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Govt to launch GH¢100 billion ‘Obaatanpa’ project…. extends Water and Electricity relief packages

Govt to launch GH¢100 billion ‘Obaatanpa’ project…. extends Water and Electricity relief packages

Government is set to extend the free water and electricity relief packages for the next three months to alleviate the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.

The absorption of the utility tariffs would  take effect from August to October and seeks to mitigate the impact of the virus on livelihood.

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta announced this when he presented the mid-year fiscal policy review in parliament in Accra on Thursday.

According to him, the government was beefing up plans to make lives more convenient and easy for Ghanaians.

Mr Ofori-Atta explained that the free water initiative would be for all water consumers, while that of the electricity would be limited to lifeline consumers.

The Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited on May, 2020 rolled out the Government of Ghana (GoG) COVID-19 Electricity and Water Relief policy.

The GoG Electricity and Water Relief plan is a policy implemented by the government to absorb three months utility tariffs in order to reduce the burden that COVID-19 has imposed on the citizenry.

Aside the utility tariffs, Mr Ofori-Atta revealed that government would in the next few weeks launch GH¢100 billion development programme, dubbed; “COVID-19 Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (CARES) Programme with a tagline “Obaatan Pa.”

The three and half year transformational programme, Mr Ofori-Atta indicated would support Ghanaians to re-envision the future like never before.

“CARES is sequenced in two phases: a stabilisation phase that will run from this month to the end of the year and a Revitalisation Phase will be implemented from 2021 to 2023 and it will be supported by private sector,” he said.

The first phase, Mr Ofori-Atta noted, would ensure food security, protect businesses and worker incomes, strengthen the health system, attract private investments and support Ghanaian businesses.

He said government would among other things; intensify support for farmers through the Planting for Food and Jobs and Rearing for Food and Jobs programmes, provide financial support to the National Buffer Stock Company and Ghana Commodity Exchange to enable them store and trade stocks as needed to smoothen out supplies on the market.

BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE

Joyceline Natally Cudjoe

An Entertainment Columnist, Content Writer, Blogger, Novelist, Poet, and a Publicist. For business or story tip off, contact me on +233 24 646 6866 or email: [email protected]

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