The President, John Mahama has stated that citizens in the country should work towards diversifying and restructuring of the economy to curtail any adverse repercussions when there is a fall in gold and cocoa prices.
A post on his Facebook page on Monday said: “we must restructure and diversify our economy; otherwise we will continue to be affected by any fall in the cocoa or gold prices…”
The President expressed certainty that when these measures are taken, it will aid in the building of a modern economy which will translate into “jobs for the youth, a stronger country and a good future for our children.”
Below is his Facebook post
I told the people of the Western Region, during my three-day visit, that Ghana cannot develop thoroughly having only one growth pole, the Accra-Tema business district. We need more growth poles, in Ashanti, Eastern Region, Volta Region and, of course, Western Region has to become a significant growth pole. This way, when people wish to migrate, they could head towards this region to seek opportunities.
We will continue the main projects – the expansion of the Takoradi port, building the Takoradi-Kumasi road and the Dunkwa-Awaso railway line. Moreover, the goal of our government for the Western Region is to build there an alumina industry. Because we sell a tonne of raw bauxite with $40, while the market value of alumina is almost 10 times higher.
So I want to tell you once more: we must restructure and diversify our economy, otherwise we will continue to be affected by any fall in the cocoa or gold prices. Building a modern economy, adding value to our products, means new jobs for our youth, a stronger country and a good future for our children.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana