President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reassured of the government's determination to return Ghana's economy to a high rate of growth as recorded three years before the COVID outbreak in 2020.
Addressing the opening of the 12th Biennial and 50th Golden Conference of the Methodist Church of Ghana on Thursday, President Akufo-Addo said he came into office to help improve the living standards of the Ghanaians.
"Every policy initiative, whether it is the Free Senior High School policy, the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs or the One District, One Factory initiative, has been implemented with the well-being of the Ghanaian at heart," the President stated.
Ghana before the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the fastest growing economies not just in Africa but across the world.
However, President Akufo-Addo said the ravages of the pandemic and the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, had led to spiralling freight charges, rising fuel costs, high food prices, steep inflationary spikes and widespread business failures.
"I am fully aware that these are very difficult times for us in Ghana, just as they are for most people in the world, cold comfort as that may be," he said.
One of the ways toward bringing the economy back on track, President Akufo-Addo said, was the approach to the International Monetary Fund, which he described as an important step.
"Other steps will be taken, in particular, to deal with the unacceptable depreciation of the cedi, rise in inflation."
Bringing down food prices, the President noted, was a major preoccupation of the government and this season's emerging successful harvest would assist the country to achieve that objective.
The government, President Akufo-Addo assured, would continue with the programmes for the expansion and modernisation of the educational sector, the systematic reform of the healthcare system to ensure a resilient, robust healthcare delivery system; and the realisation of the agenda of industrial transformation that holds the key to the country's future prosperity.
He also said the enhancement of agricultural productivity to ensure food security; the execution of infrastructural development, particularly with roads and railways; the conclusion of the digitalisation process; and the protection and greening of the country's environment to address climate change would be pursued vigorously.
The President reiterated the government's determination to empower the security services to consolidate the peace, security and stability of the country; establish a free and just society, improve the governance architecture to deepen accountability and respect for the rule of law in the country's body politic.
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"Above all, I continue to have an abiding faith in God to help turn the fortunes of our nation around, accompanied by appropriate policy, determination and hard work on our part."
Applauding the contribution of the Methodist Church to the country's education, healthcare, social welfare and finance, President Akufo-Addo said the collaboration of the State and the Church had been an essential feature of Ghanaian governance.
"I would, in this respect, use this important platform to express the gratitude of the nation for the very proactive role the Church, indeed the religious community as a whole, played in assisting our people to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic at its height," he indicated.
The activities of this Church, the President stated had impacted positively on the lives of its congregants and the progress of Ghana.
"You have been a good example of what it means to love one another and give cheerfully to those in need, and I have no doubt that this legacy of the Church will long endure," he added.
