Senior Minister, Dr. Yaw Osafo Maafo, earlier this week, hinted that the Government of Ghana will review the Heritage Fund Component in the Petroleum Management Act and utilize some of the proceeds to finance its Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Mr. Osafo Maafo made the revelation in an interview with Joy Business, indicating that the government would explore different ways of generating revenue not to overburden the tax payer.
Addressing the issue on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Atik Mohammed, General Secretary of the People's National Convention (PNC), has advised the government not to touch the Heritage Fund.
He explained that there are several avenues to use to fund the project without necessarily scooping the Heritage Fund to facilitate it.
He noted that, if care is not taken, the Heritage Fund will be depleted and future generations will be adversely affected by government's decision today.
“We don’t need to dip our hand into that fund called Heritage Fund. In the place, we must ask ourselves what is the essence of the Heritage Fund. It’s because of the future generations. It means you should be able to profit from the resources that you have in a manner that it won’t decay, so that the future generation can profit from it. And because we know that this resource is depletable, that’s why Ghana or the country thinks we must put something down to make up for the future when the resources finish.”
Atik Mohammed explained that the government can use the oil revenues and also solicit corporate agencies to fund the project.
He also asked the essence of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation's (GNPC) financial support to the Black Stars.
According to him, the monies that GNPC gives to the Black Stars should be channeled to fund the free SHS policy.
“They should stop giving money to the Black Stars. They should stop such nonsense and use that money to help free education. The whopping sums that they give to the Black Stars, it doesn’t make sense to me...We should spare the Heritage Fund and yet (we can still), I am very optimistic that if we reprioritize and look carefully, we can still fund free education with oil proceeds.”
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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In my opinion, Manny wrote better English than yours, so if someone needs free education its you not Manny. Why is that when someone criticizes the government then it means he belongs to NDC. Can't an npp member disagree with his own party?
@ Manny, you say Nana Addo's promises are outrageous? You are here talking against something noble as free secondary education as if it is not a good idea! A literate country is always blessed if you don't know. If the Heritage fund is used for unnecessary projects like building a ski resort in Ghana where it doesn't snow then we have a problem. This fund is going to supplement other means of funding so get this clear!!
More sense in it.well said bro.GOD bless.
Are we talking about a " Heritage Fund " or a " Contingency Fund " ?? We are are talking about a Heritage Fund & you are here with your loooooong thesis as if it's a contingency fund !! Do you people in NDC read at all ? And do u understand in case u read ??? Manny you are one of the reasons why Free Education is critcal & crucial in Ghana !!!
The use of the heritage fund for the development of Ghana is not the major problem, but the potential misuse as well as waste it is likely to encounter is the problem. If care is not taking and very prudent managers are not assigned to implement the free SHS project, the funds could be embezzled by some unscrupulous politicians in the name of the free SHS project. No one forced nana Addo and his team to make all those outrageous promises. All we know is the country had always been built with taxes, while other funds are saved for future eventualities. Here is the case heritage fund is going to be used for free SHS, if something unforeseen should happen where is the nation going to in search of funds to solve those very pressing problems. If savings is not good, then my advice to all politicians is for them to withdraw their saving in banks and use it for any purpose so that if something should happen in the future they would go and beg God to help them, when if they had be prudent to keep their savings they could have easily surmount any serious problems in future. Nana should be careful, because he doesn't know where his own breath will come from the next moment.