NDPC forum on inclusiveness held

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has held a technical forum on inclusiveness to contribute to the integration of some key policy actions in national policy –making to help reduce poverty and inequality through the promotion of the equitable transformation of the economy.
The forum organized in partnership with UNICEF and Ghana Oil and Gas for Inclusive Growth (GOGIG) forms part of the process to promote a national, evidence-based conversation on the cross-cutting issues in the context of long –term National Development Plan.
According to NDPC, the long term national plan will incorporate the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 to ensure national aspirations to resonate with the international and continental vision for development and transformation.
Briefing participants at the Policy Forum on the theme: ‘Inclusiveness Growth for Sustainable Development” in Accra; Director, Plan Coordination Division of the NDPC, Dr. Isaac Mensah-Bonsu said inputs made at the forum will be presented to the sector Minister, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour to be submitted to Cabinet for it to be factored in the development agenda of the president His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He explained that this year’s forum is a follow-up on the previous one that was organized by the Commission.
He added that all the salient ideas that were made available at the forum last year have all been factored in the economic and social development policies of the president.
He claimed that the only challenged is the lack of resources for the commission to implement some of the outcomes of the forum.
He minces words to say that so far, the commission has been able to achieve its set out goals as the country’s development planning agency as most of its development strategies have been factored in the president’s strategy for the development of the country.
The Chief Director at the Ministry of Planning, Mrs. Magdalene Ampenteng on her part says Ghana’s recent economic growth has contributed to an impressive national poverty reduction from 56.5 percent to 24.2 percent between the year 1992 and 2013 thereby making Ghana, one of the few African countries to have met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)-one.
In spite of all these, one in every four people remains poor and Ghana continues to exhibit increasing levels of inequality she noted.
According to her, the gap between the rich and the poor has not ceased to widen and the inequalities between and within regions also stands out.
It is in view of this that the forum is set out to agree on policy actions to promote inclusive development contained in the policy document to be made available to the Ministry of Planning to promote inclusive development in the country.