A STUDY conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has indicated that 56 per cent of adults with three or more risk factors suffer from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
THE risk factors include smoking, alcohol intake, low intake of fruits and vegetables, low activity, overweight or obesity and raised blood pressure.
Non-communicable diseases are mostly chronic diseases, including stroke, diabetes, hypertension and cancers. They are not infectious or communicable.
At a seminar to disseminate the findings of the study, which was on, “Risk Factors for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in the Greater Accra Region”, it also came out that about 37 per cent of adults between 25 and 64 in the region were likely to have hypertension. About 4.5 per cent more also suffer from diabetes.
The study was undertaken by the GHS, in collaboration with the University of Ghana Medical School and the Ghana Statistical Service, in November and December 2006. It had technical and financial support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Addressing participants, who were mainly health professionals and media practitioners, the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, said the study had also shown that risk factors for NCDs were quite common in adults.
He said 11.3 per cent of men and 0.7 per cent of women currently used tobacco, which was a high risk factor of NCDs, especially cancer.
The Programme Manager in charge of the Non-Communicable Diseases Control Programme (NCDCP) of the GHS, Dr William K. Bosu, said the objective of the survey was to determine the magnitude of selected NCDs in the Greater Accra Region, which had some rural communities but was mainly in an urban setting.
He said 2,662 people were interviewed, adding that all the WHO recommended ‘STEPS’ were adopted.
Dr Bosu, who is also the STEPS Country Focal Person in Ghana, stated that an increase in the number of NCDs must be controlled and recommended governance and leadership roles in the fight.
He also touched on early detection, access to appropriate care, improved quality care, integration of the Regenerative Health and Nutrition Programme to the NCDCP, partnership, social support system, work site interventions, among other measures.
The Deputy Director of the GHS, Dr George Amofah, said the issue of NCDs was a major problem in Ghana and needed to be treated with the seriousness it deserved.
The Programme Officer for NCDs at the WHO Office in Accra, Dr Charles Fleischer-Djoleto, said the high rate of NCDs in Ghana could threaten the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
NHIA makes savings through clinical audits (Graphic Business)
TO check fraudulent activities and anomaly within the various District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes (DMHISs) throughout the country, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has within the past few months embarked on clinical audit of all its facilities as well as its accredited health service providers.
To sustain the exercise, the NHIA has set up a clinical audit unit which has as its members, accounting personnel, auditors, health professionals and administrators to conduct effective auditing.
Information from the NHIA offices in Accra revealed that the authority had recovered more than GH¢6.43m as a result of auditing undertaken within the first quarter of this year.
The clinical audits were conducted in NHIS accredited facilities which included hospitals, clinics and maternity homes and losses were uncovered in instances where service providers inflated prices of medicines and over-billed the schemes for services provided to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) subscribers.
Officials of the NHIA at various functions indicated that the clinical audit exercise had become necessary in view increasing amount of subsidies to the individual schemes.
For example, in 2006 subsidies to the schemes stood at GH¢34.63million, in 2007 the figure rose to GH¢70.10million representing over 100 per cent, again the figure rose to GH¢118.53million in 2008 while in 2009 it hit GH¢333.01million.
It has also been revealed that total reinsurance support paid by NHIA to the various schemes was GH¢0.85million in 2006 rising to GH¢9.17million in 2007, in 2008 GH¢21.55million and last year it rose to GH¢39.85million and it is expected to escalate to GH¢72.50million by the end of this year.
At a recent event in Accra, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA Mr. Sylvester Mensa said the setting up of the Clinical Audit Unit formed part of measures put in place to block leakage in its claims administration and to ensure sustainability of the NHIS.
“The setting up of the Clinical Audit Unit alongside the strengthening of the Internal Audit Unit and comprehensive regional verification audit checks being implemented were meant to reduce the reported cases of fraud to the barest minimum,” he stressed.
Other measures aimed at checking fraud and abuses of the NHIS programme, according to the CEO included a directive to all schemes to halt the practice of channelling 20 per cent of both subsidies and reinsurance received from the Authority into administrative expenses.
He said a comprehensive plan has been put in place to arrest the escalating expenditures being incurred by the Authority since that development was obviously unsustainable.
Mr. Mensah outlined goals that the Authority has set itself to achieve this year and mentioned a legal review of ACT 650 (2003) and the implementation of the ‘One Time Premium Payment’ as well as the establishment of the first centralised claims processing centre in Accra, which would be replicated subsequently in the regions.
Other targets included an increase of NHIS coverage to 70 per cent of population by Dec 31, 2010 and the promotion of quality of care through accreditation.
There is also plan to establish of a call centre to ensure customer satisfaction.
Mr Mensah in addition announced that the NHIA had reviewed the NHIS medicines list and distributed electronic copies to stakeholders with Coded NHIS medicines, to facilitate electronic claims processing.
Touching on delays in the issuance of ID cards to subscribers, he gave the assurance that a mobile registration and ID issuance terminals would be set up in the near future to address the situation.
