A Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Policy Studies, Dr. Kwadwo Poku has opined that the Buy Ghana First incentive by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which aims to prioritize local goods in public procurement will reduce the rate of unemployment in the country as it will help entrepreneurs and the private sector create more jobs.
In one of its policies to support businesses to drive and accelerate job creation the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by flag-bearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in its manifesto highlighted that they will roll out a “Buy Ghana First” policy under which all goods and services procured by the public sector will first be filled by goods and services produced locally.
Speaking on Behind the Headlines here on Radio Univers, Dr. Kwadwo Poku explained that the incentive is a key government policy that will tackle the high rate of unemployment in Ghana and as such every government must invest more in the local economy.
“If we want to generate employment, this is a key government policy that we need to take. So if you are coming to government and you want to generate employment, especially looking at where we find ourselves, where a lot of young people are not getting work, the policy is that you generate government expenditure towards local production and once you buy it, the entrepreneurs will know what to do.”
Dr. Kwadwo Poku also called for the modification of the E-levy rather than its removal stating that it could propel the idea of a cashless society in Ghana.
“I would say that you should not actually completely remove it, but rather modify it.
So instead of removing that 1%, probably you put it on all cash withdrawers from banks and from mobile money transactions so that when the money gets into the ecosystem, the mobile money ecosystem or electronic system it does not come out. This will discourage cash use and promote cashless society.”
He further argued against the removal of the betting tax as it would discourage young people from engaging in betting and gambling as they lead to financial loss and instability.
“I think I consider betting tax like a sugar tax or sin tax because sugar is killing a lot of people so it is kind of a sin tax and so I consider betting tax like that. Even if not for revenue generation it may serve as an incentive for young people not to engage too much in betting and gambling.”
Story: Alexander Kuuku Osei-Baidoo | univers.ug.edu.gh
