A national development plan vital for sustained development – Azongo

Kumasi, A Development Planner, has stressed the need for a comprehensive national development plan from which budget statements could be presented for implementation.

Mr. Nyaaba-Aweebo Azongo says there was the need for the people of the country to have an idea of a well-planned development document for which annual financial orientation could be implemented.

“We need to have an idea of a well communicated plan for which annual budgets would be implemented incrementally,” he told the Ghana News Agency ahead of the presentation of the national budget by the Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, on November 17, this year.

There have been varied public expectations of the 2022 financial statement to be presented to Parliament by Mr Ofori-Atta, on behalf of the government on November 17, this year.

This is in view of the current socio-economic hardships facing the people as a result of a rising cost of living, high unemployment, frequent increases in the prices of petroleum products, among others.

While some people are calling for the abolishing of taxes and levies on petroleum products, others are calling on the government not to introduce new or additional taxes to worsen the plight of Ghanaians.

Others are also calling for sustainable initiatives to create jobs for the large army of jobless youth and the introduction of financial incentives to help the private sector to expand their operations to create jobs.

Mr Azongo pointed out that presenting budgets independent of a comprehensive development plan as a tool, would not help solve the myriad of challenges facing the country.

“There is always a lack of a system-based planning approach to budgeting.

You always hear of budgets, but the plan from which the budget springs from is always silent and that is problematic,” he emphasized.

He said Ghana needed a comprehensive home-grown development model, which would take into consideration the needs and aspirations of the people in its implementation.

Mr Azongo called for a national dialogue to develop a time-tested development plan for implementation by all governments irrespective of the political party in power, to help promote sustainable development of the country instead of the current partisan development initiatives.

Source: Ghana News Agency