To sustain the exercise, the NHIA has set up a clinical audit unit which has as its members, accounting personnel, auditors, health professionals and administrators to conduct effective auditing.
Information from the NHIA offices in Accra revealed that the authority had recovered more than GH¢6.43m as a result of auditing undertaken within the first quarter of this year.
The clinical audits were conducted in NHIS accredited facilities which included hospitals, clinics and maternity homes and losses were uncovered in instances where service providers inflated prices of medicines and over-billed the schemes for services provided to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) subscribers.
Officials of the NHIA at various functions indicated that the clinical audit exercise had become necessary in view increasing amount of subsidies to the individual schemes.
For example, in 2006 subsidies to the schemes stood at GH¢34.63million, in 2007 the figure rose to GH¢70.10million representing over 100 per cent, again the figure rose to GH¢118.53million in 2008 while in 2009 it hit GH¢333.01million.
It has also been revealed that total reinsurance support paid by NHIA to the various schemes was GH¢0.85million in 2006 rising to GH¢9.17million in 2007, in 2008 GH¢21.55million and last year it rose to GH¢39.85million and it is expected to escalate to GH¢72.50million by the end of this year.
At a recent event in Accra, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NHIA Mr. Sylvester Mensa said the setting up of the Clinical Audit Unit formed part of measures put in place to block leakage in its claims administration and to ensure sustainability of the NHIS.
“The setting up of the Clinical Audit Unit alongside the strengthening of the Internal Audit Unit and comprehensive regional verification audit checks being implemented were meant to reduce the reported cases of fraud to the barest minimum,” he stressed.
Other measures aimed at checking fraud and abuses of the NHIS programme, according to the CEO included a directive to all schemes to halt the practice of channelling 20 per cent of both subsidies and reinsurance received from the Authority into administrative expenses.
He said a comprehensive plan has been put in place to arrest the escalating expenditures being incurred by the Authority since that development was obviously unsustainable.
Mr. Mensah outlined goals that the Authority has set itself to achieve this year and mentioned a legal review of ACT 650 (2003) and the implementation of the ‘One Time Premium Payment’ as well as the establishment of the first centralised claims processing centre in Accra, which would be replicated subsequently in the regions.
Other targets included an increase of NHIS coverage to 70 per cent of population by Dec 31, 2010 and the promotion of quality of care through accreditation.
There is also plan to establish of a call centre to ensure customer satisfaction.
Mr Mensah in addition announced that the NHIA had reviewed the NHIS medicines list and distributed electronic copies to stakeholders with Coded NHIS medicines, to facilitate electronic claims processing.
Touching on delays in the issuance of ID cards to subscribers, he gave the assurance that a mobile registration and ID issuance terminals would be set up in the near future to address the situation.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
We must prepare adequately for disasters
THE Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi, has called for disaster preparedness at all levels of society in order to survive the impact of such occurrences.
He said preparedness involved knowing the hazards that the people lived in, their period of occurrence, impacts and how to reduce their effects when they do occur.
Delivering the keynote address at a two-day workshop on Disaster Response Contingency Planning for Ghana in Accra,he said in Ghana, there was the incidence of perennial flooding, windstorms, fire outbreaks, epidemic disease outbreaks such as the recent outbreak of the H1N1 influenza.
The workshop, which is a collaborating effort among the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme, is to review the 2008 National Contingency for Ghana to make it relevant to the present day disaster situation.
Participants were from agencies within the UN Systems in Ghana, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana Health Service, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Addressing participants, Dr Apea-Kubi pointed out that the World Disaster Report for 2009 indicated that disasters were on the increase, as well as its impact.
He said over the past 10 years, the world had suffered increasing numbers of natural disasters, affecting more than 2.5 billion, killing one million and causing economic losses of approximately US$700 billion.
Coming home to Ghana, the deputy minister said in 2007,??Northern Ghana floods???, 49 lives were lost, 16,657 homes in more than 500 communities were affected, adding that about 307,127 people were displaced by the floods.
For his part, the Resident Co-ordinator of the WFP, Mr Ismail Omer, said threats of floods were among the many challenges confronting humanity today.
“Both rapid and slow hazards, ranging from personal injury to damage to property and infrastructure have large-scale impacts on the society, economic development and the environment”, he pointed out.
He touched on perennial flooding incidence in Ghana and pointed out that it required a holistic framework that would guide the collective action of all partners.
“Several floods experienced in 2007 and subsequent occurrences in years that followed can only serve as a reminder for this necessity”, Dr Omer stressed.
Caption: (From left) The National Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, Dr Cecilia Bentsi, Chairperson of NADMO Relief and Reconstruction Technical Committee and on the right, in the is the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi and on the right is Dr Ismail Omer of the WFP.
He said preparedness involved knowing the hazards that the people lived in, their period of occurrence, impacts and how to reduce their effects when they do occur.
Delivering the keynote address at a two-day workshop on Disaster Response Contingency Planning for Ghana in Accra,he said in Ghana, there was the incidence of perennial flooding, windstorms, fire outbreaks, epidemic disease outbreaks such as the recent outbreak of the H1N1 influenza.
