Ken Ofori-Atta has reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the public purse after being sworn-in as Finance Minister.

The swearing-in ceremony of the former Data Bank Chair took place at the Jubilee House Tuesday evening after Parliament approved his nomination on March 29, 2021.

The newly sworn-in Finance Minister expressed gratitude to the President of the Republic and the general public for the opportunity given him to see the visions of the President come into fruition.

According to Mr Ofori-Atta, despite the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy, the country still charts the path to Ghana Beyond Aid and improving the socio-economic conditions of Ghanaians due to laudable leadership of Presdient Akufo-Addo.

"Mr President, for the past four years, you have embarked on a journey to grow the economy, create decent jobs and provide social protection for the vulnerable in our society and improve the socio-economic conditions of our people. By the grace of the Almighty God, Mr President you kept your commitment to the fellow Ghanaians and have kept faith with you for a second mandate. The resilience of our country and people and your remarkable leadership enabled us to weather the Covid-19 storm better than our peers.

"Mr President, yes! We have charted the course for this Ghana beyond aid and the nation looks to your leadership to get us there and we will commit to be behind you in all that we do," he said.

He, therefore, gave the assurance to "continue to serve with integrity and to protect the public purse" and through the "Obaatan Pa" Ghana Care programme, implement initiatives to modernize, transform the economy and build a strong Ghanaian enterprise and business.

"I hope that we can work together to accomplish these objectives. This is our moment to rise up and build and set our hands to the good works which lies ahead for us," he stated.

According to the Finance Minister, with the Lord Almighty's help, Ghana will "remain resolute in the face of this pandemic and skepticism" and come out victorious just as Nehemiah did.

"Mr President, the work ahead will be monumental and we are not naive regarding the effort required. We know our Lord will give us success as he did in times of Nehemiah and has done for us since we came into government in 2017 with two fishes and five loaves," he added.

He also used the platform to thank all international and local institutions such as Organised labour, IMF, World Bank among others who continue to support the country in such dire times.

"Mr President we could not have succeeded without the support of our key domestic and international partners including Parliament and social partners namely Organised Labour, CSO employers, the media and faith-based organisations and our development partners AfDB, IMF, World Bank and the other countries.

"I will like to extend my sincere gratitude to all these stakeholders for their continuing support towards our journey to building a Ghana beyond aid," he noted.