Kwesi Pratt kicks against 40 year development plan
Mr Kwesi Pratt Junior, a member of the Socialist Forum of Ghana, has kicked against the proposed 40 year national development plan, describing it as a fraud.
Speaking at a Founder’s Day forum themed “Youth and Students in National Development: an Nkrumahist Perspective” to celebrate the 106th birthday of Dr Kwame Nkrumah in Accra, Mr Pratt, who is also the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, wondered how the national development plan could work, especially when the various political parties are having different ideologies.
“If a national development plan would be able to serve every political party in the country, then there will be no need for election again”, he said.
He called for proper and thorough debate over the proposed 40-year national development plan, which is being carried out by the National Development Planning Commission.
Mr Pratt said those who masterminded the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah had failed, as the world keeps on celebrating his achievements.
Mr Prosper Dzitse, the President of the National Union of Ghana Students hailed the decision by Nkrumah to give the youth a chance during his reign, and bemoaned the youth’s choice of partisanship over partnership, and abuse of social media in the name of politics.
He said the youth is also prioritising entertainment over education and it is adversely affecting the continent, and urged the youth to take their education serious and accept volunteerism as a united youth can make a difference in helping to develop the continent.
Dr Nasser Adams of the University of Ghana, said the ineffective use of Africa’s abundant natural resources to the advantage of the people is a clear manifestation of the deep intellectual crisis existing on the continent.
Lamenting that most universities have deviated from their mission statement and are running courses contrary to what they are supposed to do, Dr Nasser said Africa needs a critical body of thinkers to salvage its current situation, with the bigger responsibility on the higher institutions of learning.
He called for the expansion of science and technology and said Africa needs a new generation of political and intellectual youth with no loyalty to the existing theories, which have failed the continent.
“Africa needs fearless and aggressive independent minded people to confront the status quo and the younger they are, the better,” he said.
Source: GNA