Banking and Corporate Governance Consultant, Richmond Atuahene, has called for a national agenda that will encourage consensus building on the creation of viable strategies for economic growth.

Speaking on the first-ever public dialogue series on Financing for Development by Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh) in partnership with Citi TV today, Thursday, June 17, 2021, Dr. Atuahene decried the lack of a national agenda, which he believes had stalled Ghana’s economic growth.

Dr. Atuahene was disappointed successive governments had placed more emphasis on rather promoting a political agenda, insisting that Ghana would not make progress if the trend continues.

He believes a national agenda is one of the solutions to Ghana’s economic challenges, as it will provide an avenue for stakeholders from the various political parties to deliberate on how to grow the Ghanaian economy.

“We do not seem to have a national agenda. What we have is a political agenda and a nation should have its own national agenda which will be pursued by all political parties. I think if the nation wants to go forward, we must have a consensus-building and national agenda, else we cannot go anywhere.”

The forum, dubbed “What is the Role of the Development Bank in Ghana’s Economic Transformation?” sought to answer some niggling questions on the minds of Ghanaians about accessing finance from the new national bank, Development Bank Ghana among others.

It was held via zoom and streamed on Citi TV’s Facebook page.

The forum also featured a presentation by a leading expert in the field of development financing, an expert from the Ministry of Finance, a young entrepreneur and members of the financial services sector in Ghana and moderated by Bernard Avle of Citi FM and Citi TV.

Other speakers at the event included; Alex Asiedu, Impact Investment Ghana (IIG), Sampson Akligoh, Ministry of Finance and Nora Bannerman-Abbot, – Sleek Garments Export Ltd & ASICT and Jerry Parkes, Ghana Venture Capital Association.

The goal of the forum was to;

Explain in very simple terms what a national development bank is, its successes and failures, and what would be needed for a development bank to succeed in Ghana.
Explain in very simple terms the current set-up of the development bank that will be launched soon in Ghana and how it has been structured to avoid the failures of the past and position it for success.
The need of MSMEs and how the development bank will lead to financial products that meet their needs.
Understanding how MSMEs can position themselves to access this support.

About Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh)

Impact Investing Ghana is a private-sector led initiative promoting sustainable development and advancing the development of the impact investment ecosystem in Ghana.