The plan by the Akufo-Addo-led government to use the Heritage Fund to finance the Free Senior High School programme is “shocking” and “untenable”, Fifi Kwetey, a former Minister of Transport, has said.
According to him, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), when it was in opposition, made it known that it would fiercely resist any attempt by the then government to use the Heritage Fund for whatever purpose since the fund was for the unborn generation and, thus, should not be spent.
His comments come after Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo stated at a forum in Accra on Tuesday February 14 that the Heritage Fund, into which nine per cent of the country’s annual petroleum revenue is paid, would be used to sustain the Free SHS programme.
He said: “We have to make an amendment to say that X per cent of the Heritage Fund, or the Petroleum Fund will be used to support second cycle education. If we think that industry requires a certain stimulus that will enable jobs to be created and you are creating a job to build Ghana, you can look at it and put in a certain amount. We are [also] looking at agriculture.”
But speaking in an interview with Class FM Wednesday February 15, Mr Kwetey said: “Clearly this position by our friends now in government is shocking and absolutely difficult to understand.
“First and foremost we need to understand that the reason behind the Petroleum Fund is to say Ghana has made a discovery of oil and this resource is finite resource. A time will come that there will be not one litre of oil and, therefore, it is important to make generations to come clearly know that Ghana at a stage had access to this particular resource.
“In setting out the law, we need to understand that there were three main aspects of that revenue that is coming from the Petroleum Account. The first one was going to support the budget – that is, the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA). There is an aspect which is going to be used for stabilisation because it was important to keep some Stabilisation Fund and the third aspect is a percentage will go into the Heritage.”
He added: “…We must appreciate that that is the reason why as a country the budget that is made available for education, out of the taxes we pay, every year some money is devoted to take care of education. And apart from that, in Ghana we have the GETFund, Ghana Education Trust Fund, so you don’t now come and take the money that we said it should be set aside for the sake of the children unborn.
“The people who are talking about this today fiercely resisted us that even if need be, they would resist this with everything they had to ensure the money meant for the children is not touched under any circumstances.
“So, this is a no, no; It is untenable.”
Source: classfmonline.com
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Massa; so what shall we do with these ayigbe/ewe can never do 'Keta school boys' -KWARAA!!!!because this is a man who claims to have acquired with the help of Atta Mills a degree from the London School of Economics in London but cannot make out the economic rational behind Nana Addos initiative to previde free education to all Ghanaians children; a simple definition of the Heritage fund is to provide for a saving regime for our children future but the future in this context is subjective because anything can happen ; if these NDC non creative and irrational thinkers including Fifi Kwettey must know ; the government has a choice they can just live the money sitting in the fund account to accumulate interest and the interest used for other things like importing cars to be shared by the NDC party gurus like Kofi Adams ; Jon Mahama ; Asidu Nketia and others in the NDC or channeling the funds to buy assets in Dubai by Jon Mahama but Nana Addo is not corrupt prepared to still state monies; Nana Addo was a child of free education including Jon Mahama and Fifi Kwettey ; so why on earth are the NDC a so called socialist party not prepared to accept such an initiative ; Nana Addo has decided to invest the same cash in todays children so they can acquire education for the future because FiFi Kwettey should have learnt that the three determinants of a country's progress ; are based on three areas of development ; Education ; Education ; Health and Transport; NOT STILLING !!!!! ; a progressive assistance in free education by the NPP has two edge swords ; it will lay the basis for every child to get education because it somtimes breaks your heart to see children walking about and when ask why they are not in school ; they claim their parents cannot afford the fees and the worse part is when a child tells you she/he cannot take part in an examination because his parent cannot afford the exam fees ; IT BREAKS YOUR HEART!!!!!!!!NDC THINK !!!!!! besides such a policy by the NPP means there is no excuse for any body to claim non attendence of school because of school fees or exam fees payments ; THIS POLICY WILL HELP PARENTS ;the NDC has never been creative in doing anything but YES NANA ADDO CAN !!!!!!!!; IT IS A QUESTION OF SHIFFITING PRIORITIES WHICH NDC DID NOT DO BUT RATHER STOLE OUR MONIES.
What else should the heritage fund be used for?!? SUVs for ndc appointees? Boy bye! GTFOHWTBS!
look who is talking,dis rat was given free education by NDC,when Atta Mills was in power,***barred word*** being.
You ve just found ur voice ? U have finished crying ???
Listen to this mammal...if npp hadn't resisted the ndc they would have misappropriated the heritage fund...nana addo use the money...ndc will come to power in 2032
Yes! now the heritage fund, as the name implies is meant for those who will inherit Ghana. Yes the future leaders! That is why it now meaningful to use that fund. It was good NDC was opposed not to touch that money. It would have by now ended up in Dubai or would have been channeled into building petrol filling stations. That's all NDC know!. Fifii Kwetey, what do you know? Only baseless propaganda!!!! You would be in captivity forever!
Akuffo addo doesnt seem to know what presidency is all about, apart from the jubilation. He will take Ghana 100 years back if he is not stopped. How can a country like Ghana in this age, promise free education from school fees to include admission fees, exams registration fees, food etc. Anybody with the least amount of wisdom will not promise such thing. And how can a section of students pay school fees and others roam about without paying a cent. If you cannot fund education, how is he going to fund a dam for every district and a factory for every district? I used to have hope in this man, but he is going to make Mahama look like an angle we didnt know.
PLEASE LEST TACKLE THE ISSUE AT HAND RATHER THAN CASTIGATING THE PERSON. I AM IN SUPPORT OF THE FREE EDUCATION PROPOSED BY THE NPP WITH ITS ATTENDANT BENEFITS TO THE NATION ON THE WHOLE BUT NOT IN FAVOUR OF THE USE OF THE HERITAGE FUND. THE QUESTION IS WHERE IS THE MONEY FOR THIS HUGE PROJECT WHICH THE NPP DID NOT THINK THROUGH BEFORE PROMISING FOR ELECTORAL PURPOSES. THERE IS MORE FALLING OFF THE CLIFF ON THEIR PROMISES TO COME ANYWAY. NOW I THINK A LOT OF MONEY CAN BE SAVED AND USED FOR THIS NOBLE CAUSE FROM LOOKING AGAIN AT THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS NOT THE LAW. THE LAW IS FINE AND RIGOROUS. THE WASTE IN THE ECONOMY SHOULD ALSO BE REVISITED. FOR EXAMPLE BUYING NEW CARS FOR MP'S EVERY FOUR YEARS AND SO ON. ROAD CONTRACTS. CLOSING THE TAX LOOP HOLES AND MAKING SURE COLLECTION IS EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT. THESE ISSUES NEED POLITICAL WILL AND DOES ANY POLITICAL PARTY IN GHANA HAVE THE WILL TO DO THIS? NOTE THAT IT IS THEIR FOOT SOLDIERS PLACED IN THE POSITION TO EXECUTE THESE POLICIES.
WHEN ASIEDU N. SAID NDC GOVERNMENT COULD USE THE HERITAGE FUND WHAT DID YOU SAY? STEELERS AND POLITICAL VAMPIRES.
the time of onaapo dancing and teasing is over,Ghana needs visionary leaders not book leaders.time for serious work