The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has said the Ghana Beyond Aid (GBA) charter and strategy document will be presented to Parliament for endorsement in the coming weeks.
Subsequently, he said a sustained campaign would be rolled out to engage Ghanaians to commit to the charter and support its implementation.
Speaking at a plenary session yesterday at the 71st New Year School and Conference underway at the University of Ghana, he rallied Ghanaians to own the agenda for the country’s transformation.
The annual week-long event is organised by the University’s School of Continuing and Distance Education to stimulate public discourse on pertinent national issues.
This year’s theme is:”Attaining Ghana Beyond Aid: Prospects and challenges” while the plenary session was on the theme” Ghana Beyond Aid: A national transformation agenda or another political rhetoric.”
President Akufo-Addo in May last year unveiled the charter and a strategy document which would guide the nation in attaining the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
“We have taken the trouble to consult widely to get Ghanaians to buy in. It is not an Akufo-Addo agenda. It is not an NPP agenda. The GBA strategy deliberately provides strategic targets and broad policy direction,” the Finance Minister said.
According to him, the strategy had been designed such that successive governments were at liberty to align specific programmes to achieve the ultimate goal of transformation and self reliance.
He said in building a foundation for the strategy, the government focused on stabilising the economy which was already reflecting in macroeconomic indicators although “we are still not out of the woods.”
Mr Ofori Atta cited government initiatives including the Free Senior High School programme as part of efforts towards attainment of the self reliance, saying the Free SHS was building human resources.
He said the GBA though a long term agenda was plausible and requires positive attitude and support from all sectors to achieve it.
Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Professor Stephen Adei said the development of the country rested on the willingness of its people and leaders to join forces and cause the change they desired.
He said there was no doubt that the country could be self reliant.
Vice President of think tank, IMANI, Kofi Bentsil said for the strategy to be achieved , corruption, leakages and wastage in public service should be rolled back while there should be efficiency in public service and management of the country’s resources.
For him, the one year mandatory national service had outlived its relevance and should be restructured to justify the investment channelled there.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU AND JONATHAN DONKOR
