The Chief Of Staff, Frema Akosua Osei-Opare says President Akufo-Addo’s vision of Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda is highly achievable.
According to her, attaining Ghana beyond Aid is a function of good governance, achievable and would be realized only through dedication and hard work from all.
She stated that stakeholders also need a clear strategy and a strong collective desire to reach this goal, which includes “harnessing and utilizing our resources efficiently and effectively, as well as adopting the discipline and shift in mindset and attitude that will allow us to do things differently and better.”
The Chief Of Staff, speaking at the opening of the Chamber of CEOs Retreat said “Let us remember that good governance is shrouded in effective leadership that respects ethical values of responsibility, integrity, accountability, fairness and transparency. For this reason, you are expected to direct your agencies’ strategies and operations with a view to achieving sustainable ethical values as we work towards achieving the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.”
Ms Osei-Opare explained that Ghana Beyond Aid remains the government’s critical plan towards moving the country’s economy away from relying on aid and grants into one that is primarily self-reliant and self-sustaining.
She intimated that the call for Ghana Beyond Aid is informed by the arguments that although aid has played a significant role in Ghana’s development trajectory, the country needs more than aid in order to achieve the desired level of economic transformation and development adding that “This resonates with arguments that seek to question the role of aid especially in many Lower Middle Income Countries as aid typically creates entrenched path dependencies.”
Ms Osei-Opare stated that per the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter, the central idea of the agenda is to develop a national transformation agenda that reduces dependence on external aid but not totally rejecting aid.
“Realizing this vision is to create opportunities for export diversification, industrial strengthening and upgrading that focuses on manufacturing and high-value services. In addition, the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda seeks to align external donor support with national priorities in promoting development, geared towards enhancing the country’s ownership of its development priorities and plans. “ the Chief Of Stated noted.
Ms Osei-Opare further argued that while the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is crucial for maintaining and promoting Ghana’s ownership of national development priorities and structural transformation, mechanisms for propelling the beyond aid agenda needs to be well understood.
The retreat on the theme: “The Strategic Role of Heads of Institution in Transforming Specified Entities Towards the Achievement of the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda” is to reflect on key issues leading to the realization of a Ghana beyond Aid through active engagement with key stakeholders.
The retreat also focused on issues such as the Cyber Security Act, 2020; Implementing Energy Efficiency in Specified Entities; Submission of Annual Audited Financial Report; Transforming Specified Entities Towards the Delivery of Quality Service and Commercial Performance and International Security and Global Terrorism in the 21st Century.