Code of conduct for donor communities

Accra, Nov. 14, GNA - Government has drafted a code of conduct that would regulate the activities of multi-donor budgetary supports to make resources more predictable, reliable and mutually beneficial. Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, who announced this on Friday, said with the introduction of the code, donor partners would be more responsive and reliable to their commitments to the country.

"Now with this sort of thing, so much resources can come and it will be easier to manage our budget because pledges can now be managed in more reliable manner," he said.

The Minister was addressing the participants at a colloquium on: "Accountability and International Financial Institutions" organised by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and the World Bank Independent Inspection Panel in Accra.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said the rational for this intervention by Government was to underline the fact that it was in partnership with such donor partners and that both parties must be satisfied with the nuances of the agreement to be able to play their respective roles effectively.

"There have been occasions where pledges have been made and were never fulfilled, we should do things which should benefit both parties," he said.

Mr Osafo-Maafo mentioned the setting up of the Office of Accountability, the Procurement Bill, Public Financial Administration Act and the monthly publication of Government accounts as measures put in place to ensure transparency and accountability to the people of Ghana.

He said the country was not performing well in implementing accountability because it did not have a transparent public administration, adding: "That is why we currently have before Parliament a bill to set up central internal auditing units in Ministries, Departments and Agencies".

Mr Osafo-Maafo said: "We must move from the situations where during election we engage in expenditure spree and after that, Government has to use about three years to put its financial standing on sound footing. We want to leave a legacy where this will cease."

Mr Marts Karlsson, World Bank Country Director, said there was the need to build a global interdependence system where the changes in today's development would not just come from the global level but would reflect the sentiments and aspiration of all.

He said the Cancun trade talks was a big failure because the needs and aspirations of the developing world were taken for granted by the developed nations; adding: "When will developing countries have a good deal at trade talks and for how long will this continue?"

Mr Karlsson said accountability is core to achieving a global interdependence because "we have discussed so much what we want to achieve, but what is left is the how to achieve it.

"We need to develop a system where donors and other development partners will carry out their operations in a more sustainable developmental manner ensuring that there is a trade off between development and environment," he said.