Economic Progress Depends On Attitudinal Change

Tamale, June 01, GNA - Mr Kobina Okyere, Deputy Director of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has said until public institutions and people made drastic change to their attitude to work the country cannot achieve any meaningful progress.

He said although new scientific methods of administration had been developed, most of the public institutions still held on rigidly to the old methods of doing things.

Mr Okyere said this at the close of a week's Public Consultation Forum on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS11) organized by the NDPC in Tamale on Tuesday.

Mr Okyere and Mr Jonathan Azasoo, a Senior Planner at the NDPC were the Facilitators for the Forum.

The forum brought together participants from the Regional Coordinating Council, district assemblies and traditional authorities, trade and labour organisations and women's advocacy groups. The Forum sought to solicit the ideas, opinions and views of the participants on the draft document on the GPRS11 for the final policy document to be drawn up for implementation by institutions and the district assemblies.

Mr Okyere said lack of transparency and accountability was holding up the economic development and prosperity of the country. He said, for instance, there were clearly defined roles in institutions and the district assemblies on procurement procedures but some of the assemblies had made certain individuals solely responsible for this schedule and in their absence no procurements could be done.

Mr Okyere said he could not understand why there was friction between the District Chief Executives and the Members of Parliament in the disbursement of the Common Fund since each of them, according to laid down procedure, should know his role and blamed this on the lack of transparency.

He emphasised the need for the integration of all sectors of the economy such as tourism, health, trade, transportation, telecommunication and agriculture if the economy is to see rapid growth. 01 June 05