All Set For National Economic Forum

Government, the private sector and cross section of the Ghanaian public will tomorrow profess plans necessary to address defects in the economy at the first National Economic Forum scheduled for Tuesday. The forum is aimed at achieving consensus on policies, strategies and measures to Ghana's transition from a lower middle income nation to an upper middle income economy. Scheduled to take place at Akosombo, the non-partisan forum is on the theme "Changing the Narrative: National Consensus for Social Transformation". The four-day event is also expected to draw ideas for a "sustainable path that guarantees improvements in the quality of life for all Ghanaians", according to a release issued last week. Despite many attempts to curtail a ballooning public wage, a depreciating cedi and a record high inflation, Ghana's economy continues to slump in performance. Finance Minister Seth Tekper is expected to announce plans to control government expenditure, the depreciation of the cedi and reduce inflation. The National Economic Forum comes on the heels of calls for the dismissal of the Finance Minister for his poor handling of the economy; calls that have been rightly spurned by right-thinking members of society including financial experts. They insist Mr Terkper inherited an unstable economy caused by the fall in gold and cocoa prices, but as Minister of Finance, he has managed to stabilise the economy. �Seth Terkper has proved himself to be a man of public probity, putting the economic interest of the nation before narrow sectarian concerns and personal gain. He has proved himself incorruptible,� Members of the United Cadre�s Front (UCF) of Kroboland of the NDC recently said in a statement. They further asserted that the Minister of Finance had done away with unsustainable financial policies that had proven harmful to the economy, and also put an end to reckless short-term borrowing by government agencies thus avoiding payment of interest. �The indiscriminate awarding of contracts has been put on hold for now or subjected to disciplined review where absolutely necessary," they said. At Tuesday's NED, issues of mandatory retrenchment of public sector workers to reduce the huge wage bill are expected to top discussion at the forum. Participants and major contributors at the forum will include former finance ministers, former governors of the Bank of Ghana, eminent economists, political parties, parliamentarians and business leaders.