|
Ghana’s Development Partners pledge 1.7 billion
dollar support
Accra, June 30, Ghanadot/GNA – Ghana’s development partners
on Monday announced a 1.7 billion dollar support for 2008 to
accelerate implementation of programmes under the country’s
Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II.
The declaration came at the end of the 15th Ghana
Consultative Group Meeting of government officials,
development experts, partners and civil society
organizations in Accra.
Ghana has in recent years witnessed a consistent increase in
donor funding, reaching a level of 1.2 billion dollars last
year.
Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Head of EU Delegation in
Ghana, said the increased support was the joint effort of
donors to align their contributions to the development
aspirations of Ghana.
“We have constantly engaged in the last few years in a
progressive alignment of aid to the country’s priority of
human resource development, private sector competitiveness
and good governance,” he told a press conference shortly
after the meeting.
He was confident that the donors would deliver on their
commitments in view of the performance in the last two
years.
Development partners had delivered about 95 per cent of
their commitments in the last few years.
Mr Ishac Diwan, World Bank Country Director, said attention
was paid at the meeting to the oil and food price shocks and
how it could impact on the country’s growth prospects.
He said the country had shown enough economic stability,
which had enabled it to withstand the shocks.
Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic
Planning, said pressures from domestic power supply shock,
higher crude oil and food prices posed a serious development
challenge to the economy.
He said the meeting stressed the need for a move towards
better aid effectiveness through alignment between donor
partners’ activity and that of government.
Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, Minister of State at the Finance
Ministry, said the country’s aid policy was a joint approach
to accelerated development, which was a clear departure from
the traditional aid paradigm.
Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Chairman of Development Planning
Commission, stressed the need to generate enough domestic
resources and consider official development assistance as a
supplement.
The meeting discussed the results, achievements and
challenges of Ghana’s development and poverty reduction
efforts on the theme: Ghana’s Aid Policy-A Joint Approach to
Accelerated Development.”
Highlights of the meeting included a long-term national
development plan being prepared by the National Development
Planning Commission and the Annual Progress Report on
Ghana’s Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II.
There was also discussion initiated by the development
partners on division of labour to help address donor
fragmentation, accountability and transparency and also
minimise transaction costs and achieve greater comparative
advantage.
GNA
|