The workshop, which is a collaborating effort among the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme, is to review the 2008 National Contingency for Ghana to make it relevant to the present day disaster situation.
Participants were from agencies within the UN Systems in Ghana, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana Health Service, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Addressing participants, Dr Apea-Kubi pointed out that the World Disaster Report for 2009 indicated that disasters were on the increase, as well as its impact.
He said over the past 10 years, the world had suffered increasing numbers of natural disasters, affecting more than 2.5 billion, killing one million and causing economic losses of approximately US$700 billion.
Coming home to Ghana, the deputy minister said in 2007,??Northern Ghana floods???, 49 lives were lost, 16,657 homes in more than 500 communities were affected, adding that about 307,127 people were displaced by the floods.
For his part, the Resident Co-ordinator of the WFP, Mr Ismail Omer, said threats of floods were among the many challenges confronting humanity today.
“Both rapid and slow hazards, ranging from personal injury to damage to property and infrastructure have large-scale impacts on the society, economic development and the environment”, he pointed out.
He touched on perennial flooding incidence in Ghana and pointed out that it required a holistic framework that would guide the collective action of all partners.
“Several floods experienced in 2007 and subsequent occurrences in years that followed can only serve as a reminder for this necessity”, Dr Omer stressed.
Caption: (From left) The National Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, Dr Cecilia Bentsi, Chairperson of NADMO Relief and Reconstruction Technical Committee and on the right, in the is the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwasi Apea-Kubi and on the right is Dr Ismail Omer of the WFP.
'L.I will give full complement to MMDAs' (Spread)
THE Minister of the Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, has stated that the most difficult part of the decentralisation process has been the decentralisation of administrative functions at the local level.
Answering questions at the ministry’s turn at the weekly Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, Mr Chireh said although the programme of decentralisation was in progress, departments in the districts continued to operate under their sector ministries and agencies either from the head office in Accra or the regional level.
He said the coming into force of the Local Government (Department of District Assemblies) (Commencement) Legislative Instrument of 2009 (L.I 1961) was welcome because it was to ensure that the decentralised departments functioned under the various district assemblies.
Mr Chireh said the L.I would give the metropolitan, municipal and district assembles (MMDAs) their full complement as envisaged under Article 240 (2) of the 1992 Constitution and reinforced by the Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462.
He pointed out that the government was committed to ensuring that the decentralisation process achieved the desired objective.
Earlier, the Chief Director of the ministry, Mr D. A. Nyankamansu, who read a statement on behalf of the minister, said Section 38 (1) of the act provided that through a series of mergers, the 22 departments were to be reconstituted into 16 departments in the metropolitan assemblies, 13 in the municipal assemblies and 11 in the district assemblies.
He explained that Section 164 provided that “The Minister of Local Government shall, by a legislative instrument, prescribe the date for the coming into force of Sections 38 and 161 of the this Act”, which touched on the operationalisation of the local government system.
He also touched on the already created Local Government Service of which the staff of the newly established departments of the district assemblies were to become members, adding that members of staff working in the branches, divisions and units of the departments or organisations which had been merged shall be transferred to the relevant departments of the district assemblies and shall form part of the Local Government Service.
Mr Nyankamansu said the enactment of L.I 1961 was, therefore, to ensure the commencement of the functioning of the decentralised departments at the district level as departments of the district assemblies, adding that persons in the service of the local government system would be subject to effective control of local authorities for purposes of accountability and good governance as far as practicable.
The Chief Director said in view of the importance and seriousness attached to the decentralisation process, an inter-ministerial co-ordinating committee had been established under the chairmanship of the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana to oversee the implementation of the key components of the programmes.
In addition, he pointed out that a technical committee/task force had commenced a ministerial realignment assignment to allocate functions, relationships, communications, responsibilities, budget, staff and logistics to the national, regional, and district levels of government.
He also said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning would develop budget guidelines for composite budgeting to be used as the basis for funding MMDAs.
Mr Nyankamansu explained that the inter-ministerial co-ordinating committee had the responsibility to monitor the progress of implementation, resolve constraints and policy issues which were linked with the programme.
Answering questions at the ministry’s turn at the weekly Meet-the-Press series in Accra yesterday, Mr Chireh said although the programme of decentralisation was in progress, departments in the districts continued to operate under their sector ministries and agencies either from the head office in Accra or the regional level.
He said the coming into force of the Local Government (Department of District Assemblies) (Commencement) Legislative Instrument of 2009 (L.I 1961) was welcome because it was to ensure that the decentralised departments functioned under the various district assemblies.
Mr Chireh said the L.I would give the metropolitan, municipal and district assembles (MMDAs) their full complement as envisaged under Article 240 (2) of the 1992 Constitution and reinforced by the Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462.
He pointed out that the government was committed to ensuring that the decentralisation process achieved the desired objective.
