President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians that government will negotiate a good deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive and build the country's economy.
"I want to assure you and assure the people of Ghana that we are going to negotiate a good deal with IMF. A deal that would allow us to revive our economy and to continue the task of building an even stronger economy than we had ever," he stated.
Addressing delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at its National Conference in Accra last Saturday, he explained that the deal would put the country in a better position to implement a good arrangement with the IMF.
President Akufo-Addo said the NPP had a tradition of reviving Ghana's economy whenever there was a challenge, adding that same would be repeated in the face of the current challenges.
He explained that the success in building a strong economy would provide the platform for the party's victory in the 2024 general elections.
"We took Ghana out of High Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), we took Ghana out of the derailed IMF programme of 2015. Our party was the one that made it possible for us to survive the COVID-19 pandemic with one of the lowest mortalities, of any government or any country, everywhere in the world. We have done it before and believe me we are going to do it again," he stated.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated government's commitment to seek the welfare of Ghanaians despite the challenges it was confronted with.
"At the height of the pandemic, when people had to stay at home, no single worker in the public sector was dismissed, no salary cuts. On the contrary, not only were they paid in full and their jobs protected, we went further to make it possible to organise free water, free electricity for the ordinary people of our country.
"Our responsibility is to confront the difficulties that are confronting our people and find an effective solution to it. And that's exactly what we are going to do," he explained.
He expressed gratitude to organised labour for agreeing to the terms for the payment of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), saying that the agreement, which subsequently led to the suspension of the industrial action by the labour groups, was proof of government's commitment to the welfare of the Ghanaian worker.
"I want to say big thanks to organised labour for reaching this agreement. Because it then demonstrates also the concerns our party has always had and will continue to have for the concerns of the workers and the people of Ghana," President Akufo-Addo said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
He called for unity among the members of the party ahead of the general elections in 2024.
He explained that unity was key in realising the party's aspiration of "Breaking the Eight" and urged the new executives to hold the party together.
"It is our historic duty to maintain the NPP in office under a new candidate and under a new leader. We shall break the eight in 2024," the President added.
Earlier, the former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, called on delegates to elect competent national executives who could lead the party to win back the confidence of Ghanaians for a successful 2024 general elections.
"Even as we meet to pick new crop of leaders to lead us forward, I want to appeal to all of us that let us from now select national executives committee of the party not on great talks but on careful examination," he stated.
He said the NPP was the only political party that could build a prosperous Ghana and ensure rapid socio-economic development.
"Ghana needs our party to lead it into prosperity and transformation. That must be the aspiration of all of us," former President Kufuor added.
