Govt to outdoor economic policy for 2010-2013

Accra, Oct 10,GNA - Government is to roll out a comprehensive economic agenda called Medium-term Development Policy leading to a leaping of the Ghanaian economy to an appreciable level.

The policy, which begins in 2010 and ends in 2013 would seek to the modernization of agriculture, improvement of financial sector, adding of value to local products as well as diversifying of major sectors of the economy for improved performance.

It is to replace the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative signed onto by the previous government, whose implementation is currently underway through the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (ii) and ends in December this year.

Mr. Agyei Fosu, Principal Planning Analyst of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday at a forum to sensitize the youth on their role in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) organised by the Ghana MDGs Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) in Accra. The Ghana MDGs/GCAP is a non-governmental organization working to constantly remind government of the need to implement the MDGs and ensure that they are attained on or before the 2015 deadline. Mr. Fosu said the rolling out of the policy was in line with the constitutional requirement which stipulated that a new government presented its development agenda to Parliament within one or two years upon assumption of office.

He said the NDPC was fine-tuning the policy document before its presentation to Parliament early next year as demanded by the constitution. He said the country was on course to attaining the MDGs adding that efforts towards their realization had been stepped up. According to him, various mechanisms had also been put in place to ensure that gains made in achieving the MDGs were sustained. Mr. Leonard Ackon, Campaign Secretary of Ghana MDGs/GCAP, called on Ghanaians to exert more pressure on government to show more commitment towards attaining the MDGs.

Mr. Ackon said the MDGs were attainable and called for more action to ensure that the country excelled by attaining them even before the 2015 deadline.

He urged government to focus more on technical education because it had the potential to increase the country's chances at attaining the MDGs.