Earlier, the Chief Director of the ministry, Mr D. A. Nyankamansu, who read a statement on behalf of the minister, said Section 38 (1) of the act provided that through a series of mergers, the 22 departments were to be reconstituted into 16 departments in the metropolitan assemblies, 13 in the municipal assemblies and 11 in the district assemblies.
He explained that Section 164 provided that “The Minister of Local Government shall, by a legislative instrument, prescribe the date for the coming into force of Sections 38 and 161 of the this Act”, which touched on the operationalisation of the local government system.
He also touched on the already created Local Government Service of which the staff of the newly established departments of the district assemblies were to become members, adding that members of staff working in the branches, divisions and units of the departments or organisations which had been merged shall be transferred to the relevant departments of the district assemblies and shall form part of the Local Government Service.
Mr Nyankamansu said the enactment of L.I 1961 was, therefore, to ensure the commencement of the functioning of the decentralised departments at the district level as departments of the district assemblies, adding that persons in the service of the local government system would be subject to effective control of local authorities for purposes of accountability and good governance as far as practicable.
The Chief Director said in view of the importance and seriousness attached to the decentralisation process, an inter-ministerial co-ordinating committee had been established under the chairmanship of the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana to oversee the implementation of the key components of the programmes.
In addition, he pointed out that a technical committee/task force had commenced a ministerial realignment assignment to allocate functions, relationships, communications, responsibilities, budget, staff and logistics to the national, regional, and district levels of government.
He also said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning would develop budget guidelines for composite budgeting to be used as the basis for funding MMDAs.
Mr Nyankamansu explained that the inter-ministerial co-ordinating committee had the responsibility to monitor the progress of implementation, resolve constraints and policy issues which were linked with the programme.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Oil production and health (Feature)
AS Ghana prepares to produce oil in commercial quantities, it is important that all issues associated with oil production are brought to the fore and thoroughly discussed.
Significant among them is the health implications of oil production and how it could affect the lifestyle as well as their health. It is important for the health sector to identify some lifestyle-related diseases which could affect people as they work in the oil industry and earn more income. These diseases include hypertension, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other communicable diseases.
And again since there is the possibility of fire outbreaks, it is important to also deliberate on such occurrences as well as incidents of burns.
With stories from other countries which began oil production years ago, Ghana is in a better position to put in place interventions to forestall any unforeseen circumstances.
It is, therefore, necessary for local private medical practitioners to respond more quickly to health opportunities that will come with the oil business and place their facilities at the right places to take advantage of what will otherwise go to foreign medical services providers.
To help plan interventions, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners Ghana, in collaboration with Shem Pharma Services Limited (Ghana) will organise the Second International Medical and Pharmaceutical Expo 2010 in August, this year.
Shem Pharma Service Limited is an organisation with the vision of providing a platform for health practitioners in both the private and public sectors to exchange innovative ideas in order to reduce the high incidence of medical errors in health-care delivery.
Dubbed "Medishop Expo 2010", the International Medical and Pharmaceutical Expo comes off at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from August 19 – August 21, 2010.
The conference theme, which is “The Emerging Oil and Gas Wealth in Ghana-Environmental and Medical Challenges to our Community”, is said to be generating a lot of interest among medical practitioners.
Looking at the theme, at the end of the conference medical practitioners are expected to fully appreciate their role in the new industry and explore its financial benefit to them vis a vis their business.
A similar event which was organised last year on the theme sustaining the "National Insurance Health Scheme (NHIS) – Building the capacity of service providers", brought together experts who explained the concept of the NHIS and related issues to service providers.
With this year's event, participants are expected to unearth the medical opportunities that the new industry will bring to Ghanaians and prepare medical practitioners in particular and opinion leaders in the country. The event will also provide a platform for the exhibition of the biggest collection of pharmaceutical and medical equipment.
To achieve the conference objective, the organisers are bringing together resource persons who are experts in mineral and environmental health around the world, to give lectures and present papers on selected topics.
Among the speakers are top officials from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Tullow Ghana Limited, Databank, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), as well as Momentum Ghana Limited.
These, according to the event organisers, might be the most authoritative people on occupational and environmental health issues and their implications to the medical industry.
The exhibition, which is expected to be part of the conference, is said to have assumed a more greater dimension with companies outside the country registering to participate as far back as February this year. The 100 booths provided for the exhibition have almost been fully booked and organisers hope to have a fully packed exhibition at the conference centre.
Significant among them is the health implications of oil production and how it could affect the lifestyle as well as their health. It is important for the health sector to identify some lifestyle-related diseases which could affect people as they work in the oil industry and earn more income. These diseases include hypertension, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other communicable diseases.
And again since there is the possibility of fire outbreaks, it is important to also deliberate on such occurrences as well as incidents of burns.
With stories from other countries which began oil production years ago, Ghana is in a better position to put in place interventions to forestall any unforeseen circumstances.
It is, therefore, necessary for local private medical practitioners to respond more quickly to health opportunities that will come with the oil business and place their facilities at the right places to take advantage of what will otherwise go to foreign medical services providers.
