Lack of funds render GSGDA inefficient – Senior Planning Officer

Mr Habib Shahadu, Senior Development Planning Officer at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council, has said inadequate funding at the districts, regional and national levels was affecting the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA), rendering it inefficient.

He said the policy, which was introduced in 2010 and expected to end in 2013, had been battling with funding challenges despite the fact that it was the mainstay of the country’s development policy direction.

Mr Shahadu, who was addressing a day’s forum in Tamale on Monday on the GSGDA, said the policy was also saddled with the unavailability of accurate data for planning with no commitment from MMDA management in plan preparations.

The forum was organized by ActionAid-Ghana with the aim of soliciting the views of civil society groups in the reviewing process currently being undertaking by the government.

Mr Shahadu said poor coordination among key stakeholders at the MMDA level due to decentralization challenges had equally been a blow to the policy saying, “The District Assemblies have only two sources of funding, the District Assembly Common Fund and that of the District Development Facility, a situation which does not augur well”.

He described the GSGDA, which replaces the GPRS II, as well planned and focused at addressing the country’s development challenges but its implementation was a worry.

Mrs Beatrice Biije Yanman, General Programme Officer of ActionAid-Ghana in the Northern Region, said the organization had organized the forum to track the progress of the policy with regards to women, education and agriculture issues.

She said the outcome of the forum would be used to make strategic contributions towards the development of the new agenda, which is expected to start in 2014-2017.

Source: GNA