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The Ghana Youth Priority Forum has started at the University of Cape Coast to solicit the views and expectations of Ghanaians on the country’s development plan.
This will be under the topic; “The relevance of the use of data for political decision making”.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) said that political parties could design a manifesto that aligns with the country’s long-term goal.
According to him, there was a high probability that the agenda they were pursuing would be close to reality.
Dr. Kojo Mensah Abrampah explained that it is up to political parties to develop strategies that allow them to implement what is outlined in their manifestos.
However, it indicated that the parties cannot be compelled to do so.
Dr. Abrampah explained that the manifesto is an intention that should be investigated based on relevance, feasibility and also within a time frame.
He expressed satisfaction with the country’s development trend, but stressed that although Ghana’s development was ongoing, it was necessary to set the right priorities.
The Ghana Priority Project is a collaboration between the Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
The project seeks to provide the government and international donor community with systematic processes to help prioritize the most effective policy solutions and help Ghana accelerate the achievement of the national development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a global think tank focused on using data for effective policy solutions through cost-benefit analysis.
Also at the forum, Ghana Priorities Coordinator, CCC, Dr. Ralph Nordjo said that the research project will explore the smallest solutions to help the nation.
The project covers topics ranging from poverty and health to education, infrastructure and gender equality, she explained.
Dr Nordjo said that the project started about 18 months ago by selecting more than 400 development intervention policies that were in line with the National Development Agenda and the SDGs.
He said 80 of those policies were selected by reference to a group of eminent academics and research experts based on the country’s top priorities.
The youth forum is a follow-up to the “Eminent Panel Conference” held earlier this year.
