Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has assured Organised Labour of his administration's preparedness to review the public sector pay structure to ensure equity and fairness.

He said his administration would work collaboratively with Organised Labour to review the public sector salary administration to resolve the wide salary differentiation.

Dr Bawumia also agreed with Organised Labour to restructure the governance structure of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to ensure that contributors to the scheme had a major stake in determining the use of its funds.

He was responding to some questions from Dr Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Chairman of the Forum comprising the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Judiciary Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and other Organised Labour Unions.

The forum constituted about 90 per cent of public sector workers.

Dr Bampoe-Addo enquired about Dr Bawumia's plans in dealing with multiple public sector salary administrations, which had created discrepancies in the salaries of public sector workers and the White Paper issued on the restructuring of SSNIT governance structure.

Earlier, the NPP flagbearer had outlined some of the innovative policies his government would implement should he be given the mandate to govern the nation in the 2024 elections.

Dr Bawumia stated that his government would use digital systems to fight against corruption, and cited instances where the use of Ghana Card had aided in getting rid of 'ghost workers' on the payrolls of the National Service Scheme and Pensioners, thus saving the nation GH₵700 million annually.

He also intended to re-align government expenditure by bringing in the private sector to provide some public services and infrastructure.

That, he believed, would create a fiscal space for the government to improve the conditions of service for Ghanaians.

He stated that three per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) constituting about GH₵30 billion government's expenditure annually would be borne by the private sector to help ease the burden on government.

To that end, Dr Bawumia said, the private sector would provide upfront funding for public infrastructure such as hospitals, roads, hostels, classroom blocks and school buses while the government pays the money in bits over a long period.

Dr Bawumia cited instances where some government's digitalisation programmes such as the Digital Property Addressing System, National Identification System (Ghana Card), Paperless Ports and Electronic Passport Office applications were private-sector led.

On fiscal discipline, the Vice President said his government would ensure that the Fiscal Responsibility Council operated independently and had oversight over the Ministry of Finance.

Also, the government's expenditure would not exceed 105 per cent of the previous year's tax revenue.

Dr Bawumia reiterated his plans to implement a flat tax rate in the country after granting tax amnesty to businesses and individuals in 2025.

The NPP flagbearer reiterated his plans to undertake large-scale mechanised agriculture through irrigation, rollout of 2,000 megawatts of solar power within four years of his administration and bring in electric buses to supplement the public transport system.

Dr Bawumia reaffirmed his commitment not to appoint more than 50 Ministers under his administration.

Accompanying the NPP flagbearer were Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the Chairman of the NPP Manifesto Committee, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, Minister of Public Enterprises and Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations.