Ghana has done well, despite world economic crisis -Jumah

FORMER DEPUTY Minister of Local Government, Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government is bound to continue with most of the programmes and policies that were put in place by the predecessor government.

Mr. Jumah, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Asokwa in Kumasi, said the previous government did extremely well in instituting certain programmes, but stated that the challenges the NDC is faced with presently, would not allow it to add any new things.

“The present government cannot add new things to existing programmes started by the predecessor government because they can't afford to do it with the looming world finacial crisis, “he said.

Hon. Kofi Jumah, also known as Kofi Ghana, said while commenting on the realities of the State of the Nation address by President John Atta Mills and the 2009 Budget statement that the reality of the present world situation is that the economy would face some interim difficulties.

Explaining his  position further, Kofi Ghana said Ghana projected  an  economic growth  of 7% but ended up not achieving the target, even though it made 6.7% which is far better, compared to the targets set by the USA and China.

He also said the World economy did not achieve the 50% it projected, making only three (3) plus per cent. According to him, Ghana accomplished way above the world average and needs to be commended because major economies could not achieve half their projections.

He said he had a lot of respect for the Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, but unfortunately he is caught in this difficult financial problem.

The Asokwa MP said the budget is not extraordinary, except that it has given an idea of the projections for 2010. He said it was doing what it is supposed to do and that it does not go beyond this, stressing that “It is realistic because we don't have a choice”.

In the circumstance, Mr. Jumah has urged Ghanaians to focus on what we, as a nation, can do best in the world economic set up and grow our economy by controlling our spendings.