reducing poverty, however, stated that allowances for NABCO personnel, teachers and nursing trainees have been duly paid as promised by government.
He also intimated that “Under the Nana Addo led government, Ghana for the first time, exported food to Burkina Faso last year. The NDC spent eight years in power creating a mess of an economy which Ghanaians know very well that it will not take just two and a half years to correct”.
The former Ashanti regional organizer, heady days to election 2016, however pleaded with the contractors agitating for their pay to exercise patience because government pays between GH¢58 to GH¢60 million for the road fund which was securitized by the erstwhile NDC.
In an interview with the paper yesterday, Mr. Amoah mentioned that MASLOC, Bulk Oil and Storage and Transportation Limited (BOST), the Cocoa industry and SSNIT have chalked immeasurable successes under the Nana Addo-led government.
“Under the NDC government, for instance an individual could only access only GH¢10,000 loan from MASLOC without collateral but under the current government, one can access as much as GH¢20,000 without collateral, making it much easier to secure loans”, he revealed. Also, Sticker said tens of thousands of especially women and youth have benefitted from MASLOC.
He, therefore, pleaded Ghanaians to refrain from buying into the attention-seeking and image- denting agenda being propagated by the NDC against the government but that development is a process and not an event.
He implored Ghanaians to continue to remain optimistic and understanding to government as it continues to work to solve the jumble created by the NDC administration.
