Ghana Compact Roadmap

Key milestones and targets of the Ghana Compact

Ghana remains a leader in African stability and governance. However, the nation still faces political, social, and economic challenges. As we approach the 2nd half of the 21st century, it is imperative that we correct course and turn our fortunes around. The Compact for Political and Economic Transformation is an initiative focused on setting a vision for our nation, outlining collectively agreed solutions for the country’s biggest challenges, and identifying targets for tracking progress towards the agreed vision.

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) was founded to help African governments and the private sector deliver economic transformation that improves lives. One of the key tools developed by ACET is the African Transformation Index (ATI). The ATI tracks the economic transformation of African countries. Ghana’s declining ATI scores – ranking 22nd out of 32 countries overall and frequent resorts to IMF bailouts highlight what has become evident to economists and citizens alike: the country has not fared well in transforming its economy. In mid-2021 ACET identified the Compact as the solution to Ghana’s stalled progress.

To start the process towards the Compact, seven of the leading Ghanaian policy institutes joined with ACET in preparing eight technical papers on Ghana’s political and economic transformation. The eight papers cover the Constitution, Fiscal Responsibility, Planning, Gender Equity; Youth Education & Skills; Private Sector Development; Health; and Climate Change.

To review and comment on drafts of the technical papers prepared by the policy institutes and   to deliberate on the way forward, a retreat was held at the Peduase Valley Resort in July 2022. More than fifty people representing stakeholder groups, institutions or organizations participated in robust discussions, leading to strong commitment to take the Compact process forward.

Based on the eight technical papers developed by Compact policy partners, consultations and engagements are being conducted with a broad range of experts, policymakers, and citizens to reach a consensus on recommendations outlined in the technical papers. The conclusions of these consultations will be used to update the technical papers and inform the draft Compact paper that will be presented at the National Convention.

The Ghana Compact was formally launched on 6th December 2022. With coverage from all major media houses, the event shared with the citizenry the need for the Compact and the issues, goals and targets set out in the technical papers. As the Compact is structured to be consensus driven, the launch will also lay out plans for national consultations and citizen engagement across traditional and digital platforms to garner the collective views and buy in on what Ghana needs to live up to its legacy.

The media event featured representatives of the policy institutes who have partnered with ACET, the development elite, representatives of labor unions, religious and traditional leaders, representatives of civil society organizations as well as members of the Compact Leadership Group; citizens with different backgrounds and experiences who will serve as ambassadors for the Ghana Compact and lead discussions and public engagements on the “Ghana we want”.

Led by civil society organizations, community and district levels consultations will be held to obtain citizens’ views on the goals and targets set forth in the technical papers. These community engagements will be organized around professional groupings or associations like women’s groups, youth groups, farmers, the GPRTU, labor unions, grassroot associations, farmers, fishermen etc. After the community work is completed, citizen assemblies will be conducted with a cross representation of society to find consensus from the outcome of the district level engagements. These citizen assemblies will be designed by the Kofi Annan Foundation in partnership with ACET.

The National Convention will be held in June 2023, bringing together people representing all layers of Ghanaian society – including political parties, youth, women, traditional and religious leaders, private sector representatives, organized labor, and disabled persons. The documents that have been prepared based on the technical papers and the subsequent input from the technical and citizens’ consultation processes will form the basis of the consensus-seeking process. Participants will deliberate and debate on the recommendations, goals, and targets until a broad consensus is reached.

The resulting consensus document will be the Compact for Ghana’s Political and Economic Transformation. The Convention will not only create a consensus and chart a path forward for our country – it will allow the people of Ghana to collectively take ownership of our development program, and therefore our future, once again.

The Compact will continue to inform the policy plans for governments starting in 2025. Several indicators will help track the Compact’s progress. These include the degree to which the areas, metrics, and targets are reflected in political party manifestos that are tabled for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary campaigns; the shift in public conversation and debate on the issues covered in the Compact; and the extent to which progress towards the Compact priorities and targets informs and influences elections every four years between 2028 and 2050.

Think tanks and policy institutes will cooperate with the NDPC and support it to ensure the consensus goals are developed into specific and achievable five-year targets. The capacity of the NDPC will be enhanced, and an independent Compact Oversight Committee will be established after the National Convention to work in close collaboration with the NDPC to jointly monitor and assess progress and, every 4 to 5 years, identify new priorities and policy directions. Every ten years, the Compact Oversight Committee will organize another National Convention on Ghana’s socio-economic development, ensuring that the Compact becomes a living document. Ultimately, this will halt the chronic lack of continuity and the typically frequently interrupted process of development planning, easing the path towards social, economic, environmental, and institutional development.