Vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia has said that the prime focus of the Akufo-Addo government has been the promotion of inclusive policies to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians.

Delivering a keynote address at the 11th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU) in Accra on Thursday, 26 August 2021, Dr Bawumia told the workers that the ultimate objective of every policy the government has undertaken since 2017, is to positively impact the lives of everybody in one way or the order, "without leaving anyone behind."

The Vice-president, who acknowledged that government has not totally eradicated problems, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, shared with the workers, a number of inclusive policies government has undertaken to mitigate the suffering of Ghanaians since 2017.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President on January 7, 2017, promised to rebuild this country, as Ghanaians faced daunting challenges including declining economic growth, rapidly falling value of the cedi and constantly rising inflation and interest rates," said Dr Bawumia.

"While we have not totally eliminated the suffering of Ghanaians and Ghanaian workers, we can point to specific policy interventions that have mitigated the suffering that we talked about," Dr Bawumia said.

The vice-president listed several social interventions including de-freezing of public sector employment, which has led to the recruitment of thousands of nurses and teachers, creation of NABCO to reduce graduate unemployment, expansion of recruitment into the security services and reduction of electricity tariffs.

Other interventions he listed included: restoration of nursing and teacher trainee allowances, employment interventions through the Youth Employment Agency, industrialisation through 1D1F, abolition of many taxes, employment opportunities to people with disabilities to man toll booths, Free SHS, government's COVID-19 alleviation packages, among others.

The Vice-president also shared with the workers numerous entrepreneurial initiatives and support system by the government, which he said is aimed at further boosting employment opportunities for the youth.

With speakers at the conference agreeing that COVID-19 has had a debilitating effect on the economy and workers, Dr Bawumia assured delegates and Ghanaians that the government will continue to do more to further ameliorate the impact of the pandemic on the economy and Ghanaians.