Prof Robert Darko Osei
Professor Robert Darko Osei, Associate Professor at ISSER, has called on Ghanaians to sustain discussions on the national budget to encourage the government to implement its policies.
According to him, failure of the people to keep government on its toes creates an opportunity it to ignore the pledge of putting measures in place to improve the national economy and lives of the citizenry.
“The 2017 budget popularly referred to as Asempa budget contains promises, which are expected to turn the country’s fortunes around, however, much depends on the people to put government on its toes to implement what’s been proposed,” he stated.
He said macroeconomic targets in the 2017 budget are trending in the right direction.
Prof. Darko Osei, who is also the Vice Dean, School of Graduate Studies, University of Ghana, said this in his presentation during the 2nd Pentvars Business Journal Public lecture held at the British Council Hall, Accra last Wednesday.
The event was also held under theme, “Ghana’s Development Agenda –Is the 2017 Budget a Formula for Success?”
PentVars Business Journal (PB) is the official journal of the Pentecost University College (PUC), which seeks among other things, to change perceptions of faculty members while affording them the opportunity to research, write and publish materials that contribute to national development.
“The economy has grown over the last three decades and we have seen a changing structure of the economy however this changing structure is not of the transformation type that is to say it is not growth enhancing,” he mentioned.
The Vice Dean further added that it is therefore not surprising that we are confronted with the challenge of un/under employment both in urban and rural communities today.
Touching on the effects of high borrowing, he argued that the country has a constrained fiscal space but citizens at the same instance are making demands for public goods.
The Director of Institute of Local Government Studies (ILGS), Dr. Esther Offei-Aboagye averred that though the 2017 budget provides commendable prospects, more detailed analysis of the budget is required to come to definitive position.
According to her, the budget is a statement of intent and demonstration of the commitment by government.
“A re-examination of the tax regime skewed towards the interest of the poor and the need to consolidate financing for initiatives in social protection even as the promises IPEP are activated while tackling the structural, systemic and socio-cultural factors impinging on prudent use of resources,” she said.
By Solomon Ofori