The Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group, Daniel McKorley has hailed the government’s decision to absorb electricity bills of citizens and industries in the country.
The policy which he claimed had saved most industries from possible collapse was timely and had cushioned the possible effects of the coronavirus pandemic that had crippled global economies
As part of palliatives to cushion the impact of the disease to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ghanaian government announced it was absorbing the electricity bills of its poor people and covering half of the energy bill of wealthier citizens.
Other categories of consumers including residential and commercial users were also to enjoy a 50 per cent discount within the same period.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Mr McKorley said the gesture helped free many small businesses of monies they would have used in paying bills to invest in other areas of business.
“The COVID-19 period has been a difficult period for most businesses and this required bold leadership which I think our President has demonstrated over the period.
“Many small businesses and industries especially were being affected badly by the situation and I think the measures taken by the government were timely and impactful,” stated Mr McKorley.
He said things could have been worst but for the government’s intervention. “When you observe elsewhere in other advanced economies like the USA, many industries were shut down and workers laid off but that kind of impact has not been felt here partly because of government’s stimulus policies that have helped to mitigate such effects”.
Mr McKorley also called on captains of industries to urge their employees to reward the government by turning up in their numbers on election day to vote massively for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to continue to show leadership to avert the collapse of Ghanaian industries.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said in April that the government would fully cover the bills of low-income consumers of electricity in the country for April, May, and June 2020.
“We have decided further measures of mitigation for Ghanaians for the next three month. Government will fully absorb electricity bills for the poorest of the poor, i.e: lifeline consumers.”
