President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated that his administration is focused on ensuring that the country depends less on outsiders for its sustenance and the management of the economy.
“That is the fundamental goal that I have committed myself to, so long as I am sitting on this seat and I am in this position,” he assured.
The President said this yesterday when he met the Automobile Dealers Association at the Jubilee House, Accra.
Recounting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the world economy, he said the devastating impacts have virtually affected every sector of the economy, including traders who mostly go to places like China for trading.
“This pandemic has come and it has opened the eyes of the world to the fact that every country that wants to work well has to create a paradigm for itself, of self-dependency…,” he said.
According to the President, although the global environment calls for some intercourse with other people in many aspects of live, including trade, “we should fashion a paradigm of economic development that looks to ourselves as to what to do.”
Ghana Beyond Aid
President Akufo Addo explained that the mantra ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ is meant to make the country self-reliant when it comes to industry, agriculture, real estate development, among others.
This, the President added, has contributed to the influx of some major brands into Ghana.
“It began to attract the interest of foreign investors in our automobile industry; so came all of these major brands: Nissan, Sino truck, Volkswagen, Hyundai – interesting themselves to come and establish facilities in Ghana,” he said.
According to the President, the move will help ensure Ghana gets a home-grown automobile industry.
He added that they will provide jobs for Ghanaians, instead of spending money to import cars, “and of course the enhancement of skills.”
Homemade
The President further stressed that Ghana’s automotive industry, in the long run, will find a way of transforming itself to be part of the homemade localised domestic automobile industry.
“That was always a major objective to create a new paradigm where people like you will fit in,” he said.
On the issues that were raised by members of the association, President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance that they would be dealt with.
“I don’t have the technical knowledge that will allow me to answer each of the matter you have put across. What I can do is to facilitate a dialogue, and that is what I am going to do,” he said.
He added: “We are going to do it on a consensual and collaborative basis to see how we can transform our industry here, and, in so doing, transform the roles of people but also protect livelihoods.”
