2009 Budget Must Be Non-Partisan-President

H.E. John Evans Atta Mills has cautioned the Economic Management Team drawing up the nation’s 2009 budget to factor in the aspirations and concerns of the other political parties in the country. The President however is of the opinion that such concerns must be in tandem with the vision and direction of the National Democratic Congress’ manifesto.

President John Mills is currently meeting his Economic Management Team at the lakeside-town of Akosombo in the Eastern Region to do what Castle sources call “serious brainstorming on the many challenges facing the national economy.” The meeting was scheduled to streamline the economic policies of the nation and ensure that the 2009 budget will meet the aspirations of the people of Ghana.

The President, as part of his vision to be a President for all, called on the team to not rely only on the contents of the NDC manifesto because the other manifestoes represented the aspirations of other sections of the Ghanaian public. He called on the team to evaluate dispassionately the programmes and projects of the previous government to ensure that good projects are not sidelined because of political differences.

In an address, President Mills noted that the 2009 budget must be “a budget which responds to the legitimate aspirations of our people making the NDC manifesto the core document. A budget which will enable us to deliver on the promises that we made in our manifesto to the people of this country and also which can respond to the legitimate aspiration of other Ghanaians”. Koku Ayidoho communications director at the presidency spoke on the matter.