Transcript GHANA POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY (GPRS) UPADATE …
GHANA’S AGENDA FOR SHARED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, 2010 -2013
MR. P. V. OBENG CHAIRMAN, NDPC
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OUTLINE
BACKGROUND POLICY CONTEXT AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION THEMATIC AREAS
Ensuring and Sustaining Macroeconomic Stability
Enhancing Competitiveness in Ghana’s Private Sector
Accelerated Agricultural Modernisation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management
Oil and Gas Development
Infrastructure, Energy and Human Settlements Development
Human Development, Productivity and Employment
Transparent and Accountable Governance
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BACKGROUND
Since Ghana attained independence raise the living standards of the people in 1957, successive Governments have pursued, with varying degrees of success, policies, programmes and projects to accelerate the growth of the Ghanaian economy and In 1995, Government presented to Parliament the
Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social
Development Policies with the theme, Ghana: Vision 2020, aimed at making Ghana a middle-income country in 25 years.
The First Medium-Term Development Plan (1997 2000)
based on Vision 2020 an Enabling Environment as priorities.
focused Human Development, Economic Growth, Rural Development, Urban Development, Infrastructure Development, and 3
BACKGROUND
The Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I) and the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) are the latest of such national development policy frameworks.
Under GPRS I and GPRS II substantial progress was made towards the realisation of macroeconomic stability and the achievement of poverty reduction goals.
However, structural challenges also emerged, characterized by large fiscal and balance of payment deficits. In order to provide a successor medium- term national development policy framework to the GPRS II (2006 – 2009), the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda document is being prepared, to be implemented over the period 2010 – 2013.
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THE POLICY CONTEXT
Despite the significant performance of the economy in the last two decades, there remain a number of macroeconomic and structural challenges that limit the capacity of the economy to achieve sustainable improvements in the livelihoods of the people.
improvements in the These include large fiscal and balance of payment deficits; inability of the gains in economic growth to reflect in major improvement in productivity; over reliance on the production of primary commodities without sufficient linkages to other sectors of the economy; over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture; low application of science, technology and innovation; and relatively high geographical disparities in poverty arising out of the inability of the increasing growth rates to be accompanied by reduction in inequalities.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
In the medium-term, the strategic direction will be to lay the foundation for the structural transformation oil and gas.
of the economy through industrialisation especially manufacturing, based on modernised agriculture and sustainable exploitation of Ghana’s natural resources, particularly minerals, The the process application will of be underpinned science, rapid and sustained poverty reduction.
by rapid infrastructural and human development as well as technology and innovation. This will enhance the creation of employment and income earning opportunities for 6
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
The strategy will entail: improved enabling environment to empower the private sector; active collaboration between the public and private sectors, including public-private partnerships and civil society organizations; active Government appropriate; interventions where transparent and accountable governance and efficiency in public service delivery at all levels; and effective decentralisation for enhanced local economic development 7
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
In this regard, expenditure will be prioritized in favour of policies, programmes and projects in the following areas: Agriculture Infrastructure (including energy, oil and gas) Water and sanitation Health Education ICT, Science, Technology and Innovation 8
The transformation of the economy will be anchored on the following thematic areas
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Ensuring and sustaining macroeconomic stability; Enhancing competitiveness in Ghana’s Private Sector; Accelerated Agricultural Modernisation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management; Oil and Gas Development; Infrastructure, Energy and Human Settlements Development; Human Development, Productivity and Employment; and Transparent and Accountable Governance.
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Ensuring and sustaining Macroeconomic Stability
This policy framework will focus on addressing, among other things, the macroeconomic challenges that had emerged at the end of 2008.
Fiscal policy will be shaped by the need to scale back the fiscal deficit over the medium term to create fiscal space for increased spending on critical infrastructure, job creation and poverty reduction.
Macroeconomic policy will also focus on improving fiscal resource mobilization; improve public resource management including oil and gas resources; promoting effective debt management; ensuring price and exchange rate stability; and deepening the capital markets.
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Enhancing the competitiveness of the private sector
The key strategic objectives under this thematic area are: improving the investment climate; reducing the cost and risk of doing business; providing modern, efficient and competitive resources infrastructure; with relevant creating skills the financial sector which is responsible to the private sector; and making available human and competences 11
Accelerating Agricultural Modernization and Natural Resource Management
The overall objectives of the agricultural development policy is to use science, technology and innovations to accelerate agricultural modernization to increase agricultural productivity, enhance security, create employment opportunities, and increase agricultural export earnings; strengthen the linkages between agriculture and industry; and reduce risk in agricultural production and marketing.
food 12
Oil and Gas Development
Ghana’s transition to an oil producing country represents one of the most critical tests for the country’s social and political structure since independence.
The key strategic objectives under this thematic area include: ensure the development of oil and gas industry and its effective linkage to the rest of the economy; converting the opportunities offered by the Oil and Gas industry to create decent jobs; ensuring that the practices of the Oil and Gas industry are consistent with international standards of environmental sustainability; and strengthening the capacity of local financial institutions to compete with their foreign opportunities in the sector.
counterparts for 13
Infrastructure, Energy and Human Settlement
The government recognizes that without well developed infrastructure, the goal of achieving accelerated economic growth to reduce poverty in the country cannot be achieved.
Over the medium term therefore, government will invest massively in infrastructure development, including human settlement development; water, environmental sanitation and hygiene; transport infrastructure; science, technology and innovation; and information and communication technology (ICT) development.
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Human Development, Productivity and Employment
Government recognizes the importance of human development in national development.
social costs associated with unemployment.
The government also understands the economic and Over the medium term, the government will therefore pay more attention to human development and employment creation.
Education, youth development, population development, protection, sports productivity, poverty receive serious attention.
development, management, migration employment, reduction, and health, for social minimizing income inequality are the focal areas that will 15
Transparent and Accountable Governance
Over the medium term, government policies in the areas of governance will focus on strengthening democracy rights and and institutional reform; local governance and decentralization; economic growth and plan coordination in special development areas to reduce poverty and inequality; public policy management and public sector reform; women and governance; corruption and economic crime; rule of law and justice; public safety and security; access to entitlements; decision making.
national culture for development; domestic and international relations; migration for development; and evidence-based 16
THANK YOU !!!
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