The government has held a four-day retreat at the Presidential Lodge in Peduase to discuss the economy, take stock of programmes and chart a path for growth.
The retreat, the second this year, which had almost all members of government present, started last Friday and discussed the various flagship programmes, how to communicate government programmes effectively and the reason for accessing International Monetary Fund (IMF) programmes.
The retreat, according to our sources, also reviewed the cost-cutting measures announced at the last Cabinet meeting in March this year and assessed their performance which, according to the figures, were yielding some dividends.
Participants
All members of government and appointees took part in the retreat. They included all ministers and deputies, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives; chief executive officers appointed by the President and presidential staffers.
Unlike other retreats, the government functionaries parked their vehicles and joined buses to Peduase.
Other sources, who took part in the meeting, revealed that many of the issues discussed surprised participants, especially about the quantum of work being done on the ground.
“The meeting produced loads of information that will help members of government to communicate better with facts and figures,” one of the sources said.
Group meetings
Aside from the plenary meetings, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was still holding special meetings with various groups of government appointees at the Jubilee House yesterday.
They include Cabinet ministers, other ministers of state, regional ministers and their deputies, MMDCEs, chief executive officers appointed by the President, presidential staffers and persons who communicate with the external publics.
Communique
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, is expected to issue a statement on the outcome of the meetings soon, a source disclosed.
The source added that the participants in the meeting were upbeat that the economy would bounce back after the challenges that had affected the economy.
It said contrary to expectations, it became clear that an IMF programme would not lead to the discontinuation of social intervention programmes because such programmes had survived two IMF programmes already.
March retreat
A similar retreat in March this year announced measures to save about GH¢3.5 billion for the rest of the year. The measures took effect from April 1, this year.
The measures, announced by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, a couple of days after the retreat, included new expenditure cut measures such as 10 per cent more cut of discretionary spending; slashing of fuel coupons to government appointees and machinery by 50 per cent as well as a cut of 30 per cent from salaries of ministers and the heads of state-owned enterprises to be lodged in the Consolidated Fund.
“Cabinet approved that ministers and the heads of SOEs should contribute 30 per cent of their salaries from April to December 2022 to the Consolidated Fund. We would like to thank the Council of State for their leadership in complementing government on this policy,” Mr Ofori-Atta said.
The measures also imposed a moratorium on the purchase of imported vehicles for the rest of the year.
The minister said that measure would affect all new orders, especially four-wheel drives.
Source: graphiconline.com
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These so called politicians, you call all MMDCE's in Ghana to a meeting in peduase, they drove their V8 vehicles from all the 261 MMDA's accross Ghana. On getting to Accra you know ask them to park their cars and enter buses from Accra to peduase which is less than an hours drive with a police motorcade. If you actually knew the mess Ghana is currently in, why didn't you ask all the appointees outside Accra to come to Accra by public transport. Quatify the total amount of fuel comsumed by all the 261 assemblies as against the fuel the buses that took them to peduase. Am NPP paaaaa but it's like what ever you do Ghanaians will not appreciate it. We have shot ourselves in the foot. Akuffo Addo and his appointees have squandered a golden opportunity to have made history, with two and half years for him to end his tenure as president, i can't see any legacy he's leaving behind. All this is happening because the Akuffo Addo brand of elephant has very big ears as usual, unfortunately it doesn't listen, at best it will hear but won't listen.Now one can't tell if its the disappointed NPP supporters that needs to motivated or its Ghanaians in general they went to discuss with the 90 minutes almost over. I doubt whether this injury time can bring back the people of Ghana to have faith in the NPP. Kufour and his appointees built a solid foundation for the NPP (2001-2008) having been outside government for close to 30 years after the overthrow of the Busia regime in 1972. The fact that Akuffo Addo led with 49% in the 2008 elections was enough proof that the NPP was still the preferred choice of Ghanaians after 8 years thanks to kufour and his appointees. Why are people saying they voted massively for Akuffo Addo in 2016 because they thought his tenure will be like the kufour one. I feel sad for NPP supporters staying in compound houses with other tenants who are NDC, the mockery will be unbearable for them and here they are with nothing to show for sacrificing for the party all these years, meanwhile some appointees who joined the queqe at latter stages are dictating the pace in some regions. 2004, 2008, 2016 new entrants have much say than the 1992-2000 entrants simply because they are MP's or ministers. Why won't there be a mess. Why did NPP supporters say ' Nana, ye nim wu fri titi ' Having won power instead of also recognizing the old faces you bring in second hand spark plugs to fire the NPP vehicle, it won't even start let alone fire. This is the bane of the nana Addo's NPP. If the NPP falls, the head of the appointees will hit the ground first, once they fall first, they will serve as cushions for the hungry, neglected, disappointed and abandoned supporters to fall on, after all they have all lost weight, light things don't hurt when they fall on you.