2011 LOOKS BRIGHT-Despite challenges.
A section of Ghanaians have expressed the hope that this year will be a year of breakthrough for the Ghanaian economy.
Their expectation is grounded on the facts that the economy has been stabilised so far and President John Evans Atta Mills has declared that 2011 will be an action year in which Ghanaians will witness the execution and implementation of promises and plans made by the government.
In separate interviews conducted by the Daily Graphic in Accra, a number of residents said an appreciable level of success had been achieved in key areas such as education, health, trade and transportation and expressed the hope that that progress would be maintained and improved upon by the end of the year.
A number of public and civil servants who spoke to the Daily Graphic also commended the government for the achievement so far but underscored the need for government officials as well as workers and indeed, the rest of Ghanaians to work harder in the coming years.
They also called for vigorous implementation of programmes and plans such as construction of roads and bridges, one-time payment of NHIS, provision of facilities at the secondary schools and the single spine salary policy.
They were also happy of the decision of the government to pay salaries of civil servants on time and pleaded with government to honour its pledge.
A second-hand clothes dealer, Mr Baffuor Kyei, expressed the hope that the government would put in measures to make education in the country accessible to all.
He said the government succeeded in reducing the duration of senior high school (SHS) from four to three years but the implementation of the decision came along with many challenges.
“My plea to the government is that it should provide the necessary facilities, such as classroom blocks and books, and pay teachers well to ensure proper teaching and learning in our schools,” he said.
Mr Kyei also acknowledged the efforts being made by the government to improve health care and expressed the hope that the prompt payment of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) bills would be made to ensure that the scheme did not collapse.
A textiles dealer, Auntie Lydia, said with the stabilisation of the economy, the implementation of the one-time NHIS premium would see the light of day.
According to her, the nurses at government hospitals did not treat NHIS card holders with compassion, unlike patients who were paying their bills with cash.
She, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to educate nurses on how they should handle patients, especially NHIS card holders, to promote proper health delivery in the country.
Auntie Lydia also appealed to the government to cut down the taxes that had been put on the textile industry in order to reduce the prices of textiles on the market.
She said the intrusion of pirated textiles from other countries had made some textile products cheaper and many people were able to afford them.
A taxi driver, Samuel Offei Yawson, appealed to the government to ensure that petroleum prices were made stable.
He said, “With the discovery of oil in the country, it is appropriate that proper measures are put in place so that every Ghanaian will benefit from it. Also, I hope the discovery of oil will help us produce our own petroleum products, so that we do not face petroleum shortages as we did last year,” he said.
He also expressed the hope that the government would revert the three-year SHS to four years to enable students to complete their syllabi before writing their final examinations.
He also called on the government to ensure that the NHIS covered all drugs, especially the expensive ones which could not be afforded by the less-privileged.
A freelance journalist, Maame Nyarkoah, commended the government’s efforts in the previous year and expressed the hope that the Shiashie-Adenta road which was started during the previous administration would be completed by the end of the year.
“The Legon-Atomic Junction-Adenta road has been left half way, making the atmosphere so dusty. It is very dangerous to our health, especially now that the harmattan has set in. It will make visibility poor and this can cause accidents on our roads,” she said.
A tomatoes seller, Auntie Victoria, also expressed the hope that the agricultural sector would see more exports of produce than imports.
That, she said, could only be achieved if the government encouraged more people, especially the youth, to engage in farming.
She said due to importation, foodstuffs on the market were very expensive and at the end of the day she could not make sales to cater for her family.
She also appealed for the reduction in the taxes on foodstuffs, saying, for example, that a bag of rice which was sold at GH¢110 was now selling at GH¢150.
Auntie Victoria also expressed the hope that this year would be free from financial “ups and downs” to enable Ghanaians to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous year.
Their expectation is grounded on the facts that the economy has been stabilised so far and President John Evans Atta Mills has declared that 2011 will be an action year in which Ghanaians will witness the execution and implementation of promises and plans made by the government.
In separate interviews conducted by the Daily Graphic in Accra, a number of residents said an appreciable level of success had been achieved in key areas such as education, health, trade and transportation and expressed the hope that that progress would be maintained and improved upon by the end of the year.
A number of public and civil servants who spoke to the Daily Graphic also commended the government for the achievement so far but underscored the need for government officials as well as workers and indeed, the rest of Ghanaians to work harder in the coming years.
They also called for vigorous implementation of programmes and plans such as construction of roads and bridges, one-time payment of NHIS, provision of facilities at the secondary schools and the single spine salary policy.
They were also happy of the decision of the government to pay salaries of civil servants on time and pleaded with government to honour its pledge.
A second-hand clothes dealer, Mr Baffuor Kyei, expressed the hope that the government would put in measures to make education in the country accessible to all.
He said the government succeeded in reducing the duration of senior high school (SHS) from four to three years but the implementation of the decision came along with many challenges.
“My plea to the government is that it should provide the necessary facilities, such as classroom blocks and books, and pay teachers well to ensure proper teaching and learning in our schools,” he said.
Mr Kyei also acknowledged the efforts being made by the government to improve health care and expressed the hope that the prompt payment of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) bills would be made to ensure that the scheme did not collapse.
A textiles dealer, Auntie Lydia, said with the stabilisation of the economy, the implementation of the one-time NHIS premium would see the light of day.
According to her, the nurses at government hospitals did not treat NHIS card holders with compassion, unlike patients who were paying their bills with cash.
She, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to educate nurses on how they should handle patients, especially NHIS card holders, to promote proper health delivery in the country.
Auntie Lydia also appealed to the government to cut down the taxes that had been put on the textile industry in order to reduce the prices of textiles on the market.
She said the intrusion of pirated textiles from other countries had made some textile products cheaper and many people were able to afford them.
A taxi driver, Samuel Offei Yawson, appealed to the government to ensure that petroleum prices were made stable.
He said, “With the discovery of oil in the country, it is appropriate that proper measures are put in place so that every Ghanaian will benefit from it. Also, I hope the discovery of oil will help us produce our own petroleum products, so that we do not face petroleum shortages as we did last year,” he said.
He also expressed the hope that the government would revert the three-year SHS to four years to enable students to complete their syllabi before writing their final examinations.
He also called on the government to ensure that the NHIS covered all drugs, especially the expensive ones which could not be afforded by the less-privileged.
A freelance journalist, Maame Nyarkoah, commended the government’s efforts in the previous year and expressed the hope that the Shiashie-Adenta road which was started during the previous administration would be completed by the end of the year.
“The Legon-Atomic Junction-Adenta road has been left half way, making the atmosphere so dusty. It is very dangerous to our health, especially now that the harmattan has set in. It will make visibility poor and this can cause accidents on our roads,” she said.
A tomatoes seller, Auntie Victoria, also expressed the hope that the agricultural sector would see more exports of produce than imports.
That, she said, could only be achieved if the government encouraged more people, especially the youth, to engage in farming.
She said due to importation, foodstuffs on the market were very expensive and at the end of the day she could not make sales to cater for her family.
She also appealed for the reduction in the taxes on foodstuffs, saying, for example, that a bag of rice which was sold at GH¢110 was now selling at GH¢150.
Auntie Victoria also expressed the hope that this year would be free from financial “ups and downs” to enable Ghanaians to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous year.
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