President John Mahama on Tuesday led the National Democratic Congress to give highlights of its 2016 manifesto.
The Manifesto is based on the theme: "Changing lives Transforming Ghana" and it hangs on four pivotal areas:
Putting people first
Strong and resilient economy for job creation
Expanding social and economic infrastructure
Transparent and accountable governance
“It has been done in a very simple style and it has a brief introduction and we have it in four thematic areas and for every sector it introduces briefly, and it talks about our achievements and our commitments for the next four years is going to be," he said.
The event which took place at the Banquet Hall, Accra was attended by Ministers of state, members of parliament, among others.
Below are some highlights of the NDC 2016 manifesto
Education
-Gov’t has achieved 97% primary school enrolment
-Government going to pay strong attention to Technical and vocational education…
-Establish a national apprenticeship program.
-Teacher absenteeism reduced from 27% to 9.3%.
-Establish Colleges of education that will train teachers who are specialised in training children in the early level from 4 years and upward
-By 2021 government would have eliminated all school under trees.
-Increase capacity for technical training.
-Government to complete all 200 community day SHS out of which 30 will be for technical training by 2021 and include free SHS for boarding students.
-Government to give one tablet one child…students in the JHS and SHSs are no longer going to use text books. According to him, the students will be using the electronic module of the text book
-We (government) will complete the conversion of the ten polytechnics.
-We will provide accommodation to teachers who accept posting to deprived schools.
- We will appoint a Deputy Minister with the sole purpose of managing technical education.
- We will increase the capacity for technical training by 30% and fit them with technical training equipment.
- We'll establish a new college of education to specialise in training instructors to teach in vocational institutions.
Health care
-Expansion of tamale teaching hospital
-Completion of new eye care centre at KATH
-Almost completed a new military hospital which will be completed first quarter of next year (2017)
-Upper west regional hospital will be completed first quarter of 2017
-Expansion of bolgatanga hospital
-5 polyclinics in the Northern, Western, Brong Ahafo, and Greater Accra region,
-10 new polyclinics in the Central region
-There will be an additional 20 polyclinics in Ashanti, Volta, Eastern and Upper west regions
-We are going to look for new source of funding for NHIS
-reduce malaria drastically,
- reduce maternal and neonatal deaths by 30 percent
-complete the reconstruction of 120 bed Bekwai hospital
-promote medicinal plants
-move accra psychiatric hospital to pantang and develop it to a first class mental facility
-ensure strict implementation of mental health act
-build one psychiatric hospital in Ashanti and one in the Northern region
Youth and Sports sector
-refurbish Azuma Nelson Sports Complex in Accra to serve as a sports and recreational centre for young people
-we will build new sports stadia in Upper west, Volta, Upper east and Brong Ahafo
-special economic scheme for senior citizens above 65 years living in poverty
-Introduce a new motorised transport; tricycle, for physically challenged persons
-Increase in percentage of district assembly common funds to provide free NHIS subscription for disabled persons
Economy
-We have been successful in stabilising the economy
-inflation has reduced drastically by next year we are expecting it to go into single digit
- cedi is stable and we will continue to ensure that it is stable; cedi is the most stable currency in west Africa
-wage bill is under control
-we will remove obstacles that prevent private sector from growing and creating jobs;
-we will partner with the private sector
-government to invest in high capital project
Job creation
-Continue labour intensive works like road construction
-rebrand the labour department to become national employment sectors
-Establish ceramics factory
-Continue disbursing small loans
-revamp abosso glass factory
Tourism
-Implement 15 year tourism development plan
-Implement marine drive project
-Redevelop the Efua Sutherland children park
Creative arts industry
-Establish a provident fund for ageing artistes
-Establish a film village
Agriculture
-Reintroduce Youth in Agric programme
-Construct storage facilities to cut down post-harvest losses
-Introduce a new plantation module to increase cocoa production
-Continue modernisation of roads in cocoa growing areas
-Increase cotton production to over 100,000 metric tonnes over the next four years
-Reintroduce the production of coffee production
- Fertiliser factory to be built in Shama
Industry
-Establish a jewellery production village and a gold market at Tepa
Water
-Achieve universal water coverage by the time I (President Mahama) leave office in 2021
Energy
-First large scale biomass electricity generation plant in West Africa
-Expand solar
Roads
-Continue with road construction; by the time I leave office in 2021, Ghana will have the best road network in West Africa
-Commence work on Obetsebi Lamptey interchange
-Commence work on two bridges; over the Accra Tema motorway
-Commence construction of Accra Kumasi and tamale outer ring road
-Construct phase two of Kumasi, Tamale Airport
-The next term of the NDC is going to be the beginning of an era of new glory days for the railways
-build suburban lines
ICT
-Provide every Ghanaian with a national ID card
-Complete the house numbering and house address system
Environment
-Introduce Green Ghana policy
-Develop an eco-tourism strategy for western wildlife corridor
-Improve sanitation; recycle plastic waste. Every district will get a machine for shredding plastics
-provide sanitation facilities for deprived inner city areas and nationwide. This is to end open defecation by the year 2021
-Introduce a special rent advance scheme for people with low income
Transparent and accountable governance
-We will fight narcotics and drug trafficking
-Initiate processes to implement the constitutional review recommendation to pay assembly members' allowances
-Promote performance base competition among MMDAs
-Set up a commission of enquiry to look into the creation of new regions; from 10 to 15
-Modernise the register of births and deaths
-Strengthen the media; government to build a new headquarters for NMC
-We will ensure a complete switch off of the analogue system
-Construct new remand blocks in existing prisons
-Construct hospitals for the remaining security services; prison, fire service and immigration
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