By Solomon Gumah
Nyankpala (N/R), Feb 27, GNA — The School of Economics, University for Development Studies (UDS) has held a two-day consultative stakeholders’ workshop to reflect on the country’s development policies and explore strategies for sustainable growth.
The event provided a platform to assess the country’s socio-economic progress since independence and propose measures to enhance her development trajectory.
Themed “Whither Development: An Exposition of Ghana’s Development Policy, Outcomes, and Lessons Thereof”, the lecture brought together stakeholders from academia, industry, and students from both tertiary and secondary institutions in Tamale.
Professor Mohammed Muniru Iddrisu, Principal of UDS, Nyankpala Campus, speaking during the lecture, emphasised the importance of intellectual discourse in shaping the country’s development path.
Professor Joseph Awuni, Dean of the School of Economics, highlighted the school’s commitment to making the lecture series a regular event to foster ongoing discussions on Ghana’s economic development.
Dr Nii Kwaku Sowa, a renowned Ghanaian Economist and Country Director of the International Growth Centre, in a keynote address, projected that Ghana could achieve upper-middle-income status within the next decade provided the country stabilised her macroeconomy.
He noted that without strong macroeconomic stability, Ghana would remain vulnerable to external shocks, which could hinder her progress toward higher income levels.
Dr Sowa underscored the importance of sound fiscal policies to reduce Ghana’s heavy reliance on external borrowing for development projects warning that disruptions in external financing could derail growth prospects.
He said Ghana must focus on industrialization to add value to raw materials, and to enhance domestic revenue mobilization to achieve long-term economic stability.
He called for stricter measures to combat corruption at all levels, describing it as a major obstacle to Ghana’s aspirations of reaching upper-middle-income status.
GNA