MCA project could raise GDP figures - Bagbin

Accra, July 12, GNA - Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, on Wednesday described the Millennium Challenge Accounts programme as laudable and said Ghana's gross domestic product could rise to between 10 to 14 percent if monies from the programme were properly managed and utilized.

He said there was the need for an effective monitoring and evaluation process to ensure proper use and implementation of MCA funds and projects.

Mr. Bagbin was contributing to a statement on the MCA made on the floor of the House by Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Public Sector Reforms.

The Minority Leader said initially, Ghana was to benefit from some 500 million dollars under the MCA, but the figure has been raised to over 547 million dollars and urged that other regions, not covered under the MCA should benefit from the additional 47 million dollars. He said, no region should be left out of the MCA programme since members from both sides of the house have already expressed some reservation about the exclusion of some regions, including the Upper West and East Regions from the programme.

The MCA programme is an integrated agriculture programme covering the development of the transport sector and rural development to be carried out in 23 districts in six regions, including the Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta, Northern and Ashanti.

The 23 districts were selected based on their poverty profile, agriculture potential, private sector investments already on the ground and the availability of water.

Mr Bagbin expressed reservations about other regions being left out, adding that Parliament should have been made part of the early stages of the formulation of the compact, a proposal under which Ghana is accessing the MCA funds.

Earlier, Dr. Nduom told the House that the compact was now before the United States Congress and it was "appropriate that our Parliament is presented with the contents of the negotiated compact." He said the goal of the compact was poverty reduction through economic growth.

Dr Nduom gave some breakdowns on the use of the MCA funds, saying agriculture projects would receive about 240 million dollars and transportation projects 143 million dollars.

"We are confident that on August 1, 2006 Ghana will sign the compact with the Millennium challenge Corporation at the State Department in Washington, DC.

He expressed the hope that implementation of the project would be done on a timely basis and called for support in the monitoring of the MCA.