Vice President, John Mahama says persistent demands by Civil Society Groups (CSOs) and other bodies have added new dimensions to global policy making.
According to him, their actions had promoted transparency and accountability within governments in the world including Ghana.
Opening the 4th Global Social Watch Assembly yesterday, which is under the theme: “People First,” the Vice President said the involvement of CSOs and other important organizations in policy-making had supported poverty reduction in the country.
“In the last 17 years, poverty has reduced from 51 percent in 1992 to 28.5 percent in 2005. The number of people living with hunger has also reduced significantly,” Mr. Mahama noted.
On the effect of aid support from the World Bank and the Institute of Monetary Fund (IMF), the Vice President noted that though it was necessary to help put the economy in a better shape due to the global crisis, the government was extra careful with the prescriptions of the Bretton Wood institutions.
“Over the last 10 months, the government has established stabilization programme to help deal with the impact of the global crisis our economy. It is on course to realize its agenda.
“Government is committed to modernizing agriculture and also empowering the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme to support the poor.
The welfare of the people is a basic responsibility of government that could lead to good governance and accountability,” the Vice President emphasized.
The 2009 Global Social Watch report revealed that the recent global financial crisis had widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
The Vice President explained that government was committed to the enhancement of commercial agriculture in order to encourage more people to farm, adding that more food would reduce the food import bill of the country, which stands at $1 billion.
The assembly is attracting CSOs from over 60 countries to discuss the global recession that had widened the gap between the poor and the rich. Other discussions would include the looming effects of climate change on countries.
By Charles Nixon Yeboah
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