The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has issued a strong call to the government to ensure that the outcomes of the upcoming National Economic Dialogue results in deliberate and concrete actions.
GUTA is of the view that the dialogue should not just become another talk shop where no actionable measures discussed are implemented. Their concerns stem from Ghana’s history of organizing numerous economic fora, which often end with elaborate discussions but little to show on actionable policies.
In an interview with The High Street Journal, the President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng maintained that the success of the President, John Dramani Mahama-led government will heavily depend on how it implements the solutions generated from the dialogue.
He justified that the outcome of the dialogue would be a consensus of what the entire nation wants to be done. This, he believes is more critical than just a few policymakers gathering to decide for the entire country.
The President of the traders’ association further noted that the government itself must use the outcome as a guiding principle. He adds that it should be a benchmark for the government itself to assess its performance.
“The outcome of this dialogue should be taken seriously by the government. It is very important that they use it as a guiding principle to ensure they succeed on their own. It should not be that just about 5 or 10 stakeholders will think for the whole country. When the whole country has converged and dialogued about an issue if you go by those outcomes or consensus, you are bound to succeed,” Dr. Joseph Obeng told The High Street Journal.
He added: “You will fail when you throw away such an important consensus. We don’t have any option than to abide by this if you want to succeed. Stakeholders should also make sure they use such as consensus as a benchmark to mark the policymakers. It should also be as a benchmark for the government itself.”
The National Economic Dialogue slated for March 3 & 4, 2025 is in fulfillment of a campaign promise made by President John Mahama in the run-up to the 2025 elections.
The Dialogue is aimed at bringing experts from various fields to brainstorm and suggest practical solutions that will ease hardships, create job opportunities, and drive sustainable economic growth and development.
The event, according to the planning committee, will be organized under the theme “Resetting Ghana: Building the Economy We Want Together” and will take place at the Accra International Conference Centre.
It remains to be seen whether this much-awaited economic dialogue will be like past talk shops without any action from policymakers.