To help plan interventions, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners Ghana, in collaboration with Shem Pharma Services Limited (Ghana) will organise the Second International Medical and Pharmaceutical Expo 2010 in August, this year.
Shem Pharma Service Limited is an organisation with the vision of providing a platform for health practitioners in both the private and public sectors to exchange innovative ideas in order to reduce the high incidence of medical errors in health-care delivery.
Dubbed "Medishop Expo 2010", the International Medical and Pharmaceutical Expo comes off at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from August 19 – August 21, 2010.
The conference theme, which is “The Emerging Oil and Gas Wealth in Ghana-Environmental and Medical Challenges to our Community”, is said to be generating a lot of interest among medical practitioners.
Looking at the theme, at the end of the conference medical practitioners are expected to fully appreciate their role in the new industry and explore its financial benefit to them vis a vis their business.
A similar event which was organised last year on the theme sustaining the "National Insurance Health Scheme (NHIS) – Building the capacity of service providers", brought together experts who explained the concept of the NHIS and related issues to service providers.
With this year's event, participants are expected to unearth the medical opportunities that the new industry will bring to Ghanaians and prepare medical practitioners in particular and opinion leaders in the country. The event will also provide a platform for the exhibition of the biggest collection of pharmaceutical and medical equipment.
To achieve the conference objective, the organisers are bringing together resource persons who are experts in mineral and environmental health around the world, to give lectures and present papers on selected topics.
Among the speakers are top officials from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Tullow Ghana Limited, Databank, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), as well as Momentum Ghana Limited.
These, according to the event organisers, might be the most authoritative people on occupational and environmental health issues and their implications to the medical industry.
The exhibition, which is expected to be part of the conference, is said to have assumed a more greater dimension with companies outside the country registering to participate as far back as February this year. The 100 booths provided for the exhibition have almost been fully booked and organisers hope to have a fully packed exhibition at the conference centre.
Governance at your door (Graphic Business)
Lucy Adoma Yeboah sums up the five-day First National Policy Fair held at the Accra International Conference.
One of the main aim of the government is to bring government to the door steps of the electorate. In this direction the Ministry of Information under one canopy brought the various ministries, agencis and departments together for the public to have insight into their operations.
The fair was designed to provide a platform for Ghanaians to get involved in governance and to enable them know the operations of government.
The five-day event, on the theme, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”, which was opened by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama was to allow the citizenry engage with the leadership of the various institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Consequently, stands were provided at the fair for ministries, some government departments and agencies where individuals could make inquiries about issues involving those institutions and also make suggestions. The fair, which will be an annual affair will be replicated in all the regions
A total of 110 exhibitors made of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) took part in the fair and gave the public the opportunity to interact with their representatives at the stands.
As part of the event, experts were engaged to share their thoughts and insights on topics such as ‘Bridging the gap between the public and the private sectors in the policy formulation and implementation circle: A critical appraisal of the Ghanaian situation’; ‘The importance of a policy fair and how it can expedite development’, ‘The incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development’.
Opening the fair, Mr Mahama stressed that the initiative was underscored by the conviction that the enterprise of nation-building involved the collective effort of its entire population.
“To this end, the government expects to use this Policy Fair to further open up governance and get the ordinary Ghanaian to be part of the development process of this country,” he noted.
He said the opening of MDAs to the public would help demystify the art of governance by narrowing the interface between public sector institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations with the ordinary citizenry, thereby making government more interactive and relevant to every Ghanaian.
He said at every material time, the national interest should be paramount. “Public interest will, therefore, continue to be the driving principle behind any policy we initiate for implementation,” he stated.
For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, said it was the hope of the ministry that the fair would help it collate information on government policies, projects and programmes, as well as deepen public consultation.
“In this way, the appropriate feedback from the public to the government will be achieved to afford the government the opportunity to formulate an acceptable development agenda for the nation,” he stated.
The Chairman for the occasion, Mr Paul Victor Obeng, said the fair had the objective of encouraging the people to participate in the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda being implemented by the Mills administration.
Speaking on the topic “ From Conception to Policy to Implementation: a critical appraisal of the Ghanaian Situation” Dr Tony Aidoo Chairman of the Policy Evaluation and Oversight Unit at the Presidency, called for a system that would encourage sustainability of policies, programmes and projects even after a change of government. The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey another contributor on the topic though commended the organisers of the Fair, said it would have been better if the various political parties had been involved to enable them to share ideas.
The two presenters decried the situation where a change of government always went with a change of ideas because each political party wanted to identify itself with a particular policy.
Setting the tone for an interesting public discussion, Dr Aidoo pointed out that policies, programmes and projects did not mean the same, and explained that "a policy is simply what we should do, programmes are plans of action and steps, and projects are activities under execution".
Touching on the topic, the former Deputy Minister of Defence came out with a number of factors, which he said frustrated long-term policy formulation and implementation in developing countries.
