My focus is on delivering one million sustainable jobs – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said beginning from 2021 into the medium term, “my government will offer several tax reliefs to the private sector, especially micro, small and medium enterprises”, should he win the 7 December 2020 polls.

“The government will leverage the tax reliefs to help young entrepreneurs start their businesses, and support existing businesses to expand and employ more”, Mr Mahama said on his Facebook wall.

He promised: “We will, through the implementation of our $10-billion Big Push investment in infrastructure [initiative], also provide more job opportunities across sectors”.

“Our focus will remain on jobs, delivering one million decent and sustainable jobs in the next four years”, he said.

The presidential candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), announced the $10-billion accelerated infrastructural plan in August this year.

“We are looking at what I call the BIG PUSH – injecting some $10 billion to dualise our roads, complete the remainder of the 200 Community Day Senior High Schools, finish all the hospital projects that have been left abandoned, and construct bridges to open up the country”, said Mr Mahama at the time when he spoke to Woezor TV.

He said the major plank of his second coming as President “is to deliver jobs to our young people.”

The former president said the $10 billion Big Push will inject money into infrastructural development, and “will involve the construction industry, engineering and other professionals, and will bring a lot of artisans and everybody back into work.”

“If we do not do this urgently, we have a time bomb ticking away. Everything, every policy, and every policy will be focused on creating jobs for young people”.

The NDC candidate said his Agenda One Million Jobs will see the creation of between 300,000 and 400,000 jobs a year, in both the private and public sectors.

“It is a very well-thought-out plan and will be the central promise of our manifesto”, he added.