THE SECOND NATIONAL POLICY SUMMIT

In May 2017, the Ministry of Information began the first ever National Policy Summit to provide a platform for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to engage stakeholders in policy dialogue on government strategies for revamping the economy for sustained growth. It is gratifying to note that three months down the line the Ministry has fulfilled its pledge of making the programme a regular one with a second session on Trade and Industry after the one on Economy and Energy. The importance of the Trade and Industry sector cannot be overemphasized as a catalyst for sustainable job creation and national development. Job creation was a key message that endeared the NPP to the electorate in the last elections.

If the Vision of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to make Ghana a major manufacturing, financial and commercial hub in West Africa is to become a reality such summits are vital. It is important to emphasise a point made by the Chairman of the Council of State Nana Otuo Sirebuor II, the Omanhene of Juaben Traditional area in the Ashanti Region at the opening of the summit that trade and industry are areas where partnerships are priceless in ensuring sustainable economic development and employment creation.

Key Government policy strategies such as the One village One Dam initiative, Establishing industrial parks, special economic zones, export diversification and establishing of strategic anchor industries are the subjects for discussion during the summit. It is hoped that stakeholders from a broad spectrum of society will come up with pragmatic ideas for Ghana’s industrial transformational agenda. 
Opening the second session President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo reiterated his call on all Ghanaians to actively contribute their quota to decision making by being citizens and not spectators. This was echoed in an earlier remark by the Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid on the need for all to hold in high esteem the adage that ‘two heads are better than one’. This should prompt us not to leave discussion on policy interventions in the hands of just a few in government. Our policy formulators such as the National Development Planning Commission NDPC and the Ministry of Planning will do the nation a great service by taking inspiration and suggestions from such summits to guide them in policy formulation.

This notwithstanding one will ask what has happened to the 40 year long term development plan being developed by the NDPC. Is it not supposed to be the blueprint for the development of the country for the next 40 years? The impressive multi-stakeholder work done by the NDPC on the 40-year Development Plan must not be left to gather dust on shelves of the Commission as has been the case for many such documents.

The Ministry of Information deserves applause for this initiative. Consensus building is indeed important in today's interconnected society. Even as we commend all who were instrumental in putting up this programme, it is useful to mention that this is not the first time that a summit of this kind has been organized. The onus lies on organizations responsible for implementation the decisions taken at the summit not to remain on the shelves, for posterity will judge us if we do.

May this policy summit bear the needed fruits.

BY DAVID OWUSU-AMOAH, A CULTURAL JOURNALIST & HEAD OF RESEARCH, INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

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