A member of the National Economic Dialogue (NED) Committee, Professor John Gatsi, has dismissed claims that the discussions at the dialogue merely restated existing national challenges without offering solutions.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Prof Gatsi stressed that the purpose of the dialogue was to address unresolved issues and find ways to tackle them effectively.

“Nobody went to the National Economic Dialogue to rehash problems. The problems persist, so they have to be addressed. We went there to identify lingering issues that have not been resolved and must be resolved,” he said.

He revealed that the committee had only provided a broad-based communiqué so far and was in the process of finalising a detailed report.

“We are now putting together the real report of the dialogue, which will be presented in the shortest possible time. I believe by the 20th of this month, we should be done,” he stated.

Prof Gatsi also pointed out that challenges in key sectors like cocoa and energy were long-standing issues that required urgent attention.

“The cocoa sector’s problems did not start today, and the energy sector’s issues have also been there for a long time. Nobody went to reinvent these problems, they already exist, and we must find solutions,” he said.

He called for an end to attempts to downplay the efforts of those working towards economic progress. “Let us stop trying to undermine the efforts of people. The problems are there, and they have to be solved,” he said.