Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said that Ghana’s former Prime Minister in the Second Republic, Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia would have been proud of government’s flagship Free SHS programme.
Speaking during the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the passing of Professor Busia in Wenchi over the weekend, Dr Bawumia noted President Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS policy is in consonance with Professor Busia’s welfare capitalism blueprint, which ensured many social intervention programs by Professor Busia’s Progressive Party government in the second republic and was aimed at ameliorating the needs of the vulnerable in society.
“The Busia Government was the first government of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia Tradition. He left the blueprint for welfare capitalism, which other governments from the Tradition have implemented, especially the blueprint designed to ensure inclusive and holistic development for all,” Dr Bawumia said.
“President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has continued with the philosophy of welfare capitalism by introducing initiatives such as Free Senior High School Policy, Planting for Food and Jobs, ‘One Village One Dam’, ‘One District One Factory’, ‘One District One Warehouse.”
The Vice President said, one thing Professor Busia would have wanted the President Akufo-Addo government to do without fail after the provision of water, food, roads and other social amenities, would have been to ensure that every child in the country regardless of the social and economic background of their parents, gets the opportunity to go to school.
Dr Bawumia stressed on the importance of free, unrestricted access to education to every child in the country and wondered how Professor Busia could have risen to become such a colossus without such an opportunity.
“How else could a rural boy like Dr Abrefa Busia grow up to become such a scholar? He believed and treasured the power of the mind and in the development in freedom of every citizen. There should be no barriers to the development of minds.”
‘’It is a profitable social investment for the future. Imagine if Dr Abrefa Busia did not get the chance to go to Mfantsipim School. Who then says that Free SHS is not good or it is not time for it to start?” the Vice President added.
In extolling the virtues of Professor Busia, the Vice President said his government was the first of the Danquah-Domba-Busia tradition to establish the blueprint for welfare capitalism, which other governments from the tradition, including President J.A. Kufuor’s government, have implemented to ensure inclusive and holistic development for all.
He recalled how Professor Busia’s government instituted a Social Security Fund for the construction of low cost houses, a Rural Development Fund to provide rural areas with good drinking water, through the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation, the provision of latrine pits, markets and health posts in rural areas, the construction of Secondary schools across the country, the provision of free text books in all the schools, as well as free ‘Achimota’ sandals to pupils in middle school.
The Vice President also recalled the continuation of this tradition of welfare capitalism under President John Agyekum Kufuor with his government introducing initiatives such as the School Feeding Programme, National Youth Employment Programme, Capitation Grant, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), free maternal care for all pregnant women under NHIS, and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).
“We (the Akufo-Addo government) have also restored Teacher and Nursing Trainee allowances, which allowed qualified but needy persons to acquire employable skills but was cancelled by the Party, which claims to care for the poor – NDC. We have reduced the price of water and electricity, and established three Development Authorities to ensure development projects reach every community in Ghana,” added the Vice President.
‘’Under the Nation Builders Corps, 100,000 graduates will be engaged in seven different modules and be paid monthly while they gain the necessary experience to step out on their own.
“This is a practical demonstration of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo’s commitment to caring for the vulnerable and needy in society. This Tradition, as envisioned by Prof Kofi Abrefa Busia, has continued to be socially responsible and has not sought to cancel programmes designed to make the life of the ordinary Ghanaian better,” Dr Bawumia Bawumia stressed.
