Tema. Dec. 24, GNA — Dr. Eric Yeboah, Secretary to the Ghana Beyond Aid Committee, has stated that Ghanaians needed a reformed mindset to achieve the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ vision by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He said the vision was aimed at bringing prosperity and self-reliance to Ghanaians and the Africa Continent at large, saying Ghanaians must support the vision with a renewed mindset for a better result.
Speaking at the Ghana News Agency Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform, Dr Yeboah explained that Ghanaians have the primary responsibility to build the country, however, business as usual attitude would not bring new results.
“Therefore, the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter is calling for a fundamental change in our attitudes and work ethics so that we can boost productivity,” he said.
He said pursuing the vision required high and efficient investments in infrastructure, education and skills, scientific and technological capability, which in turn required policies and institutions to significantly raise domestic revenue and savings, attract foreign investments, and create an environment where businesses thrive.
Dr Yeboah said though ambitious, the Ghana Beyond Aid vision was achievable as other nations with even fewer resources have done it; “we are not going to achieve the vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid by just talking about it.
“We have to do things differently; business as usual will not take us to Ghana Beyond Aid. There is the need for a paradigm shift in mindset, attitudes and behaviour in order to successfully pursue the vision.
Dr. Yeboah also emphasised that the Ghana Beyond Aid initiative required hard work and fight against corruption.
“The Ghana Beyond Aid agenda is captured as a National Agenda, rather than a government agenda; and it focuses on values, mindset and attitudinal changes that create the environment for pursuing development, rather than on a list of projects that Government will mplement,” he said.
Dr Yeboah noted that the vision of attaining a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ was not aimed at isolating Ghana from the comity of nations and development partnerships. “Ghana Beyond Aid is not anti-aid or aid rejection.
“It is rather about being more efficient and effective in how we mobilize and use our resources. It requires that we set our development priorities right so that our creative energies and resources, including aid, can all be deployed to fast-track our economic transition from an under-developed country to a confident and self-reliant nation”.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency noted that the Agency remained the mother of all media organisations in Ghana and had over the years maintained its branded image of dissemination of accurate, truthful, balanced, and credible news for the public consumption.
Mr Ameyibor stated that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had compelled media organisations including GNA to devise a new strategy to engage stakeholders for newsgathering and dissemination rather than the mediaeval routine model of waiting for events.
He said the Tema Office of the Agency was placing value on news anchored on the news source, the target recipient, the reporter, and the media house: “All these four personalities places value on the news, which must be considered and factored into the news preparation and dissemination”.
He explained that the media must periodically undertake value for news analysis to ensure that all factors of news were satisfied at all times, to remain relevant in the fast-changing information, communication and technological world.
GNA