I will reset Ghana in four years – John Mahama

Admitting that four years may not be enough for the government to completely transform the country, he said his government would prioritise the stability of the economy and the local currency to reduce the economic hardship confronting the people.

Speaking to journalists at a maiden media encounter ahead of the 2024 General Election on Sunday night, the former President said he would prioritise local production to reduce dependency on imports, which put pressure on the local currency.

He said his proposed 24-hour economy would focus on local production of goods to meet local demand and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement to export to other African countries.

“Companies that will participate in the 24-hour economy will receive some tax incentives. We have to boost our local production and create jobs for our young people.

“The government has some obligations to make this work and we will do that,” the former President said.

Mahama said he was aware that the country was in dire economic straits and thus his Government would prioritise prudent management of State resources and ensure fiscal discipline.

Among the key policies, the former President said, would be the establishment of a special committee to audit all government procurement above five (5) million dollars.

He said the government would also dedicate funds annually for the completion of all abandoned projects before investing in new ones.

Mr Mahama said his government would also revamp the cocoa sector to boost production to increase foreign exchange earnings.

Touching on Ghana’s programme with the International Monetary Fund, Mahama said he would not cancel the programme.

He said the Government would explore opportunities to “tweak” the agreement to reduce the impact of the conditionalities to lessen its impact on the people.

The former President said the Government would also abolish some taxes he described as nuisance to reduce the burden on businesses and taxpayers.

“The COVID-19 Levy, E-Levy will be abolished and we will explore other measures to increase revenue to support the economy.

“We will take the nuisance taxes out, streamline the taxes, as well as expand the tax net,” he said, adding that his Government would also rationalise port levies.