Government Forms Committee On Nepad

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday announced that an inter-ministerial committee has been set up to co-ordinate the activities of New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which seeks to take Africa from political and economic doldrums.

The committee comprises the Ministries of the Foreign Affairs, Finance, Trade, Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation and that of Private Sector Development.

The committee would be expanded to include other Ministries, Departments and Agencies as might be appropriate.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang making a statement in Parliament on NEPAD said the committee was to ensure that Ghana's input to the initiative was properly co-ordinated to achieve maximum results.

He said the UNDP has provided a consultant whose office would be in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to enable him to co-ordinate NEPAD initiative in Ghana.

"These institutional arrangements would ensure the involvement of all segments of society, including the public and private sectors, civil society and the media in the NEPAD process and to strengthen the concept of African ownership at the grassroots level."

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang said although many laudable initiatives for the development of Africa have been developed in the past they did not achieve the desired objectives.

He said NEPAD promises to secure the development of the continent since it was "African developed, managed and owned; it brings the concept of new partnership; and Africa is undertaking certain commitments and obligations in its own interests, which are not externally-imposed conditions."