Those factors, he noted, included weak political will, partisan party politics and its concomitant intransigent positions, as well as weak institutional capacity in the areas of personnel, finance and technology.
Dr Akwetey suggested to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to tap all important issues raised in the manifestos of all the political parties for the benefit of the people.
He said the NDPC could serve a very useful purpose, since it was not a political party and therefore, could use those ideas embedded in the manifestos without being accused of 'stealing ideas' from a particular political party.
He stated that the nation was always the loser if politicians decided to keep ideas to themselves till their party came to power, adding that such an attitude did not enhance the development of the country.
At the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Day which fell on April 30, the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Kwesi Ahwoi stated that unless Ghanaians consume what was produced locally, no amount of restrictions on imported goods can solve the problem of local producers.
He said although 20 per cent tariffs on imported food items had been put in place, the volume of imported foods to the country was still on the higher side.
Mr Ahwoi said the government had put in place a number of interventions to ensure maximum food production, adding that it was left with the people to encourage the local producers to produce more to feed the nation at all times, but not to depend on other countries which might have their own interests.
Earlier, the immediate past Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Ken Quartey, had indicated that numerous promises by both past and present governments to promote the agricultural industry had not made any significant impact.
Providing figures to support his claim, he said $30 million worth of poultry products was imported into the country in 2002, $160 million in 2008 and an estimated $250 million was imported in 2009.
Mr Quartey, who maintained that he had been in the poultry industry for the past 27 years, said until pragmatic efforts were made to boost the agricultural industry, no investor would invest in that sector and called for the establishment of a proposed Poultry Development Board to see to the development of poultry.
On the issue of oil and gas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission, Dr Ofosu Ahenkorah, stated that Ghana's oil policy, as it stood currently, had in place measures to ensure full exploitation of resources, as well as judicious use of revenue.
On challenges, he mentioned how to achieve significant local content, prudent management of revenue, security issues, sustained interest in more oil exploitation and also to ensure that the environment was protected.
Mr Kwame Pianim, a renowned economist and a captain of industry, Nana Owusu Afari, identified lack of public participation as part of the reason for the poor monitoring and assessment of public sector policies.
Both argued that in cases where success indicators were defined, those indicators were not properly communicated to the beneficiaries to enable them to judge whether the objectives had been achieved or not.
Presenting papers at the fair on the topic, “Bridging the Gap Between the Public and the Private Sectors in Policy Implementation”, the two agreed that a lot more successes could have been achieved if the public, who were the main beneficiaries of government projects and programmes, were educated on such activities to enable them to monitor their success or otherwise.
Mr Pianim gave a number of reasons responsible for the gaps in policy implementation and identified lack of public involvement in policy formulation, failure to educate and inform the public on the rationale for the policies and their benefits to the public, as well as the opportunity cost of their implementation.
He touched on the lack of adequate institutional capacity in terms of public policy think tank to mount an effective and objective public debate to educate and inform the public on policy issues.
Mr Pianim, who declared his membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the function, suggested that political parties should be well resourced to enable them to undertake policy research to broaden their policy options and also be able to mount effective public debate to promote their policies and critique the policies of others.
He underscored the need to resource private sector trade associations and non-governmental organisations to participate in public policy dialogue with the government and its agencies to ensure results.
He, however, stated that “Perhaps the most critical source of gaps in policy implementation between the public and the private sectors is the Ghanaian cultural orientation that undermines any attempt at disciplined and orderly implementation of policies,” he declared.
One of the main aim of the government is to bring government to the door steps of the electorate. In this direction the Ministry of Information under one canopy brought the various ministries, agencis and departments together for the public to have insight into their operations.
The fair was designed to provide a platform for Ghanaians to get involved in governance and to enable them know the operations of government.
The five-day event, on the theme, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”, which was opened by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama was to allow the citizenry engage with the leadership of the various institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Consequently, stands were provided at the fair for ministries, some government departments and agencies where individuals could make inquiries about issues involving those institutions and also make suggestions. The fair, which will be an annual affair will be replicated in all the regions
A total of 110 exhibitors made of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) took part in the fair and gave the public the opportunity to interact with their representatives at the stands.
As part of the event, experts were engaged to share their thoughts and insights on topics such as ‘Bridging the gap between the public and the private sectors in the policy formulation and implementation circle: A critical appraisal of the Ghanaian situation’; ‘The importance of a policy fair and how it can expedite development’, ‘The incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development’.
Opening the fair, Mr Mahama stressed that the initiative was underscored by the conviction that the enterprise of nation-building involved the collective effort of its entire population.
“To this end, the government expects to use this Policy Fair to further open up governance and get the ordinary Ghanaian to be part of the development process of this country,” he noted.
He said the opening of MDAs to the public would help demystify the art of governance by narrowing the interface between public sector institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations with the ordinary citizenry, thereby making government more interactive and relevant to every Ghanaian.
He said at every material time, the national interest should be paramount. “Public interest will, therefore, continue to be the driving principle behind any policy we initiate for implementation,” he stated.
