In promoting responsive and responsible manifestos for inclusive development, the Ghana Centre Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), with support from UK-Aid, has compiled issues and evidence on key sectors of the economy to help guide the country’s development.
CDD-Ghana, in doing so, yesterday presented a 37-page document in what it termed “The Manifesto Project” that basically focused on ten sectors of the economy.
Giving highlights of the document, especially on the economy, Prof William Baah Boateng, an Associate Professor of Economics and Head of Economics Department, University of Ghana, Legon, said the country’s growth is not reflecting on job creation, because there is a missing link.
According to him, an assessment of the country’s growth reveals that “we are growing, but sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, that are supposed to generate the jobs, are not growing enough.”
Meanwhile, those sectors that are not creating the direct employment such as oil and gas, mining, and other sectors are rather growing so fast.
He stated that with growth, there must be demand and supply sides that must correspond, in a sense, that where the growth is coming must have a source.
However, “many politicians are quick to say that the country grew by 3%, 5%, 8%, when they cannot point to the source of the growth. So you will grow by 8%, but it will not reflect on employment. Therefore, we have to look at the missing middle, which is agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.”
Prof Baah-Boateng continued that the supply side of the equation had to do with the quality of human resource that is produced, which has to do with the sort of education given to the people.
“It looks like we are emphasising on quantity more than quality, and if we do not also look at quality as well, it will be a vicious cycle, because, if you employed someone who has not been well trained, you will not get the best out of the person, in terms of productivity. “Therefore, growth will not also be high to create further employment,” he added.
He added that while the country is trying to train many people at the secondary school and university levels, it must ensure that quality is not compromised.
Prof Baah-Boateng stressed that although governments, present and past, had all attempted to resolve issues of employment, sadly, not much has been achieved, because the concepts they often adopt, they seem not understand them.
On health, Dr Abekah Nkrumah, a University of Ghana Business School Senior Lecturer and Health Economist with the Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management, suggested that the country should be looking at making the National Health Insurance Authority an autonomous institution.
According to him, the government should be looking at restructuring the National Health Insurance Scheme to be able to pay market prices for its services, because it could be an avenue for dealing with the issue of efficiency within the production centres.
He said: “In service delivery, there are issues of efficiency and quality of service. There are several issues, in respect of production inefficiencies within the [health] service. The issue is whether we should continue to allow facilities to be operated the way they operate, or probably look at a different system… so that they can begin to operate as independent entities outside the government.”
On housing, Mr Bernard A. Arthur, Planning and Urban Development Consultant, indicated that there are about 217 slums in Accra alone, which are a result of the inability of the state to provide adequate housing for its citizens.
To him, the provision of housing is a basic right and must not be a choice, emphasising that “housing is a fundamental human right. Housing is basic, and not a compelling issue.”
According to him, until the government meets this right, the issue of landguardism will continue to be a development and national security concern.
The Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, on governance, lamented on the monetisation of politics in the country.
He noted that the political parties invest more into their propaganda machineries instead of their policy advisors.
The Manifesto project was launched by Prof. Emerita Tayiwaa Manuh, Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon.
The post Ghana’s growth doesn’t reflect on employment -CDD appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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