Outlining goals for governance, political processes, economic management, and inclusion, the Compact for Ghana’s Political and Economic Transformation, or Ghana Compact, will set a clear and collective vision for the country through 2050.
The initiative, launched today, aims to usher in a new era of prosperity for Ghana and empower citizens and government alike to move beyond politics and focus on sound policy and a shared vision for the country’s future. As Ghana approaches its next election cycle in 2024, the Compact offers an opportunity to move from politically focused to issues-driven campaigns and gives citizens more power to hold their current and future leaders accountable to the vision they have set forth. The Compact will put in place citizen-driven systems to monitor and measure progress towards Ghana’s goals over the long term, across future elections and political administrations for the next quarter-century.
“The Compact will be an agreement between citizens and government, regardless of who is in power, on the direction of travel for our country, and on the vision and values that underpin our democracy and pave the way toward a better, more secure future” said Dr. K.Y. Amoako, Founder and President of the African Center for Economic Transformation at today’s launch. “It will also be a Compact between all of us as citizens on the values we want to uphold as a nation as we embark on this new agenda that aims to address our most pressing challenges head-on by bringing more voices to the table and putting policy before politics.”
The Compact will focus on four critical areas that can unlock Ghana’s progress towards economic transformation:
- Political and constitutional reforms that help end extreme political division and polarization
- Policies that will lead to improvements in Ghana’s fiscal health to unlock greater and more responsible investment in Ghana’s development
- A long-term vision for economic transformation and a strong system that will ensure leaders adhere to collectively agreed goals
- Long-term targets that will improve gender equality, access to affordable high-quality health services and education, the skills of young Ghanaians, small and medium enterprise growth, and job creation, while better preparing the country for the impacts of climate change.
Giving a youth perspective on the Compact at the launch, Radia Issahaku, a member of the Northern Regional Youth network said, “With the launch of the Ghana Compact, I see a Ghana with a development plan that prioritizes accountable, inclusive and transparent governance, a Ghana that provides quality education and leadership for the youth, a country that has values and principles with young people leading the change.”
The Ghana Compact is the brainchild of Dr. Amoako and has been developed by the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in partnership with major policy institutes and civil society organizations including Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Afrobarometer, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), the IMANI Center for Policy & Education, the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic research (ISSER), and NETRIGHT.
The ambition is for the Compact to be driven by citizens, embraced by leaders, and shaped by the aspirations of young people and the experience of elders.
Over the past year, consultations with a wide cross-section of the Ghanaian population have led to support from the Association of Ghana Industries, media, the Trade Union Council (TUC), key national institutions including the Council of State, the Peace Council, the Standing Committee of the National House of Chiefs, the Speaker and the majority and minority leadership of Parliament, the National Center for Civic Education (NCCE), and several religious leaders.
In the next 6 months, citizens should expect a broad national consultation and citizen engagement process across the country, where they will have the opportunity to review and respond to recommendations -prepared by Compact partners- that will set Ghana on a path towards economic and political transformation.