President Mahama pledge to complete the Vision 2020 Project (Dr Nkrumah’s 7 year Development Plan).
President Mahama, who grow up in the Nkrumaist tradition, has pledge to continue with the 7 Year Development blueprint (re-designed as “Vision 2020” by the former Presidents Rawlings and Mills) aimed at reducing poverty by the year 2020.
This will be the first and most comprehensive blueprint handed down by late Professor Atta Mills. Analysts, including this writer, say the proposals of late President Mills’ grand plans for industrial and technological development, would propel Ghana into sub-Saharan Africa’s second most prosperous economy after South Africa.
President Mahama’s administration, which aims to complete this monumental vision in two terms, will also focus on education, agriculture and rural development, where income remain much lower than the regional capitals.
Through his agricultural policy, which the President spearheaded when he was vice to the late President, is expected to find ways to create more growth and jobs for the rural communities who make up over 50% of the population.
Mahama and his administration realises that previous economic programs have only benefited less than a half of the population and therefore wants to implement economic initiatives to see a better distribution of wealth, especially to bridge the disparity gap between the rural and urban centres and between regions.
Mahama accepts that this is a big challenge, especially as the economic landscape has become a lot different and more challenging, compounded by the disparity in technological advancement between the rural and urban centres.
Mahama has flagged the private sector to partner the public sector to be the driving force behind the economic development.
President Mahama, who was overwhelmingly elected by the 8 regions of Ghana and also gained considerably from the 2 regions, a stronghold of the opposition NPP, needs to reassure a Ghanaian public that would be looking to him as, the first President to be born after independence, for reassurance and vision in equal measure. As have been predicted by numerous economists, a rapid transformation of the Ghanaian economy would occur under Mahama’s watch, and with current growth, Ghana’s economy will become, perhaps the third biggest economy after South Africa and Nigeria in sub-Sahara Africa.
Environmental degradation (through galamasey – illegal gold mining) will increasingly challenge the foundations of Ghana’s growth, however developments in oil and natural gas and numerous other fields, coupled with demographic profile that is enviable on the continent (Ghanaians are one of the best educated people in Africa) suggests a promising future for Ghana’s economy.
The main problems that NDC inherited from the 8 years rule of the NPP were falling productivity rates, insufficient use of Ghana’s resources, outflow of talent and falling private investments. Mills first 4 years in office was targeted at attacking and overcoming these obstacles, thus leaving the slate clean for the current President to build upon.
The key strategic areas that this administration would focus on include the following:
President Mahama has pledge to create an environment that would unleash the entrepreneurial skills of Ghanaian people for economic growth. There are already strategies in place that fosters economic growth with the private sector as the main driver to compliment this new strategy.
More measures towards inclusive socio-economic development to equitable distribution of income. This is to ensure the Ghanaian dream, as envisage by Presidents Nkrumah, Rawlings and Mills, is enjoyed by all.
The President knows that in order for a country to attain rapid development, it is important to develop and retain first class talent, a major key component in productivity and innovation-led growth, thus the President has put in place important strategies to develop, attract and retain quality talent base. The President has pledge to train more doctors to ensure good health of the population is maintained, a key plank of the 7 Year Development Plan.
The President has pledge to build an environment that enhances quality of life, especially the constituency that carried him to the Flagstaff House, ordinary Ghanaians who see this President as the custodian and guardian of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Professor Mills and Flt Lt Rawlings’ legacies.
In this regard, economic growth will be supplemented by strategies (See Vision 2020/7 Year Development Plan) to raise the quality of life of Ghanaians that commensurate with the country’s middle income status – No one would be left behind – a pledge that this president, like his predecessors, is very passionate about, and want to leave as his legacy. The President is determined to ensure the main tenet of the Vision 2020/7Year Development Plan, “Ensuring equality of opportunities and safeguarding the vulnerable, is implemented to the letter”
The plan place emphasis on Small and Medium size enterprises on attracting foreign direct investments and investments from citizens’ abroad, thus unlocking innovative potential of these enterprises and creating more jobs. Regional growth and inclusive development will be at the heart of the plan. Every region would be supported to develop its competitive advantage.
The sheer determination of this President to finish the job started by Nkrumah, “better housing, good quality education, employment, better health care and unleashing of entrepreneurial drive in Ghanaians”, is what motivates him every day – a call to serve country.
