Government says the GH¢100 billion GhanaCARES (Obaatanpa) programme is  a four years 'clinical structural focus' of President Akufo-Addo’s transformation agenda as it build a deliberate rapidity on the gains chalked so far.

Presenting the 2021 Budget and Economic Policy on behalf of the Finance Minister Designate, Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the GH¢100 billion GhanaCARES (Obaatanpa) programme, which by far is the boldest and biggest economic recovery programme in the country’s history, will enable the country to turn the challenges created by COVID-19 into opportunities for socio-economic transformation.

“This programme will foster closer collaboration with the Ghanaian private sector, labour, the people, our development partners and foreign investors”, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, said.

Furthermore, he said “the ‘Obaatanpa’ programme is inspired by President Akufo-Addo’s conviction that “what our forebears dreamed of, we will achieve! If we inherited dreams and visions from our founding fathers, we should leave legacies of achievements and realities to our children and their children”.

Through GhanaCARES programme, the government will expedite government’s digitalization agenda to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery;  revitalize the housing and construction industry to address the severe housing deficit; create job opportunities and establish Ghana as a regional Hub.

Others are leveraging its [Ghana] position within ECOWAS and as a host of the Secretariat of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to focus on manufacturing, financial services, education, healthcare, aviation and logistics, digital services, petroleum, automobile, tourism, hospitality and creative arts.

The rest are supporting the private sector and entrepreneurs to become a powerful engine for job creation;  actively promote both local and international investments including use of PPPs and upgrade the skills of our workers through re-training programmes focusing on technical and vocational skills.

The Majority Leader added that the implementation arrangements for the GhanaCARES programme are in place as clear budgets have been set and milestones developed.

“We will establish delivery units in the relevant MDAs and partner with the private sector, academia and other practitioners to facilitate and monitor implementation. There will also be regular, institutional engagements to ensure we achieve synergies and track results on a timely basis.”