Government is to roll out a comprehensive economic
agenda called Medium-term Development Policy leading to a leaping of the
Ghanaian economy to an appreciable level.
The policy, which begins in 2010 and ends in 2013 would seek to the
modernization of agriculture, improvement of financial sector, adding of
value to local products as well as diversifying of major sectors of the
economy for improved performance.
It is to replace the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative
signed onto by the previous government, whose implementation is currently
underway through the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (ii) and ends in
December this year.
Mr. Agyei Fosu, Principal Planning Analyst of the National Development
Planning Commission (NDPC), disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on
Saturday at a forum to sensitize the youth on their role in the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) organised by the Ghana MDGs
Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Accra.
The Ghana MDGs/GCAP is a non-governmental organization working to
constantly remind government of the need to implement the MDGs and ensure
that they are attained on or before the 2015 deadline.
Mr. Fosu said the rolling out of the policy was in line with the
constitutional requirement which stipulated that a new government presented
its development agenda to Parliament within one or two years upon assumption
of office.
He said the NDPC was fine-tuning the policy document before its
presentation to Parliament early next year as demanded by the constitution.
He said the country was on course to attaining the MDGs adding that
efforts towards their realization had been stepped up.
According to him, various mechanisms had also been put in place to
ensure that gains made in achieving the MDGs were sustained.
Mr. Leonard Ackon, Campaign Secretary of Ghana MDGs/GCAP, called on
Ghanaians to exert more pressure on government to show more commitment
towards attaining the MDGs.
Mr. Ackon said the MDGs were attainable and called for more action to
ensure that the country excelled by attaining them even before the 2015
deadline.
He urged government to focus more on technical education because it had
the potential to increase the country's chances at attaining the MDGs.