Ghana is the Good News of Africa

June 17, 1999

Accra, Ghana - Ghana is the good news from Africa, said Mr. A. Janneh, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for Ghana speaking in Vienna.

Presenting a country report at the first meeting of six UNDP Resident Representatives from Africa with senior officials of United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Mr. Janneh said Ghana was worth emulating by other Africa countries. It is a country where things are working so it shows that Africa can make it.

The Ghanaian government and its people were committed to Vision 2020 to become a middle level industrialized country in two decades. Against the background of bold economic policy reforms, Ghana has enjoyed a healthy economic growth of five per cent and was aiming at double-digit growth rates. In addition to its traditional exports of cocoa and gold, Ghana was exploring new non- traditional exports and becoming the gateway to West Africa, said Mr. Janneh.

In a dynamic culture of national dialogue between the government and the people, the UN system was assisting in economic progress. Ghana is an African country worth emulating as it enjoyed a great deal of goodwill. UNDP was assisting Ghana in the areas of poverty reduction and governance with $30 million for 1998-2000 and almost every agency was ready to help as the government was in constant consultation with development partners through a nationally led Consultative Group process, said Mr. Janneh.

In addition, the UN Country Team was working with the government of Ghana to produce the second Ghana Common Country Assessment/UN Development Assistance Framework in tandem with World Bank Comprehensive Development Framework, said Mr. Janneh.

The UN agencies were operating at an optimum level and their cooperation was indeed 'pace setting' for other countries. UNIDO had played a major role in formulating a national programme on poverty alleviation. In this respect, UNIDO could assist greatly with its service modules in small and medium enterprise development, assisting women entrepreneurs, among other areas.

The six UNDP Resident Representatives from Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea and Togo have been invited by UNIDO for a two-day consultation and familiarization visit to its headquarters in Vienna. They were welcomed by UNIDO Director-General Carlos Magarinos who called on them to fight poverty in Africa by pooling resources of the UN agencies at the country level. He announced that UNIDO would strengthen its field offices in Africa next year in addition to establishing three regional offices.

Poverty has deepened in Africa despite high growth rates during the last three years. Industrial development has a critical role to play in meeting development challenges. Private sector led industrial development can create employment and reduce poverty for sustained economic development, said Mr. Magarinos.

The aim of these meetings is to accelerate industrial development and promote the private sector in these countries to reduce poverty and create jobs as a long-term strategy under the umbrella of UNDAF - United Nations Development Assistance Framework. UNIDO is committed to UNDAF at the headquarters with the appointment of a senior official in New York to promote this co-operation. This event promoted the same co-operation at the field level as part of the continuing dialogue to ensure cohesion in UNIDO's response to the needs of its member states.

UNIDO and UNDP recently signed an agreement to enhance co-operation between these two UN agencies and these consultations translate this agreement into real terms at the field level with face-to-face discussions and meetings with the UNIDO Director-General Carlos Magarinos and other senior officials.

This two-day event discussed how UNIDO's Integrated Country Programmes for industrial development could be translated into reality within the UN system at the country level. Each of the Resident Representatives made a presentation on the state of development and UN involvement in this exercise to senior UNIDO officials.

The six UNDP Resident Representatives - Mr. M. Kankwenda (Burkina Faso) Ms J. Bazile-Finley (Cote d'Ivoire), Mr. S. Nyambi (Ethiopia), Mr. A. Janneh (Ghana), Mr. C. Samake (Guinea) and Mr. A. Ly (Togo) briefed UNIDO officials about their respective countries state of development before having further discussions on mutual co-operation.