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Government has reacted to statements attributed to the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party Nana Akuffo Addo at an NPP Conference in Hamburg, Germany. In a statement signed by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Information Minister and copied to the Ghana News Agency said �Government found it curious that Nana Addo�s statement, which was described as a major policy statement by his communication directorate, did not contain a single policy on what will be done differently, except for the barrage of attacks, complains and fallacies, which he heaped on President Mills.� It said Mr Ablakwa welcomed and agreed with Nana Addo�s take on the Yutong Bus allegory, stating that, any good driver taking over the wheels from the NPP had to certainly pull the brakes and turn back. This is for the obvious fact that the bus under the NPP was headed further in the direction of joblessness, hopelessness, daily reports of cocaine everywhere, corruption, property grabbing by an elite few, an economy at the intensive care unit, where inflation and interest rates were skyrocketing, a depreciating cedi, depleted reserves at the Bank of Ghana, and increased insecurity caused by many mysterious killings. �I commend Nana Addo for honestly admitting that President Mills has pulled the brakes and changed direction. This new direction is the right direction as hope and progress has been restored to our people. Indeed when Ghanaians voted for change that is exactly what they were calling for�, he added. It said the stability in the Ghanaian economy is historic, adding that, inflation which was inherited at 18.1 percent is now at 9.2 percent and indeed Ghana�s longest single digit inflation period in more than 30 years. The statement said in addition to a stabilized currency, an increase in the reserves at the Bank of Ghana from a 1.8 to a 3.9 months import cover and exciting new opportunities in the oil and gas sector, as well as the banking sector, which has expanded in assets by 25.2 percent. It said Gains in the Agricultural sector have been phenomenal and that food security was at an all time high. The statement said the introduction of the National Buffer Stock Company Limited has created ready markets for our farmers, cut down post harvest losses and created jobs in the sector. It said Cocoa Farmers are better off today than they were under the NPP, as besides the unprecedented increase in the producer price per tonne of 3,200 Cedis, government has introduced other initiatives, such as an enhanced anti-smuggling squad and a pension scheme for these unsung heroes of our nation. The statement added that �in the educational sector; so far more than 1,000 schools under trees have been replaced with decent dignified classroom blocks, accompanied with computer labs, staff common rooms, libraries and places of convenience. Two public universities in the Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions are in the offing whiles other interventions such as the free distribution of school uniforms, free exercise books and the 50 percent increase in the capitation grant continue.� It also responded to the attack on the �I care for you� slogan of then candidate Prof. Atta Mills, intimating that if President Mills no more cared about Ghanaians he would have adopted Nana Addo�s attitude in the now infamous Gambian tragedy to the Libyan situation, however on the contrary, when Ghanaians were stranded in Libya, Professor Mills worked around the clock to secure and evacuate 21,720 Ghanaians from harm�s way and brought them safely home to free health screening, counselling and paying their transport home, despite the emergency nature and Ghana�s logistical and financial constraints. Mr Ablakwa said he was surprised that Nana Addo will try to take advantage of an ordinary issue as the Speaker of Parliament adjourning the house and walking out as a sign of bad governance. Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said �if this was a sign of bad governance then he did not know what Nana Addo will call their hounding out of Right Honourable Peter Ala Adjetey from the Speaker Position, when on that sad day we all witnessed how the Right Honourable Ala Adjetey was pitiably depending on the then minority to save him�. Mr Ablakwa appealed to Nana Addo to instead of over reliance on the Gallup Poll, which reveals how things started falling apart under their watch in 2007, since it�s a survey conducted between 2007 and 2010, to rather pay attention to other recent surveys and statistics which paint a more recent picture. They are the latest Monetary Policy Report of the Bank of Ghana, the latest Ghana Statistical Service Report, the latest Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Report and the latest World Bank/International Finance Corporation Global Doing Business Report. The highlights of these reports are: 2011 GIPC FIRST QUARTER REPORT 1. 109 new projects for first quarter of 2011 2. Total estimated value � GH�567.66 million 3. Limited capital transfers for the newly registered projects amounts to GH�103.35 million (increase of 360 percent, compared to last year). 4. Expected jobs to be created from these projects are 7,004 an increase of 18.80 percent compared to last year. GHANA STATISTICAL SERVICE REPORT ON PERFORMANCE OF ECONOMY IN 2010 1. Economy grew by 7.7 % whilst average in advanced economies was 3%. 2. Total value of goods and services produced in Ghana rose to GH�46 billion 3. Services sector grew by 9.8% (biggest contributor to GDP) 4. Industrial sector grew by 5.6% 5. Agricultural sector grew by 5.3% 6. April, 2011 inflation reduced to � 9.02% 7. Food inflation reduced further to 4.7% - lowest in over 2 decades 2011 WORLD BANK/INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION DOING BUSINESS REPORT * Tracked regulatory reforms from June 2009 to May 2011 1. Ghana moved up ten places from 77 to 67 out of 183 countries studied in business friendly countries. 2. Ghana adjudged global best performer in access to credit 3. Ghana adjudged best place for doing business in West Africa 4. Protecting investors: Ghana moved up to 44th out of 183 countries. BANK OF GHANA MPC REPORT ON FIRST QUARTER OF 2011 RELEASED ON 13/05/2011 1. Composite Index of Economic Activity (CIEA) registered real growth of 23.7%, compared to 9.1% in last quarter of 2010. 2. Overall business confidence increased marginally 3. Increase in revenue - Total revenue & grants � GH�2.2billion 4. Average savings deposit rate went up marginally by 63 bps to 6.5% 5. Total Asset of Banking Industry grew by 25.2% to GH�17.9 billion (33.5% of GDP) 6. Improvement in trade and current account balance - Total merchandize exports was US$3 billion representing a growth of 61.7% 7. Export earnings went up to US$ 1.9 billion 8. Private remittances amounted to $ 673.8 million compared to US$ 449.9 million for some period in 2010 9. Bank of Ghana reserves went up to $ 4.9 billion (representing 3.8 months import cover compared to 1.8 months import cover left behind by the NPP. 10. Monetary Policy Rate was reduced by 50 basic points to 13%. The statement added that, the Good people of Ghana are not only seeing and experiencing the Better Ghana Agenda in their daily lives but they are also bearing testimony. �It is precisely because of these testimonies that the NPP only last week, in an insulting attempt to gag chiefs, referred to our revered chiefs as NDC propaganda tools� the statement added. It said for the NPP, anybody including chiefs, who bears testimony of the tremendous improvement our country is undergoing is not spared the NPP�s onslaught and vilification, as if to say; �if you speak the truth about current developments, which isn�t in our favour then you become our enemy and we will come after you.� The statement asked Nana Addo to remember that unlike President Mills, he doesn�t even have a license, which would permit him to drive the Yutong Bus and that the only way Nana Addo could convince Ghanaians, who are the licensing authority to give him a pass mark, would be when he starts presenting clear alternative policies instead of just dropping artillery missiles, which continue to miss their targets. Mr Ablakwa assured all Ghanaians that President Mills remains focused on delivering on his Better Ghana promise. �There is no President in this world who does not face distractions or challenges but a good president is the one who shows tenacity, maturity, purposefulness and honesty to keep faith with his people and there is no doubt that President Mills epitomizes that kind of leader� the statement concluded.