The Director-General of the Ghana Internal Audit Agency, Dr. Eric Oduro Osae, has argued for the country's 34-year National Development Plan. This, he emphasized, will ensure that Ghana develops into a democratic, independent nation by the time it celebrates its centennial year in 2057.
In an interview conducted in Accra as part of celebrations for Ghana's 66th Independence Day, Dr. Osae made the suggestion. The event's purpose, with the theme "Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Mission," is to emphasize how important it is for Ghanaians to work together to create their country.
Ho, the regional capital of the Volta region, hosted the national celebration event. Dr. Osae, a lawyer, chartered accountant, and expert in governance and public financial management, claimed Ghanaians put in place a 50-year development plan and a 40-year development plan years ago.
"I think it's about time at 66, we can design a 20-year development plan or perhaps a 34-year development plan, so by the time Ghana turns 100, we will be able to make a lot of progress toward improving this country from the lower middle-level income to a near developed country," he stated.
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"We began with Malaysia, Singapore, and the rest, and now they have come a long way." adding that getting there requires leadership, devotion, and strategy.
So, Dr. Osae said, "I urge all Ghanaians to think along those lines, and the government should assist us in planning along those lines so that by the time Ghana turns 100, we will be able to pat ourselves on the back and say we achieved the milestone by transitioning from an agricultural raw material producing nation to a developed country capable of manufacturing its raw materials.
Dr. Osae expressed regret that Ghana, at age 66, was still overly dependent on imported goods when speaking about the country's export and import of commodities. He stated, "It is sad that we are still supplying the companies in industrialized nations with raw materials.
"At 66, if the path set down by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and others were to be followed, we should add value to our raw materials and even refine the raw materials before building a Ghanaian brand, much as we are now gradually doing with a Ghanaian chocolate brand.
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At age 66, he advised Ghanaians to ponder the situation and pledge never again to provide rich nations with raw resources. Dr. Osae advised Ghanaians to build businesses and facilities to process their raw materials to add value to the export market.
He explained that adding value to Ghanaian raw materials before export would ensure that the majority of the foreign currency used by Ghanaians to acquire completed goods from other nations would remain in Ghana.
He emphasized that the Ghana Cedi was under strain due to the overreliance on importing foreign goods, hindering the country's development.
In his remarks on the country's educational system, Dr. Osae urged its reform to create more engineers and businesspeople who could establish small- to medium-sized enterprises for development.
The Director-General said, "At the movement, our educational policy is such that it is tuned towards the arts, and the majority of the training we give to our youngsters is for them to go and hunt for jobs, and these jobs are not in existence.
"Therefore, we should review our educational circular to ensure that it will fulfill the needs of our country's developmental process."
He claimed that increasing the emphasis on technical education and entrepreneurship will improve the nation's unemployment problem; "we shouldn't be importing a lot of stuff like a toothpick," he added.
