Papa Kwesi Nduom sets out his agenda

Papa Kwesi Nduom sets out his development agenda for government at a news conference in Western Region. Papa Kwesi Nduom has assured Ghanaians that CPP government will put the interest of the nation first and foremost and ensure resources are distributed equitably among all the regions.

Nduom said the worsening economic situation among the poor demands a profound rethinking of new solutions and stated that mistakes of the past should not be repeated. He said, “Many policy failures in the past can be attributed to insufficient ownership and participation in domestic policy formulation and implementation by the citizens”.

Nduom explain that as part of his rebuilding process, he will consult all Ghanaians including the Diaspora. He said “at present, there are many competent Ghanaians scattered all around the world who are willing to forego the benefits they enjoy in their adopted countries to come home and help with our development process”. He said he will take advantage of his compatriots’ knowledge and skills so that policy and programme responses would be internally driven to have a better chance to become sustainable. On the role of Diaspora in development, Nduom said many sons and daughters of the motherland in Diaspora have accumulated vast knowledge and experience on how to deal with challenges in areas such as health, education, technology, investment promotion and finance. Papa Kwesi Nduom said his government will work with all the various professional and hometown associations in Diaspora in his effort to ensure we stay on course for either 2015 or 2020. He said CPP shall reserve a seat in government for the Diaspora, to be known as Secretary for Diaspora Relations. On the role of remittances in the development of Ghana, Papa Kwesi Nduom said the impact of remittances from the Diaspora is significant. He said they do play an important role in reducing the incidence and severity of poverty.

Responding to a question about the lack of development in the 3 northern regions, Papa Kwesi Nduom said CPP government under his presidency would empower the citizens to take direct ownership of the development process through participatory development strategy as was the case under Kwame Nkrumah. Papa Kwesi Nduom said the CPP will promote coordinated initiatives to enhance participation by all through education, health, securing of water and energy supplies, reduction of food insecurity and expansion of employment opportunities. To ensure the development process is on track as envisage in the CPP 7 Year Development Plan, Papa Kwesi Nduom said he will set up a committee to monitor transparency and accountability at all levels of government.

Nduom said this monitoring and evaluation of government will greatly enhance the transparency and accountability as well as enhance the effectiveness of resource distributions. Nduom went on to explain that within the framework, the committee will report on the expected improvement in the economic and social conditions of each region. Papa Kwesi Nduom said this report will be considered for the assessment and determination of eligibility for support of any project for that particular region.

Papa Kwesi Nduom said for Ghana to become a middle income country by 2015 and/or 2020, our human resource position must be re-evaluated. Nduom said Ghana has underutilised human resource due to lack of education, training and job opportunities. He said to address this huge imbalance and to safeguard access to education and job creation; strong and concerted efforts are needed. Nduom said he will maximise enrolment in primary education and achieve rising increase in secondary and tertiary education within the first 4 years of CPP government. He said his government will promote vocational training needed for productive work. Nduom said achieving these educational goals is paramount. He said it will be criminal for any Ghanaian child to opt out of the primary educational system. Nduom said productivity in agribusiness will be enhanced and quality improved through availability of appropriate technology and support from Polytechnics, improved infrastructure (rural road network) and coordinated marketing. On energy, Papa Kwesi Nduom said under the 7 year development plan, CPP government will explore alternative energy and ensure the energy crisis never occurs again.