Create enabling environment for private sector -UNDP Country Representative in Ghana tells government agencies
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ghana, in partnership with key stakeholders, has held a Private Sector Investment forum in Tamale as part of efforts to breach equity and inclusion gaps in the local governance system.
The forum is part of broader efforts under the UNDP Peacebuilding Fund Project to unlock the investment potential of Northern Ghana and promote inclusive economic growth through strategic partnerships between local governments and the private sector.
The forum brought together key actors from government, private enterprise, civil society, and development partners. The objective of the forum was to strengthen partnerships between local government and private sector actors.
It was also to promote women and youth participation in local economic development as well as enhance private sector readiness to leverage opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfTA).
The forum was on the theme: ‘Accelerating Local Development by leveraging private sector investment and partnerships.
The UNDP Resident Representative in Ghana, Mr Niloy Benerjee in his emphasized the need for government institutions to create an enabling environment for private sector players to succeed.
According to him, 20% of Ghana’s economy is private sector driven and 80% of Ghana’s employment is micro-small and medium enterprises. This, Mr Niloy noted, requires government agencies to make doing business easy for the private sector.
Mr Niloy observed that the private sector will only come in when there is sure of good economic governance and rule of law and express the hope that there will be a conducive and enabling environment for the private sector to set up production industries without the institutional bureaucracy.
The UNDP resident representative stated that the more he sees Ghana, the more he is hopeful, emphasizing that there has to be rule of law to guide both creditors and borrowers.
Mr Niloy revealed that Africa will be the next populous-continent by 20230 expressing fears that not every young person will get a job.
’’The world economy is not doing well, the world geopolitical is not doing well, there are a lot of uncertainties and a lot of unknowns and the decision of a single individual makes an impact on everyone life’’, UNDP Country representative observed.
Not all young people will find jobs in conventional ways like civil service or factories and therefore there is the need for Civil Society Organizations, government, private sector and UNDP to create jobs, Mr Niloy emphasized.
North East Regional Development Planning Officer, Mr Samson Slessor Agbeve on behalf of the regional minister said the forum comes at the right time.
The policy of north east regional coordinating council Mr Samson said is to ensure the region becomes tomato production hub for the country because the neighboring Burkina Faso, the major supply of tomato to Ghana is processing their tomatoes.
The coordinating council Mr Samon said has directed all assemblies in the region to ensure that they include the private sector role in their medium-term development plan for 2025.
The two-days forum brought together regional, district planning officers, officers from district agricultural departments and women was to enhance social cohesion and social contract through empowerment of women and youth in the three regions of the north in northern Ghana.
