Gov't officials, urged to show commitment in salvaging economy

Government and other high public officials have been urged to set examples about their commitment to salvaging the nation's economy by refraining from any acts that would further deplete the nation foreign exchange, such as educating their children outside the country.

They should also not operate personal foreign accounts within or outside the country, as a "show of patriotism and expression of trust" in the economy.

Dr Victor Mensah and Dr Francis Enu-Kwesi, both of the Centre For Development Studies (CDS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) made the appeal at a forum to discuss the 2001 budget. It was organized by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) in collaboration with 'Save the Children Fund' and the Central Regional Secretariat of the Ghana National Association of Teachers and geared towards generating public interest to enable them to make the requisite inputs to guide the preparation of subsequent budgets.

Dr Mensah stressed the need to ensure that the culture of secrecy and mistrust that had hitherto surrounded government's economic activities gives way to openness and transparency. He said the nation's debt problems, could not be solved without radical reforms in the economy and re-echoed the need for agricultural production to be moved from a traditional one, to a modernized system.

"Agriculture has to change from hoe, cutlass, illiterate adult-dominated, nature-dictated and small-holder establishment, to a youthful, literate, group or large-scale" he emphasized.

Dr Enu-Kwesi emphasised the need to pay heed to Mr Dan Lartey's "domestication crusade" by linking research and education to the development of local resources, in order to add value, reduce spoilage and create more opportunities for employment. "If science and technology is applied for productivity improvements, especially in agriculture, dependence on food imports amounting to about 200 million dollars will reduce", he said.

Dr Isaac Acheampong, Head of the Economics Department of UCC, who presided, urged Ghanaian workers to strive hard to increase productivity as well as help make "politicians more responsible and accountable".