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Government is wrapping up work on a Rural Development policy for Ghana.

Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said that the new policy will provide a proper framework for addressing prevailing issues in Ghana’s rural development and appropriate institutions will effectively respond to the challenges

The Minister disclosed this at a Press Briefing in Accra on Wednesday.

Oppong Nkrumah said the Rural Development Policy will serve as the single reference point for all ministries, departments and agencies whose activities and mandates impact on the lives of people living in rural Ghana.
He added that all MMDAs will have responsibility for the implementation of the Policy.

According to the Minister, the policy has a focus of achieving economic and social development of the rural residents through the provision of opportunities.

"The policy will provide a roadmap for systematically tackling issues such as high incidence of poverty, out migration, inadequate employment opportunities in rural areas, low investment in infrastructure, and high incidence of illiteracy and non-functioning of sub-district structure” he said.

Oppong Nkrumah said the Policy will also “focus on agriculture, social service provision, industrialisation, financial inclusion and skills development as drivers of change in rural areas, in Ghana and the utilisation of the potentials for rural development to tackle issues that would deliver the desired conditions for rural growth and development."

One of the first attempts at a targeted rural development program was in the 1970s during the tenure of Prime Minister Busia’s government. The aim then was to increase Agric production, accelerate rural industrialization, liberalization of the economy and promote domestic.