President John Dramani Mahama has touted his administration’s $10 billion Big Push Infrastructure Programme, saying the initiative will accelerate infrastructure development, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and complete stalled legacy projects across the country.
Speaking at the 13th Financial Times (FT) Africa Summit in London, President Mahama said the programme would be implemented over five years, with $2 billion allocated annually.
“We are building infrastructure through the Big Push Programme. It is a $10 billion programme over five years, with $2 billion allocated each year,” he said.
He explained that the programme, which began with road infrastructure, would expand to cover schools, hospitals, irrigation schemes, and other projects to support national development.
President Mahama also announced plans for a new economy plan involving $10 billion in self-financed investment over four years. He said the funds would go to nine job-rich sectors, including tourism, energy, agriculture, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, and textiles and garments.
He attributed the planned investments to fiscal adjustments his administration is undertaking, including reducing the primary balance target agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 1.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent.
The President said the adjustment would create an additional fiscal space equivalent to one percentage point, which would be channelled into the targeted sectors to stimulate economic activity and employment.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com
