A Senior Programme Manager of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Dr. Isaac Owusu-Mensah has said if the private sector participates in the budgetary process and decision making, they will assume ownership of the national budget knowing that their concerns and hard work have been taken into account. Speaking at a workshop organised in collaboration with with the Private Enterprise Foundation in Accra on Thursday, Dr. Owusu-Mensah stated that the private sector is the engine of growth in the country, and contributes immensely to the development of the country. He said the sector also plays a major role in job creation and employment. He said the private sector pays the taxes which are used to develop the country and as such it will be very prudent to acknowledge the private sectors’ contribution to the 2012 national budget. The workshop which is aimed at giving the private sector the opportunity to make inputs in the 2012 national budget statement and economic policy, brought together numerous private sector organizations in the field of agriculture, infrastructure, and services among others. They are to implement strategies and also ensure that the private sector concerns are addressed in the budget. Meanwhile, an economic consultant Mr. Felix Tettey-Fio has appealed to the government to address some challenges facing the private sector. He asked the government to help bring down interest rates, help build an entrepreneur class by supporting SMEs at all levels through micro-financing and also to implement long term financing in the sector. However, the president of the foundation Mr. Asare Akuffo said if government will address the needs of the private sector, then there will be the need for the sector to organize itself better to develop better lobbying capacity; organize select committees on key sectors of the economy to form a united front. He also called on the government to address issues in the sector especially in agriculture sector by providing them with the necessary resources to produce more and push the economy forward. Story: Faridatu Shaibu/Asempa News/Ghana