Edward Boateng
Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Edward Boateng, has called for cooperation between ministries to enable Ghana focus on three areas in order to fully benefit from its cooperation with China.
He said Ghana must focus on construction of roads, human resource development such as training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, (STEM) and agricultural production as part of the $60 billion China promised Africa under the China Africa Forum.
“Such focus is imperative to enable Ghana develop concrete and meaningful programmes and projects that would readily attract support, he added.
He said approval of projects and programmes for funding would depend on the timely submission of the plans.
He said the three areas are critical to the sustainable development of the country and that cooperating with China in these areas would benefit the country meaningfully and transform the pillars of national development.
Explaining further, he said that Ghana must improve its road infrastructure to make movement of people, goods and services efficient and less costly.
Mr Boateng said China has a good human resource base in the right quantities and qualities to sustain development and make progress and Ghana would benefit immensely in any cooperation with China in that front.
On agriculture, he said it does not make sense for Ghana to import basic food items to feed its people.
He pointed out that the average land size of Ghanaian farmers is the same as in China but the yield in China is about eight times more than in Ghana.
“It means that what we need in Ghana is not mechanisation or large land holdings but improvement in yields, and here is where China could be of immense help,” he emphasised.
Mr Boateng suggested that if Ghana wants to accelerate road construction, then local government and city authorities must tax the people to maintain city and roads so that central government would focus on highways and farm roads.
By Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, Shanghai