The missed deadlines of some key gov’t policies promised

Having won the 2016 general elections largely on the back of some key campaign promises, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has come under intense pressure to deliver on its promises. After 16 months in power, there is enough evidence to show that the government has missed a number of deadlines it set for itself to roll out of some key projects, especially its flagship projects. Among the promises made prior to or on coming into power include Free Senior High School, One-Village, One Dam, a policy to boost agriculture in northern Ghana, One-District, One-Factory, One Million Dollars per constituency, and the Ghana Card for all citizens, all promised to be achieved within the first year in office. Other promises include the creation of jobs, restoration of teacher and nurse trainee allowances, the establishment of a Zongo Development Fund, the affordable housing for all, and the development of intercontinental roads, railways, port and harbour systems. Most of these policies are yet to see the light of day but the government’s spokesperson on infrastructure, Richard Asante Yeboah, thinks it is early days yet to start questioning the promises of government. “Our administration has not come to an end, we’re still within our time. “We have four years to deliver and so if within the first 15 months of government being in power, a promise has been made and has been delivered on, I think we need to support this government”.

He believes government is on course except that for some of the policies, it will require some form of legislation to have them delivered. “Remember 2017, the funds were not transferred because the laws that would govern the authorities for it to be feasible for the funds to be transferred were not in place. So this year the two tranches are being transferred to the various constituencies through the various development authorities,” he said. Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who is in charge of government business in the House, in a recent interview on TV3 expressed skepticism government will be able to fulfill all its promises within four years. He, however, noted government will do its “best to register its presence in the life of this country”. READ: Majority Leader skeptical gov’t would fulfill all promises in 4 years Meanwhile, the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has begun expressing misgivings about the ability of the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government to deliver on the many promises. Former Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur early this year chided the government for what he described as unfulfilled promises and sarcastically tasked the party to fulfill their promises. He claimed the NPP had made 170 promises and ought to deliver on them all. “They have made 170 promises, they have to make sure that all the 170 promises are fulfilled,” he demanded.

The election of Metropolitan, Municipal and Districts Chief Executives was also another major campaign promise by the President but the Minister for Local Gvernment and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, recently admitted that the promise can only be delivered in 2020 due to some legislations. “Definitely, we have to go through the various amendments and the various amendments like I have just indicated to do a referendum,” she noted.

Even though quite a good number of deadlines have been missed, the government has been able to deliver on a number of its promises so far. Among them are the restoration of nurses and teacher trainee allowance, the implementation of the free senior high school programme although the scheme is bedeviled with some challenges and the establishment of the three development authorities. The government is also looking forward to roll out additional policies, among them are the One Ambulance per constituency, the distribution of drugs and blood by drones and the launch of the Nation Builders Corps on May 1 which will create about 200,000 jobs. The expectations of the citizenry are high, looking up to government to fulfill all its promises. By Richard Bright Addo|editors.3news.com|Ghana Follow @3Newsgh