Civil Society Organisations are asking the government to reposition and redefine the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ policy to meet the needs of current generation without compromising the needs of future generations.

This, according to the Ghana Civil Society Organisations Platform on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will ensure economic stability, prosperity and development.

“It is imperative that countries become more self-reliant, independent and control their economic destiny for human development and prosperity. It is in this light that we share in the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda. Therefore, the business of government is to improve the wellbeing of its citizens by accepting that development is about people and their environment...,” the CSOs stated their position in a communique.

The Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, launched in April 2019 by President Nana AKufo-Addo, seeks to harness and deploy local resources efficiently and effectively so the country can stop relying on aid from foreign countries and development partners.

Although the CSOs say they share in the vision of the President, they also make a number of demands from the government including clarification of the role of CSOs as well as focusing the policy on the larger informal economy that has the potential to significantly boost the economic growth of Ghana towards self-reliance.

The group further asked the government to consider exploring the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area in the agenda while calling for the need to “…emphasise explicitly the role of the youth, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups in the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda.”

Read the full communique below: