The role of competition policy in the attainment of sustainable development goals

Read Comments Comments (8)

• MARCUS AMPADU 9 years ago

  Krakye KAA, great job for bringing the SDGs to the attention of the Ghanaian public. We should make every effort to familiarize ourselves with all the 17 Proposed Sustainable Development Goaks.
  
  At some point all 17 SDGs n ...
  read full comment

  Krakye KAA, great job for bringing the SDGs to the attention of the Ghanaian public. We should make every effort to familiarize ourselves with all the 17 Proposed Sustainable Development Goaks.
  
  At some point all 17 SDGs need to be spelled out to initiate discussion if not conversation.
  
  The earlier we teach our young ones about them the better for our nation:
  For example, Goal 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption & production patterns.
  Or Goal 16 - Promote peaceful & inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable & inclusive institutions at all levels.

  reply
• Abeeku Mensah 9 years ago

  What does sustainability mean to us in Ghana anyhow? If all of MDG attributes were sustained or sustainable we will not need another set of goals. Please look to the true meaning of sustainable and you will find that we will ...
  read full comment

  What does sustainability mean to us in Ghana anyhow? If all of MDG attributes were sustained or sustainable we will not need another set of goals. Please look to the true meaning of sustainable and you will find that we will never achieve sustainable goals or agenda in Ghana with our politics and or zealotry derived from tribal animus.
  
  For those who love and worship ex-president Kufour he parted the Volta river or the Pra; he does no wrong. Let them say it he gave Ghana all the social giveaways anyone ever did. But the sustainability indicators, which shows his epic failures seems to be ignored. Every last one of Kufour era social programs and presumed interventions are a failure because they were never intended to be sustained but as political tools for temporary party credits. We will not need new development programs because MDG covered every conceivable development and interventions but we blew it. We took money from our world sponsors abused and misused the funds and we find ourselves back to the roots because sustainability is never our strength and it shows.

  reply
• Prof Lungu 9 years ago

  Abeeku Mensah,
  
  YOUR: "...look to the true meaning of sustainable and you will find that we will never achieve sustainable goals...with our politics and...tribal animus..." and Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako's "...Fair and competi ...
  read full comment

  Abeeku Mensah,
  
  YOUR: "...look to the true meaning of sustainable and you will find that we will never achieve sustainable goals...with our politics and...tribal animus..." and Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako's "...Fair and competitive market is the way forward for the future...".
  
  WE SAY: We agree!
  Unlike the United States and Europeans, Ghanaians do not have millions of slaves and peons to exploit for centuries to build up the Ghanaian economy in the name of "faux free market" as they wave the flags of "Functional Competition" and "Sustainabibility". Ghanaians have citizens.
  
  Active citizens require information that is free, that is purposeful! To the point, Ghanaians cannot have competition worth anything without free and fair information. This article neglects to address that. (But, the spread of information to the average person in Singapore, was the hallmark of Singapore's development).
  
  So, as you reference Prez Kufour, the best he did was to leave a super weak Freedom of Information Bill. Naturally, the Mills-Mahama-NDC have been siting on that draft FOI bill, ever since.
  
  SAYS Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako:
  "...Fair and competitive market is the way forward for the future...The long awaited functional competition policy must be passed by Cabinet. Our failure to do this would means that we cannot remain competitive in the global market. We cannot drive foreign direct investment into our country. Investors are looking at countries were business environment is enabling and hard work is rewarded..."
  
  WE SAY: All of that is not necessarily true. Investors want a competitive advantage. As such, a business environment that is enabling is no the same as one that truly serves the people/citizens.
  
  The question for Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako's is this: Does CUTS support the Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA) campaign? If they do, lets see them sign the petition and champion the movement. The petition is at:
  www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa.
  
  The next question for Mr. Appiah Kusi Adomako's is this: Does CUTS support the FOI bill? If they do, lets see them figt for it as strongly as they are fighting for now-nebulous and self-serving "sustainable development goals".
  
  Yes, competition is important!
  
  But, so too is Fair-Trade!
  
  So too, is Free Information
  
  So too, is Citizenship!
  
  Otherwise, yes, we are double-talking, cheaply!
  
  Greetings!

  reply
• Prof Lungu 9 years ago

  To say...
  
  "As such, a business environment that is enabling is not the same as one that truly serves the people/citizens..."
  
  Support the Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA) campaign!
  
  Join now!
  
  Sign petition a ...
  read full comment

  To say...
  
  "As such, a business environment that is enabling is not the same as one that truly serves the people/citizens..."
  
  Support the Fair-Trade Oil Share-Ghana (FTOS-Gh/PSA) campaign!
  
  Join now!
  
  Sign petition at:
  
  www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa.

  reply
• CYBERGHANA 9 years ago

  Prof Lungu you and brother Abeeku Mensah are talking as if Ghanaians know hat the sustainable development goals are. Whether we achieve the MDGs or not, we have to know what the SDGs are trying to accomplish.
  And Pror Lungu ...
  read full comment

  Prof Lungu you and brother Abeeku Mensah are talking as if Ghanaians know hat the sustainable development goals are. Whether we achieve the MDGs or not, we have to know what the SDGs are trying to accomplish.
  And Pror Lungu or Mr Adomako can you tell us what the acronym CUTS stand for?

  reply
• Prof Lungu 9 years ago

  CYBERGHANA,
  Thanks for the follow-up!
  
  If you will revisit for a moment what we've said already, we are saying people need access to information FIRST (and that, in the "average man" sense).
  
  We for one have never car ...
  read full comment

  CYBERGHANA,
  Thanks for the follow-up!
  
  If you will revisit for a moment what we've said already, we are saying people need access to information FIRST (and that, in the "average man" sense).
  
  We for one have never cared for those international prescriptions because it is the "government" that determines if/when they've met the standards, or not. (They are typically not beyond lowering the standards, or changing certain parameters just to say they made it.
  
  BUT, give the people free/equal access to information, and development will not need much prodding for a government.
  
  We have a whole webpage dedicated to the FOI bill, at:
  www.ghanahero.com/FOIB.html
  
  Incidentally, we've had the entire MDG 2004 report on the same page for a long time, since 2005. (See under "www.GhanaHero.com/FOIB
  Recommended General Documents
  Title / Description, Item 6)
  
  Still, we hope Mr. Adomako addresses your question(s). But, the article actually has a link to a website called "CUTS", at bottom.
  
  Thanks.

  reply
• Osei Boakye 9 years ago

  "Average man" sense is really hurting us.
  At best, mediocrity reigns supreme in this country of ours. And that is unfortunate, Prof Lungu.

  "Average man" sense is really hurting us.
  At best, mediocrity reigns supreme in this country of ours. And that is unfortunate, Prof Lungu.

  reply
• Prof Lungu 9 years ago

  Just visited the website and found this:
  
  "Mission & Objectives
  The Centre’s mission is to function as a resource centre for information on trade, regulation and governance with sustainable development being the cross-cu ...
  read full comment

  Just visited the website and found this:
  
  "Mission & Objectives
  The Centre’s mission is to function as a resource centre for information on trade, regulation and governance with sustainable development being the cross-cutting thread. It also aims to build local, national and regional capacities of multiple stakeholders on issues based on trade and competition..."
  
  So, our points still stand!
  
  ITEM: You must champion freedom of information (on governance!), or you will be paving way for economic vultures and plunderers!
  
  Sigh FTOS-Gh/PSA petition:
  https://www.change.org/p/ghana-fair-trade-oil-share-psa-campaign-ftos-gh-psa
  
  Samia Nkrumah just signed it....
  
  Peace!

  reply