Representatives from the Private Sector and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs in the Upper East Region says they recognises the strategic importance of the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies, CPESDP, and would to that effect leverage on its capacity to marshal the needed financial resources and technical expertise to ensure its successful implementation.
Speaking at a Regional Dissemination Meeting on CPESDP in Bolgatanga, a member of the CSOs platform, Awal Mohammed underlined the role of CSOs in the execution of any development agenda and pledged their commitment to undertake a critical review of the 126-page document and subsequently come out with a much simplified form highlighting the available business opportunities for uptake.
He said as far as the development plan is concerned, the role of the CSOs will be to disseminate the policy, monitor its implementation and more importantly hold government accountable.
Mr. Mohammed emphasized that CSOs and the private sector shares in the president’s vision of promoting equality and creating opportunities for all, therefore CSOs will continue to partner the public sector in its dealings and work to promote social inclusion by giving the citizenry the necessary feedback to enable them participate fully in the country’s development process. In his opening remark, the Minister for Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour said the CPESDP as a policy document was second to none because it was specially designed to take cognizance of other Global Development Agendas such as the SDGs and the African Union’s Agenda of 2063.
He recounted that over the years, successive governments have come out with policies that could not see the light of day because they were kept in shelves and hidden from the citizenry.
Prof Gyan-Baffuor however, lauded President Akufo Addo for fulfilling his constitutional obligation and being the first sitting President to lay the policy document before parliament within his first year of office.
He said the implementation of the 7-year development plan christened ‘The Agenda for Jobs, Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All’, offers a new approach to tackling the country’s socio-economic challenges.
Entailed in the documents are selected flagship programmes and projects that reinforces the president’s vision to developing an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation through the creative exploitation of the country’s natural and human resources.
CPESDP, which is for the period of 2017-2024, captures the divergent aspirations of Ghanaians in a much formidable shared vision that is being translated into plans, policies, programmes and actions to be pursued in all regions, hence the regional dissemination meeting involving the citizenry among other key stakeholders.
Prof Gyan-Baffuor urged the various stakeholders to share in the president’s vision and use their various platforms to disseminate the content of the document.
The regional dissemination follows the national launch of the CPESDP in April 2018 by the President.
Story by Isaac Kofi Asare
