Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has warned that President Akufo-Addo’s newfound slogan – Ghana Beyond Aid – is a dangerous rhetoric that could retard progress.
“He was my very good friend in parliament, but I completely disagree with him because the development partners are completely confused as to what we mean by that.”
Mr Bagbin who was speaking to the Media after a radio programme in Accra said the propaganda that had become the personal gospel of the President has jolted the country’s donors into confusion that could possibly lead to an abrupt disengagement of badly needed help.
“Due to the confusion within donor circles, people have become especially expectant of an unavailable blueprint from the NPP government in respect of the rhetoric.”
The Second Deputy Speaker, who is also the MP for Nadowli/Kaleo warned government to reconsider the sloganeering.
Mr Bagbin had called on government to come out with a comprehensive official document on Ghana beyond Aid to put to rest various speculations that were making the rounds.
Giving a historical background to the important global aid culture, Mr Bagbin said “Aid does not just come out of the blue, not from the magnanimity of the donor countries, aid come out of a struggle by the oppressed, the exploited and the poor nations.
“You will recall that after the first and second world wars, the economies of these (less developed) countries, were so devastated that they were struggling to survive and they had to look back at these poor nations and to use their might at that time to support the poor nations.
“And it is the economies of the poor nations that sustained them to develop. So when the poor nations started putting pressure for compensation, the developed nations quickly decided to respond,” Hon. Bagbin said.
Mr Bagbin said Ghana did not need aid to develop because the aid that the country was receiving over the years was in a way misapplied.
“Again, aid is not just giving out without being attached to a programme of government. If rather, we present a programme and end up not doing exactly that, then you can raise such issues but they are attached to programmes that are even approved by development partners.”
He said anybody that wanted evidence about Ghana’s dire need for aid, should go to the health sector where many Ghanaian children were dying of childhood killer diseases because donor countries had cut back on vaccine donations.
He also dismissed claims that Ghana had enough natural resources to ride on into the sunny days of “Ghana Beyond Aid” pointing out that in the digital age, natural resource is not what is needed for development.
“You don’t develop by relying on your natural resources, you develop a nation by relying on your education; developing your minds to be able to create things, not just the raw materials, no! You have to add some value to what actually you market and that comes from your mind. And that is why research, technology, mathematics and science are key to the development of every society.
“And so the natural resources we have to renegotiate the agreement but how do you do that when you don’t have the mind power to negotiate properly…You don’t need natural resources to develop software!” Hon. Bagbin said.
Source: GNA
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Just when I was beginning to think the NDC has a sensible soul in the person of Gbagbin,there comes a signature of popularist moron talk.
Et tu Brute, you too Bagbin, then fall mother Ghana
Visionless,clueless mammals....all they think about is elections !!
With this coming from Alban Bagbin "Ghana Beyond Aid Is Lethal Rhetoric – Bagbin' I now conclude that NDC has NO VISION for Ghana!
I don't really get what Bagbin is trying to put across. He seems to be contradicting himself, and jumping from one issue to another. Sometimes it is simply better to keep quiet than to open your mouth and expose your incompetence, ignorance or cynicism.
Well,it does appear all in the ndc do not believe in Ghana beyond aid. Thus left to them, Ghana will continue to rely on aid ad infinitum. This means our "development partners" will continue to dictate what programmes we can/can not implement. What a vision-less party! Talking about cpnfusing the donor community - it appears it's only the NDC who do not understand what Ghana beyond aid means. We have all seen how the international community is applauding this vision.
MR. ASK BAGBIN, MY DEEP RESPECT AND REGARD FOR YOU HAS DROPPED BADLY. YOU TOO????
It's really disappointing to hear folks who should know better spew such gibberish. As far back as 2005 or thereabouts when Ghana hit lower middle income, the goal was to continue growing and if you continue growing in the right direction, why will you need development aid? Ex-President Kufour's govt took Ghana out of IMF aid, was that not Ghana beyond aid? Ghana's donors have been assessing which areas Ghana no longer needed aid since that time until "you know who" took over, and our center could not hold any longer". If the growth Ghana was on in 2008, warts and all, had continued to this day, we probably won't be talking "Ghana beyond aid", perhaps, "Ghana giving aid" and not the 5 million cedi kind, either! Think big! Get over your failures and you won't support big thinkers to move Ghana forward, go sit in your hamlet somewhere and let life pass you by. Some of us are tired of your little minds syndrome.
SIMPLE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND THE SO-CALLED NDC SCHOLARS DO NOT UNDERSTAND. LET ME - YES NOT SO WELL EDUCATED LIKE ME - TELL THEM THE MEANING. THE JARGON MEANS THAT WHEN YOU BORROW MONEY, YOU MUST PUT THE MONEY YOU BORROWED TO GOOD USE, THAT IS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE - INDUSTRIES AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, SO THAT BEYOND THE NUMEROUS DEVELOPMENTS PUT IN PLACE, THERE WILL NO NEED FOR BORROWING AGAIN. THAT IS GHANA BEYOND AID. IT IS LIKE BEING GIVEN A TALENT AND YOU DOUBLE THE SINGLE TALENT TO MULTIPLE TALENTS. EY3 A MONSUA ADE3 KAKRA.
I am shocked to hear from these schooled parliamentarians behaving like some unschooled fellows; like a headless chicken. It has not clicked in their minds that we are good enough to do things for ourselves and that going around with cup in hand begging from country to country is not good for us. When you guys were tooting the Agenda 2020 what did you had in mind? That agenda did not see light because it did not originate from you. The blueprint was from Malaysia which you copied verbatim with the only changes being the substitution of Ghana in place of Malaysia. These people have wasted our time so much that now that the President is proving that he's got vision for the country the black man PHD (Pull Him Down) has hit hyper drive. The President has proven himself and that he has the welfare of Ghanaians at heart. These leeches and scavengers only fleeced the people of Ghana dry. Shame on you.