For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, said it was the hope of the ministry that the fair would help it collate information on government policies, projects and programmes, as well as deepen public consultation.
“In this way, the appropriate feedback from the public to the government will be achieved to afford the government the opportunity to formulate an acceptable development agenda for the nation,” he stated.
The Chairman for the occasion, Mr Paul Victor Obeng, said the fair had the objective of encouraging the people to participate in the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda being implemented by the Mills administration.
Speaking on the topic “ From Conception to Policy to Implementation: a critical appraisal of the Ghanaian Situation” Dr Tony Aidoo Chairman of the Policy Evaluation and Oversight Unit at the Presidency, called for a system that would encourage sustainability of policies, programmes and projects even after a change of government. The Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey another contributor on the topic though commended the organisers of the Fair, said it would have been better if the various political parties had been involved to enable them to share ideas.
The two presenters decried the situation where a change of government always went with a change of ideas because each political party wanted to identify itself with a particular policy.
Setting the tone for an interesting public discussion, Dr Aidoo pointed out that policies, programmes and projects did not mean the same, and explained that "a policy is simply what we should do, programmes are plans of action and steps, and projects are activities under execution".
Touching on the topic, the former Deputy Minister of Defence came out with a number of factors, which he said frustrated long-term policy formulation and implementation in developing countries.
Those factors, he noted, included weak political will, partisan party politics and its concomitant intransigent positions, as well as weak institutional capacity in the areas of personnel, finance and technology.
Dr Akwetey suggested to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to tap all important issues raised in the manifestos of all the political parties for the benefit of the people.
He said the NDPC could serve a very useful purpose, since it was not a political party and therefore, could use those ideas embedded in the manifestos without being accused of 'stealing ideas' from a particular political party.
He stated that the nation was always the loser if politicians decided to keep ideas to themselves till their party came to power, adding that such an attitude did not enhance the development of the country.
At the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) Day which fell on April 30, the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Kwesi Ahwoi stated that unless Ghanaians consume what was produced locally, no amount of restrictions on imported goods can solve the problem of local producers.
He said although 20 per cent tariffs on imported food items had been put in place, the volume of imported foods to the country was still on the higher side.
Mr Ahwoi said the government had put in place a number of interventions to ensure maximum food production, adding that it was left with the people to encourage the local producers to produce more to feed the nation at all times, but not to depend on other countries which might have their own interests.
Earlier, the immediate past Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Ken Quartey, had indicated that numerous promises by both past and present governments to promote the agricultural industry had not made any significant impact.
Providing figures to support his claim, he said $30 million worth of poultry products was imported into the country in 2002, $160 million in 2008 and an estimated $250 million was imported in 2009.
Mr Quartey, who maintained that he had been in the poultry industry for the past 27 years, said until pragmatic efforts were made to boost the agricultural industry, no investor would invest in that sector and called for the establishment of a proposed Poultry Development Board to see to the development of poultry.
On the issue of oil and gas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission, Dr Ofosu Ahenkorah, stated that Ghana's oil policy, as it stood currently, had in place measures to ensure full exploitation of resources, as well as judicious use of revenue.
On challenges, he mentioned how to achieve significant local content, prudent management of revenue, security issues, sustained interest in more oil exploitation and also to ensure that the environment was protected.
Mr Kwame Pianim, a renowned economist and a captain of industry, Nana Owusu Afari, identified lack of public participation as part of the reason for the poor monitoring and assessment of public sector policies.
Both argued that in cases where success indicators were defined, those indicators were not properly communicated to the beneficiaries to enable them to judge whether the objectives had been achieved or not.
Presenting papers at the fair on the topic, “Bridging the Gap Between the Public and the Private Sectors in Policy Implementation”, the two agreed that a lot more successes could have been achieved if the public, who were the main beneficiaries of government projects and programmes, were educated on such activities to enable them to monitor their success or otherwise.
Mr Pianim gave a number of reasons responsible for the gaps in policy implementation and identified lack of public involvement in policy formulation, failure to educate and inform the public on the rationale for the policies and their benefits to the public, as well as the opportunity cost of their implementation.
He touched on the lack of adequate institutional capacity in terms of public policy think tank to mount an effective and objective public debate to educate and inform the public on policy issues.
Mr Pianim, who declared his membership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the function, suggested that political parties should be well resourced to enable them to undertake policy research to broaden their policy options and also be able to mount effective public debate to promote their policies and critique the policies of others.
He underscored the need to resource private sector trade associations and non-governmental organisations to participate in public policy dialogue with the government and its agencies to ensure results.
He, however, stated that “Perhaps the most critical source of gaps in policy implementation between the public and the private sectors is the Ghanaian cultural orientation that undermines any attempt at disciplined and orderly implementation of policies,” he declared.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Let's eat more of what we grow• Agric Minister urges Ghanaians
Sat. May 1, 2010
THE Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has stated that unless Ghanaians consume what is produced locally, no amount of restrictions on imported goods can solve the problem of local producers.
