President John Dramani Mahama has restated his commitment to ensuring that government maintains its fiscal discipline, and not succumb to any election year pressures to overspend its budget.
The President who is currently in India was speaking to some Ghanaian students studying in various institutions in India.
[contextly_sidebar id=”vZXybF2RmIP59EE7gOfxOpUZeY5R5fgI”]“During election years there is a temptation to open up expenditure because of the pressures from chiefs and the voters during the campaigns, so I am going to make myself blind to some of these things,” President Mahama said.
He added, “also, you get a lot of pressure from labour since they consider you to be in a very sensitive time hence this is the time to put pressure and extract a pound of flesh and when that happens you find out that the budget is disorganized…so we are going to maintain expenditure this time around.”
Mr. Mahama further explained to the gathering how the IMF Programme was helping stabilize the Ghanaian economy.
President Mahama also spoke about his Agenda for Transformation, and how Ghana’s relations with India will help push that Agenda.
The President who is in India to participate in the India-Africa Summit Forum noted that government was already working with India to produce sugar, and also revamp the western rail line.
Meanwhile President Mahama will later today, hold bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister, officials of the Indian EXIM Bank and the CEOs of a number of Indian businesses.
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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citifmonline.com/Ghana