Asiedu Nketia Discloses His Expectation For 2014

As the year finally comes to an end, many are the expectations of Ghanaians and political leaders. In view of this, the General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia in an interview with Citi News has disclosed his expectation for 2014. He said he expects that utility tariffs are kept low in 2014 so that �we will jump back into the usual high figures of economic growth.� His comments come days after the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) announced an increase in electricity and water tariff by 9.7% and 6.8% respectively, effective January 1. Mr. Asiedu Nketia who described 2013 as a difficult year for the nation said he was optimistic about the prospects of the country for next year. He explained that the challenges with utility came about as a result of �the switch to a more expensive fuel for energy generation� adding that if the gas plant comes on stream in the cause of 2014, �we will be able to have a handle on our utility pricing.� �So once we are able to get our gas infrastructure installed, hopefully we should be able to pump more oil for sale and then sell the gas too to be able to adjust our revenue in flow,� he stated. He said one of the major constraints that �bedeviled the country's economic growth effort has been removed� therefore if the challenges faced with utilities are solved, the country's economic growth rate will increase.