Ghanaians have been admonished to be optimistic and support Government's development planning efforts to accelerate national development.
Dr Kodjo Mensah -Abrampa, a Senior Technical Advisor at the Ministry for Planning (MFoP) who gave the advice, stated that all must be productive and effectively support Government's strategic vision of economic emancipation, industrialisation and job creation to create wealth for all.
"As Ghanaians, we must disabuse our minds of the growing phenomenon of pessimism, ‘it is not possible, they can't do it’. They are calculated attempts to confuse and derail the achievements of Government's innovative policies and programmes".
Dr Mensah-Abrampa was addressing participants at the Central Regional "Dissemination on the coordinated programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (CPESDP) 2017-2024” held on Wednesday at Cape Coast.
In attendance were metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), traditional leaders, coordinating directors, civil society organisations (CSOs), Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), Ghana Federation of Disability and the media.
The 126-page document dubbed “The Agenda for Jobs: Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All,” provided the mirror to assess the performance of the Government between 2017-2024, to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Dr Mensah-Abrampa said the workshop was based on article 36 clause 5 of the 1992 Constitutional provision, which charged Governments to present a well co-ordinated programme of economic and social development policies including agriculture and industry in all regions to Parliament within two years after assuming office.
The seven year development document had captured the divergent aspirations of the people into a formidable shared vision to be translated into plans, programmes, policies and actions and pursued in all regions, districts and in all sectors of the economy.
The national policy document, according to him outlined the vision of the President and offered a comprehensive diagnosis and analysis of the socio-economic challenges and presented new approaches to addressing them.
In addition, it is an embodiment of unique national and international policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa Union (AU) agenda 2063, national policy matrix, guidelines for medium term plans for sector and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) among others.
It also indicates the development path to chart, a reference source to validating decisions and actions, and an indicator for assessing performances and accomplishments, thereby setting the stage for taking Ghana beyond aid.
"The document provide a clear sense of the direction and the development chart the President wants the country to follow, which would then serve as a basis of the economic and social mobilisation as well as guidance for future governments," he said.
To properly disseminate the dictate of the plan, the policy adviser stated that various media networks and public platforms would be used to facilitate the dissemination of the content of the documentation in all the regional capitals and districts.
Mr Thomas Agyei Baffoe, the Deputy Central Regional Minister who chaired the programme, called on all stakeholders to rally behind the Government as key partners to achieving the seven years development agenda.
That, he underlined was key to ending the endemic poverty of the Region for rapid socio-economic gains and infrastructural development.