Dr. Theo Acheampong is an economist and political risk analyst with extensive knowledge has outlined five issues President Akufo-Addo must address in his second term.
The lecturer in an opinion piece advised President Akufo-Addo to revise his COVID-19 agenda that goes beyond GDP and other macro-statistics.
In his analysis, ”the crisis has shown that we need to move beyond the ‘macro fad’ and connect them to real grassroots development with tangible indicators to track and measure progress. The data shows that inequality has worsened while extreme poverty levels have stagnated for the past decade. For example, I look forward to a BOLD and SMART industrial strategy (with funding) that will make Ghana consume more of what she produces while exporting the rest as value-added products, leveraging both the AFCTA and other new trade deals. Just for context, in 2019, Ghana earned US$2.9 billion from Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs); this is bigger than crude oil or cocoa receipts for the same period. I think we can grow this by 8-10% year-on-year by aggressively focussing on other tree crops.”
He also wants him to streamline his ministries and cut down the number.
He wants the ministries to be streamlined to below 70.
”Streamline the ministries and cut down on the number of ministers to below 70. A nation of 31 million people cannot afford an elephant-sized government of 110+ ministers again. Some of us warned earlier about institutional capacity risks and administrative turf wars with several ministerial appointments, but we were told by some hardcore partisans to ‘shut up’. This can be done as there so many duplicitous roles and some appointees are just deadwood. That is, their marginal contribution to the running of their ministerial portfolios is insignificant and can be done away with. The ministers must sign performance contracts with yearly review mechanisms, and this must be publicly available for citizens to track progress as an additional layer of accountability.”
Read the opinion below
FIVE (5) THINGS PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO MUST WORK ON
1. POST-COVID RECOVERY AGENDA: revised post-COVID recovery agenda that goes beyond GDP and other macro-stats. The crisis has shown that we need to move beyond the ‘macro fad’ and connect them to real grassroots development with tangible indicators to track and measure progress. The data shows that inequality has worsened while extreme poverty levels have stagnated for the past decade. For example, I look forward to a BOLD and SMART industrial strategy (with funding) that will make Ghana consume more of what she produces while exporting the rest as value-added products, leveraging both the AFCTA and other new trade deals. Just for context, in 2019, Ghana earned US$2.9 billion from Non-Traditional Exports (NTEs); this is bigger than crude oil or cocoa receipts for the same period. I think we can grow this by 8-10% year-on-year by aggressively focussing on other tree crops.
2. STREAMLINE MINISTRIES: Streamline the ministries and cut down on the number of ministers to below 70. A nation of 31 million people cannot afford an elephant-sized government of 110+ ministers again. Some of us warned earlier about institutional capacity risks and administrative turf wars with several ministerial appointments, but we were told by some hardcore partisans to ‘shut up’. This can be done as there so many duplicitous roles and some appointees are just deadwood. That is, their marginal contribution to the running of their ministerial portfolios is insignificant and can be done away with. The ministers must sign performance contracts with yearly review mechanisms, and this must be publicly available for citizens to track progress as an additional layer of accountability.
3. DEAL WITH POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CORRUPTION: The President must be seen to be acting on dealing with political corruption. One of the elections’ outcomes is that a large section of Ghanaians are not happy with the fight against corruption. Perception is everything in the corruption fight, and the President must not be seen as ‘shielding’ his appointees from answering for their mess. Again, the key institutions such as the Office for Special Prosecutor (OSP) and Auditor General (AG) must not only be appropriately resourced but seen to be functionally carrying out their constitutionally mandated duties. Secondly, Amidu’s proposed corruption risk assessment (CRA) must be institutionalised as part of the public procurement process for contracts beyond a certain threshold. Lastly, a political party financing law is urgently required to deal with the illegal financial flows that fund party and related political activities.
4. GALAMSEY: We must protect our flora and fauna! Mr President, your last statement on this a few days ago came across to me like it is a lost cause, or is it?
5. CRITICAL ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE: While the current infrastructure plans (fixing inner-city roads, some rail here and there, etc.) are good, two other critical ones need to be tackled ASAP. These are: dualising the Ho-Accra-Cape-Takoradi-Elubo road (East-West Interconnection) and dualising the Accra-Kumasi-Sunyani-Tamale road (North-South stretch). It makes little sense to me that sixty-plus years after independence, large stretches of such critical major roads remain single lanes, causing much traffic and taking an inordinate toll on human life with the incessant accidents they cause. Folk, do you have any other suggestions or fresh perspectives on what the President must do? For example, on youth unemployment; health; women and children; governance, public sector and local government reforms; educational reforms and skills development; property tax and land rights; and innovation and competitiveness?
By: Rainbowradioonline.com