To commemorate Ghanaian workers today, former President John Dramani Mahama has entreated the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to approve Ghana's request for a $3 billion credit facility in the shortest possible time.

In a Facebook post, the former president noted that it has become imperative that the IMF steps in in order to protect Ghanaian workers.

According to him, further delay may translate into Ghanaian public workers not receiving salary from the government.

"If the Fund does not act urgently, the government would struggle to meet its responsibility of paying workers.

"The situation of our teeming unemployed youth is exacerbated by the government's inability and unwillingness to pay crucial social protection funds such as LEAP, GETFund, NHIL, and DACF," portions of his statement read.

He noted that the current rate of unemployment is the worst ever recorded and workers cannot suffer another blow.

"This being the case, government workers – teachers, health workers, civil servants, and security personnel – continue to shoulder the additional burden of an expanding population.

"This desperate state of unemployment comes with extra demands on the time and energy of existing workers and sadly deprives their families of their presence at home.

"The truth, however, is that our nation cannot continue this disastrous path; a path where government deprives the youth of opportunities to work and refuses to secure the investments of retirees because of its reckless mismanagement of the economy leading to the collapse of businesses including Ghanaian-owned banks," he added.

Despite the current challenges, Mr Mahama urged Ghanaian workers to remain gallant and hope for a better future.

He asserts that the better future "will protect the investments of retirees, restore and revamp collapsed businesses and banks, create genuine jobs and ensure that our statutory vehicles that offer protection to the vulnerable in society are not cruelly starved of funds."

He indicated that hope cannot be lost as "you (workers) are the backbone of our country, and you epitomize the Black Star of hope and honour, so proudly extolled in our national anthem."

"It is your steadfastness and dedicated service to our dear nation that has kept us afloat amid our present economic turbulence.

I salute you, Ghanaian Workers, for inspiring us to be resolute and work toward Building the Ghana we want Together," he concluded.

Source: The Independent Ghana