Mr. P.V. Obeng, Chairman of National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has appealed to the media to sell “Ghana’s Agenda for Shared Growth And Development (GASGAD), 2010-2013” medium term plan to Ghanaians for them to own it. Mr. Obeng, who was speaking at a media encounter on “Building Strategic Partnership with the Media for Effective Development Communication”, said GASGAD was developed after extensive consultations and described it as a consensual document, which must be embraced by all. GASGAD has been crafted to ensure and sustain macroeconomic stability; enhance competitiveness in Ghana’s Private Sector; engender accelerated agricultural and sustainable natural resources management and oil and gas development. The others are human, infrastructure, energy and human settlement development; increased productivity and employment and transparent and accountable governance. He said substantial progress was made under the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy One (GPRS I) and Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSII) towards the realisation of macroeconomic stability and achievement of poverty reduction goals, however, structural challenges also emerged, characterised by large fiscal and balance of payment deficits. Mr Obeng said in order to provide a successor, medium-term national development policy framework to the GPRS II (2006-2009) the GASGAD document has been prepared to be implemented over the period 2010-2013. He said the strategic direction would be to lay the foundation for the structural transformation of the economy through industrialisation, especially manufacturing, based on modernised agriculture and sustainable exploitation of Ghana’s natural resources, particularly minerals, oil and gas. “The process will be underpinned by rapid infrastructural and human development as well as the application of science, technology and innovation. This will enhance the creation of employment and income earning opportunities for rapid and sustained poverty reduction”, he said. Speaking on “Sustainable Natural Resource Management,” Dr. Robert Dodoo, Member of the Commission, said “the main goal is the integration of the principles of sustainable development into the national development policies and programmes. He said the policy objectives were to “maintain and enhance protected area systems, provide alternative livelihood for local people to reduce pressure on lands adjacent to protected areas and water bodies and strengthen the legal framework on protected areas”. “The others are to empower District Assemblies to enforce laws on bushfires; strengthen the law enforcement unit of the Wildlife Division; curb the loss of biodiversity by the intensification of safe and sound environmental practices and facilitate the development of relevant sector biodiversity policies”, he added. Source: GNA