Professor Godfred Bokpin, an economist, has called for policy continuity as a foundational element for the success of the recently launched 24-hour Economy policy.
While the policy demonstrated a genuine commitment to advancing the nation’s economy, its effectiveness hinged on the ability to build upon and integrate with past development initiatives rather than discarding them, he said.
Prof Bokpin made the call on a political affairs program monitored by the Ghana News Agency on Saturday.
He said the fundamental solution to Ghana’s economic challenges was to transition from a primary commodity-dependent economy to one based on value-added production.
That transition, he said, had been acknowledged and highlighted in policy documents across various regimes over the past quarter-century.
Prof Bopkin cited the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda, Ghana Beyond Aid, and the Coordinated Program for Economic and Social Development as examples of policies that, despite good intentions, had seen limited impact due to a lack of seamless progression.
He highlighted the substantial investments already made in previous flagship programs, such as “Planting for Food and Jobs”, estimated to cost nearly a billion dollars.
He said new components within the 24-hour Economy like “Grow24,” should be linked back to and leverage the achievements of existing structures of initiatives implemented by previous governments.
That approach, the Economist explained, not only assured stakeholders and investors of long-term commitments but also prevented wastage of resources already expended.
He lamented the tendency of successive governments to “take credit” for new program without acknowledging or integrating the groundwork laid by their predecessors.
True policy continuity ensured that capital, expertise, and infrastructure developed under previous administrations continued to serve the national development agenda, he said.
Prof. Bopkin said embracing and building upon existing frameworks would foster a more stable and predictable environment for economic growth.
