Ghanaians in New Jersey, United States are confident that despite the effects of COVID-19, Ghana, will emerge from the pandemic with a stronger and more resilient economy.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency on conditions of anonymity in Jersey City, New Jersey, a Ghanaian resident there urged the Government of Ghana to take major steps to support Ghanaian households and businesses to protect the economy in the post pandemic.
He said the cost of COVID-19 was enormous and that Ghanaian leadership must create an enabling environment and give opportunities to businesses to thrive in order to build the economy.
He said Ghana had lost more than GH¢13.5 billion in revenue in 2020 and insisted that what was now crucial in the economic front was to trace the origins of the economic effects of the pandemic, count the cost, and see how to mitigate the headwinds and repercussions.
He also urged the government to communicate regularly and effectively to Ghanaians both home and away to provide efficient and visible leadership and must be accountable to the people, “adding, the platform for accountability is communication.”
He maintained that purposeful, positive, and effective communication was required to balance the equation of leadership and that there was no time to communicate effectively and positively than in a time of crisis.
He added that the world was now resetting itself, and that there was life after COVID-19 as World leaders were rolling out economic stimulus plans to avoid long term recessions because of the pandemic.
“We expect the President, for that matter government to make good use of the moneys received from the World Bank and the Bonds in boosting the economy back to recovery. We need to also make more investment to the immediate development of National Centres that clearly sets out specific steps to prevent the entry of diseases, quickly arrest them even if they do enter our shores at the early stage to reduce its impacts on the barest form on our population”.
He emphasized that there was also a pressing need for economic measures to stabilize and stimulate the economy and protect people’s jobs and livelihoods such as the government partnership with the Master Card Foundation.
According to the International Labour Organization, COVID-19 had rendered over 25 million people unemployed and many more underemployed by virtue of reduced wages and working hours.
“We called on the government to continue to ensure a constant, consistent and credible communication to provide the necessary public health guidance and to allay any fears and panic among the populace. A good example of such a communication is what the Ministry of Health and Information is currently doing to successfully manage the education of the virus which other African countries can emulate its successful ways”.
