CPP urges gov’t to move away from dependence on aid

The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) on Monday called on the government to move from over reliance on aid to the mobilisation of internal resources to meet the needs of Ghanaians.

It referred to the debate on whether Ghana should join the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and said: "this is the inevitable result of economic mismanagement coupled with prostrate dependence on inflows of external resources."

In a statement signed by Dr Abubakar Al-Hassan, National Chairman, to mark the 44th Independence Day celebration, which falls on Tuesday, the CPP said many Ghanaians have been impoverished to the extent that they cannot afford one square meal a day for themselves and their families.

"Education and health services are almost in complete ruin," it said. "Unemployment of all categories is on the rise and our industrial capacity is dwindling by the month."

The CPP said "the collapse of the last vestiges of military rule and the restoration of more credible administration" provides some hope that the legitimate aspirations of Ghanaians will become the guiding post in national political and economic endeavours.

"This, we believe, will lead to the emergence of a strong and prosperous Ghana whose citizens will enjoy the fruits of their labour in peace and freedom."

The CPP, whose predecessors under Dr Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana to independence in 1957, said it is committed to ideals of the independence movement world-wide, and pledged to continue the struggle of Africans against an unjust world economic order "responsible for the poverty and misery on the African continent."

It said Africa is confronted with a bleak future mainly because, in spite of its rich mineral resources, ruling elite of the continent still acts as "house of niggers for their neo-colonial masters in the metropolitan countries."

The CPP said the debt burden is heavily weighing down Africa and continues to be one of the major obstacles to the development efforts of the people.

"Ghana's huge external debt of about six billion dollars is mainly due to unfair trade practices of the developed world." It said by 1995, IMF and World Bank loans had almost tripled Africa's debt burden from 70 billion dollars in 1983 to 180 billion dollars, a figure that represents more than the continent's aggregate net income.

"We cannot accept the situation in which after 20 years of the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), the average African has 10 per cent less food to eat and 18 African nations are classified among the world's poorest 20." The CPP said it joins the anti-debt movements in Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America, to call for the complete cancellation of the debts of developing countries.

"These debts have been repaid several times over and constitute a millstone around our necks."

The CPP said if a fairer international economic system is built in place of the existing one, all the world's peoples can realise their full human potential.

"After all it is generally agreed that the world's resources can cater for the needs of 50 billion people and the population on earth is still under the seven billion mark."

The CPP paid tribute to the pioneers of the independence movement and pledged to fight on until Ghana and Africa are free from "the yoke of exploitation and oppression."