He said although 20 per cent tariffs on imported food items had been put in place, the volume of imported foods to the country was still on the higher side.
Mr Ahwoi was answering questions at the dialogue session at the National Policy Fair in Accra yesterday.
The topic for agriculture day's discussion was: "An incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development — a review of our Agriculture and oil/gas polices.”
The broad theme of the five-day fair, which ends today, is, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”.
The fair, organised by the Ministry of Information, is meant to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry to engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Mr Ahwoi said the government had put in place a number of interventions to ensure maximum food production, adding that it was left with the people to encourage the local producers to produce more to feed the nation at all times, but not to depend on other countries which might have their own interests.
Earlier, the immediate past Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Ken Quartey, had indicated that numerous promises by both past and present governments to promote the agricultural industry had not made any significant impact.
Providing figures to support his claim, he said $30 million worth of poultry products was imported into the country in 2002, $160 million in 2008 and an estimated $250 million was imported in 2009.
Mr Quartey, who maintained that he had been in the poultry industry for the past 27 years, said until pragmatic efforts were made to boost the agricultural industry, no investor would invest in that sector and called for the establishment of a proposed Poultry Development Board to see to the development of poultry.
For his part, a representative of the National Fisheries Association, Mr Joseph Nii Armah Quaye, commended the government for its efforts at providing premix on regular basis to fishermen.
He, however, reminded the MoFA of its promise to provide fishermen with cold stores and ice plants before the main fishing season in July.
A Deputy Minister of Food And Agriculture, Nii Amasa Namoale, said the government was bent on fulfilling its promise to farmers to ensure a vibrant agricultural sector.
On the issue of oil and gas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission, Dr Ofosu Ahenkorah, stated that Ghana's oil policy, as it stood currently, had in place measures to ensure full exploitation of resources, as well as judicious use of revenue.
On challenges, he mentioned how to achieve significant local content, prudent management of revenue, security issues, sustained interest in more oil exploitation and also to ensure that the environment was protected.
Other speakers who contributed to the discussion were Dr Steve Manteaw of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Mr Albert Baddoo of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the Chairman of the Fisheries Commission, Mr Mike Acheampong, and the Director of the National Food Buffer Stock Company,Mr Osei Wusu.
The Editor of the Daily Dispatch, Mr Ben Ephson, was the moderator for the discussion.
THE Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has stated that unless Ghanaians consume what is produced locally, no amount of restrictions on imported goods can solve the problem of local producers.
He said although 20 per cent tariffs on imported food items had been put in place, the volume of imported foods to the country was still on the higher side.
Mr Ahwoi was answering questions at the dialogue session at the National Policy Fair in Accra yesterday.
The topic for agriculture day's discussion was: "An incursion into what kind of policies Ghana needs at this stage of her development — a review of our Agriculture and oil/gas polices.”
The broad theme of the five-day fair, which ends today, is, “Engaging the Citizenry for A Better Ghana”.
The fair, organised by the Ministry of Information, is meant to open the doors of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to Ghanaians and enable the citizenry to engage with the leadership of those institutions to appreciate their policies, programmes and activities.
Mr Ahwoi said the government had put in place a number of interventions to ensure maximum food production, adding that it was left with the people to encourage the local producers to produce more to feed the nation at all times, but not to depend on other countries which might have their own interests.
Earlier, the immediate past Chairman of the Poultry Farmers Association, Mr Ken Quartey, had indicated that numerous promises by both past and present governments to promote the agricultural industry had not made any significant impact.
Providing figures to support his claim, he said $30 million worth of poultry products was imported into the country in 2002, $160 million in 2008 and an estimated $250 million was imported in 2009.
Mr Quartey, who maintained that he had been in the poultry industry for the past 27 years, said until pragmatic efforts were made to boost the agricultural industry, no investor would invest in that sector and called for the establishment of a proposed Poultry Development Board to see to the development of poultry.
For his part, a representative of the National Fisheries Association, Mr Joseph Nii Armah Quaye, commended the government for its efforts at providing premix on regular basis to fishermen.
He, however, reminded the MoFA of its promise to provide fishermen with cold stores and ice plants before the main fishing season in July.
A Deputy Minister of Food And Agriculture, Nii Amasa Namoale, said the government was bent on fulfilling its promise to farmers to ensure a vibrant agricultural sector.
On the issue of oil and gas, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission, Dr Ofosu Ahenkorah, stated that Ghana's oil policy, as it stood currently, had in place measures to ensure full exploitation of resources, as well as judicious use of revenue.
On challenges, he mentioned how to achieve significant local content, prudent management of revenue, security issues, sustained interest in more oil exploitation and also to ensure that the environment was protected.
Other speakers who contributed to the discussion were Dr Steve Manteaw of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), Mr Albert Baddoo of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the Chairman of the Fisheries Commission, Mr Mike Acheampong, and the Director of the National Food Buffer Stock Company,Mr Osei Wusu.
The Editor of the Daily Dispatch, Mr Ben Ephson, was the moderator for the discussion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
