Ghana Beyond Aid Not An NPP Agenda – Osafo Maafo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s economic instinct to salvage Ghana from her dependence on international aid is not a political project but a national agenda, Senior Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo has said.

According to him, the Ghana Beyond Aid vision may be seen as the brain-child of Ghana’s current president, but must be embraced by every Ghanaian as a project aimed at liberating the country from its current state of the development.

Speaking at an engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter, held in Accra last Friday, the senior minister said in order for the vision to come to fruition, “we need a non-partisan approach to our national development.”

“Ghana beyond aid should not be pulled around as NDC, NPP, CPP…Ghana Beyond Aid is Ghana matter. I am firmly convinced that what Ghana beyond aid seeks to achieve is a national matter and should be looked at as such by all Ghanaians,” he submitted.

Changing Mindset

Mr. Osafo-Maafo further highlighted the need for citizens to have a positive mindset in the pursuance of the vision adding that, the adverse mindset of Ghanaians seems to be affecting the progress of the agenda negatively.

“Our current state of development is a reflection of our values, mindset, priorities and work ethics as a people. We need the mindsets to change to achieve Ghana beyond aid,” he noted.

The senior minister listed Patriotism, honesty, respect for each other, the laws, institutions and national environment, discipline, hard work and punctuality as virtues that must be exhibited to achieve the Ghana beyond aid agenda.

Resource-rich Yet Poor

In his detailed presentation on the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter and Strategy Document, Mr. Osafo-Maafo recounted what he called ‘Ghana’s Paradox—a country rich in resources yet poor’.

“Ghana has the attributes of a country that can and should be prosperous and self-reliant economically…we have abundant natural resources, arable land and favourable climate, human resources and a youthful population.

“When these resources and opportunities are harnessed and directed efficiently, we can expedite our own development,” the senior minister stated.

The Charter

To kickstart the Ghana Beyond Aid vision, President Akufo-Addo had instituted a multi-stakeholder Committee that consisted representatives from TUC, AGI, PEF, GNAT, NUGS and selected ministries. The committee is chaired by the Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo.

The committee was tasked to come up with a charter and strategy document which will chart a path to a successful implementation of the Ghana beyond aid vision.

30 institutions were invited to present position papers and 22 responded. These institutions include academia and research institutions, CSOs and professional bodies.

Voluntary contributions of papers and inputs have also come from a large session of individuals, both home and abroad.

The charter is currently in its draft stage while a two-weeks ultimatum has been for the submission of all other papers that could facilitate the success of the charter.

Stakeholder Engagements

The committee’s meeting with CSOs forms part of several engagements with stakeholders to ensure that Ghana moves beyond aid.

CSOs present at the event were pulled from various sectors of the public including environment, finance, governance, gender and PWDs.

They made salient inputs to the developing charter which the senior minister assured, will be highly considered in the final document.

Story by Grace Ablewor Sogbey