Accra, March 13, - Mr Alban
Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has warned that
President Akufo-Addo’s newfound slogan – Ghana Beyond Aid – is a dangerous
rhetoric that could retard progress.
“He was my very good friend in
parliament, but I completely disagree with him because the development partners
are completely confused as to what we mean by that.”
Mr Bagbin who was speaking to the
Media after a radio programme in Accra said the propaganda that had become the
personal gospel of the President has jolted the country’s donors into confusion
that could possibly lead to an abrupt disengagement of badly needed help.
“Due to the confusion within
donor circles, people have become especially expectant of an unavailable
blueprint from the NPP government in respect of the rhetoric.”
The Second Deputy Speaker, who is
also the MP for Nadowli/Kaleo warned government to reconsider the sloganeering.
Mr Bagbin had called on
government to come out with a comprehensive official document on Ghana beyond
Aid to put to rest various speculations that were making the rounds.
Giving a historical background to
the important global aid culture, Mr
Bagbin said “Aid does not just come out of the blue, not from the magnanimity
of the donor countries, aid come out of a struggle by the oppressed, the
exploited and the poor nations.
“You will recall that after the
first and second world wars, the economies of these (less developed) countries,
were so devastated that they were struggling to survive and they had to look
back at these poor nations and to use their might at that time to support the
poor nations.
“And it is the economies of the
poor nations that sustained them to develop. So when the poor nations started
putting pressure for compensation, the developed nations quickly decided to
respond,” Hon. Bagbin said.
Mr Bagbin said Ghana did not need
aid to develop because the aid that the country was receiving over the years
was in a way misapplied.
“Again, aid is not just giving
out without being attached to a programme of government. If rather, we present
a programme and end up not doing exactly that, then you can raise such issues
but they are attached to programmes that are even approved by development
partners.”
He said anybody that wanted
evidence about Ghana’s dire need for aid, should go to the health sector where
many Ghanaian children were dying of childhood killer diseases because donor
countries had cut back on vaccine donations.
He also dismissed claims that
Ghana had enough natural resources to ride on into the sunny days of “Ghana
Beyond Aid” pointing out that in the digital age, natural resource is not what
is needed for development.
“You don’t develop by relying on
your natural resources, you develop a nation by relying on your education;
developing your minds to be able to create things, not just the raw materials,
no! You have to add some value to what actually you market and that comes from
your mind. And that is why research, technology, mathematics and science are
key to the development of every society.
“And so the natural resources we
have to renegotiate the agreement but how do you do that when you don’t have
the mind power to negotiate properly…You don’t need natural resources to
develop software!” Hon. Bagbin said.
GNA
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