Blueprint For Mills: Economic Think Tank At Work At Akosombo

H E Prof J E Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana

Members of the government's management team and a group of experts have begun a three-day retreat at Akosombo, to design an economic blueprint for the four-year tenure of President John Evans Atta Mills.

Addressing the group at the opening of the programme yesterday, President Mills called for a fiscal policy that will support the country's financial and development agenda for the four years and beyond.

He said such a proposal should take into consideration the world economic and development strategies that can deliver the promises contained in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto.

He tasked the think tank to ensure that this year's budget statement and fiscal policy cover not only the country's financial and development agenda for the year but for the government's entire first four term and beyond.

Such a budget proposal, he said, should take into consideration the country's broad economic development strategies.

The four-day meeting is being attended by economic experts drawn from the various sector of the economy, as well as from the other political parties, to examine the country's economic situation with the view of coming out with a budget and financial policy that will address inherent problems for the growth of the economy.

The President said although the country's development will be based on the manifesto of the NDC, since his administration is for all Ghanaians, the aspirations of the other sections of the population as captured in the manifestoes of the other political parties also require evaluation.

He said if such aspirations are found positive, complimentary and serving the wider cause of the country's development, they will be fused into the broader development agenda, adding, ' My concept of inclusiveness include Human Capital , intellectual resource and tested ideas ' .

The President also stated that as the country searched for a compact and responsive financial and development programme based on the social democratic values of the NDC, the meeting should pay significant attention to the values of justifiable continuity.

In that respect, President Mills suggested to the gathering that policies and programmes initiated by the NPP that are currently in the pipeline and will currently support positive National Development must be thoroughly reviewed , preserved and made additional to the new initiatives that they will like to recommend.

President Mills further stated that all hands should be on deck, the reason for which not only card bearing NDC members will be assembled for the job but also others from various political parties, academia and industry, and explained that the purpose for such cooperation is to begin the formation of an alliance of patriotic partners to help drive the national development programme.

He gave the assurance that sections of the Ghanaian community not represented at the meeting will be called to join it in subsequent exercises.

According to President Mills, the task ahead will not be easy, looking at the economic difficulties that have been identified and that the budget must promote the private sector, make it possible for the new-found oil deposite to be exploited in such a way that will support the economy and also improve the living conditions of the people.

The budget, according to him, must also be tailored to meet the current global economic downturn.

A member of the Transition Team, Mr P.V. Obeng, said the gathering is expected to come out with a development programme that will last for at least four years.

President Mills later, on his way to Accra, stopped briefly at Atimpoku and Kpong, where he was mobbed by a large crowd, mostly hawkers.