Politicians have been asked to allow the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to carry out its mandate of ensuring that national developed objectives are in place and not substitute these objectives with their manifestoes.
A former Chief Director at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Nana Juaben-Boateng Siriboe, noted there was a challenge between governments and the NDPC such that while the latter was responsible for the nation's long-term interest; governments are concerned with short term plans and how to remain popular.
"The NDPC is not and should not be partisan but nationalistic and so governments that come must fit in, but that is not the case. Governments try to put its commissioners there to ensure that their manifestoes are reflected. And because the term of office for governments is four years they try to put the long term plans aside and put their manifesto there."
Nana said politicians must not be overly concerned about manifestoes but what they are translated into is what is important.
"It is an opportunity for you to be elected to serve so when you are elected you pick up and continue where there is need. The fight about I can do it better or I did it better will not help."
Nana Siriboe was speaking at an African civil society consultative workshop in Accra organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) under the theme, "Influencing Africa's Position on Aid and Development Effectiveness at High Level Forum IV in Busan, South Korea and Beyond."
He described as sad how Ghana has used aid money; the rate of absorption is weak such that they are not used and are re-allocated to other things and yet we go for more. Therefore, the capacity of the public service to be able to utilise these resources must be developed.
"There is weak capacity of public service to deliver on contracted loans. There have been instances where loans have been cancelled because they have not been utilised. Civil society however can monitor government to use these resources."
According to him, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are just minimum development goals within our reach and so the capacity within the public service must not be taken lightly.
"Institutional capacity to deliver in the public service is just not there. It doesn't pay well to attract calibre. The few who are there are busy so much so that there is limited time to do constant policy reflection, policy formulation. Capacity building is therefore a necessary reality".
He continued, "The flexibility to allow you to build capacity to achieve results is just not there. We should be allowed to use the national system to improve and no political interference."He construed that aid can only be effective when African public service has the right and improved staff and that unless we are able to address the central host of our development design to the level where it can deliver we cannot get there.
Civil Society, he urged, must seriously look at how it can build partnership with public service to ensure that it delivers irrespective of which government comes into power.
"At a particular time there is only one technocrat / expert / PhD holder versus about 60 watchmen who are being paid and this is a completely lopsided agenda. Civil society must not just be watchdog but help build capacity."
The former director questioned why the largest tax payers' money go to teachers in the public schools, yet all Ghanaians are crying about quality in such schools, questioning, "whose duty is it to make it better?"
He emphasized, "Civil society as watchdog should hold government accountable to ensure quality in our education system. You need to reflect and help the public institution clean their spectacles. For when you do this you do it for the rest of society who do not have the chance to state their position."
IDEG in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation, West African Civil Society Institute, the Ghana Aid Effectiveness Forum and other CS networks played host to the regional workshop in Accra.
Executive Director of IDEG, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey explained the meeting was to build consensus on a common African CS perspective and strategy on a range of issues subsumed under the broad theme of aid and development effectiveness.
Participants were expected to also outline a strategy for influencing the decisions on the adoption of a common African position on Aid and Development Effectiveness at the forthcoming meetings in Addis Ababa in September 28-30, 2011 and subsequently in Busan, South Korea in November 29 to December 1, 2011.
Dr. Yao Graham of the Third World Network (TWN Africa) noted that although CS has access, international negotiations remain predominantly in the state process and that often times if Africa's position include development partners then what is Africa's position?"If Africa's common position involves them then there is already a constraint. Ultimately, the strength of our common position is in the substantive position."
He added, it is important for CS to ensure a certain minimum common development standard.
"It is important for those of us interested in a common position to be also interested in the integrity of negotiations."
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