Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has warned that President Akufo-Addo\u2019s newfound mantra \u2013 Ghana Beyond Aid, is a dangerous rhetoric that could retard progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u2019s donors into confusion that could possibly lead to an abrupt disengagement of badly needed help.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”DFZdIPmoWqTBggaDJS4wAvQC4Af5s4zl”]\u201cDue to the confusion within donor circles, people have become expectant of an unavailable blueprint from the NPP government in respect of the rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Second Deputy Speaker, who is also the MP for Nadowli\/Kaleo, warned government to reconsider the sloganeering.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Giving a historical background to the important global aid culture, Mr Bagbin said \u201cAid does not just come out of the blue, not from the magnanimity of the donor countries, aid comes out of a struggle by the oppressed, the exploited and the poor nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou 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,\u201d Hon. Bagbin said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said anybody that wanted evidence about Ghana\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
He also dismissed claims that Ghana had enough natural resources to ride on into the sunny days of \u201cGhana Beyond Aid\u201d pointing out that in the digital age, natural resource is not what is needed for development.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so the natural resources we have to renegotiate the agreement, but how do you do that when you don\u2019t have the mind power to negotiate properly\u2026You don\u2019t need natural resources to develop software!\u201d Hon. Bagbin said.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: GNA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has warned that President Akufo-Addo\u2019s newfound mantra \u2013 Ghana Beyond Aid, is a dangerous rhetoric that could retard progress. \u201cHe 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":127714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[58,11],"tags":[1312,1331,3],"yoast_head":"\n