A Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has revealed that next week’s forum to discuss the country’s economic challenges will have speakers drawn from different sectors including political parties.

“We want to have a non-political discussion considering the fact that we have some challenges,” he stated on TV3’s Midday Live on Friday, May 9.

He said government is hopeful the forum will achieve the purpose for which it is going to be held.

President John Dramani Mahama announced the national economic forum on his official Facebook page last month. He reiterated it during his May Day address at the Black Star Square.

The forum – which will be a four-day retreat programme – will be held at Akosombo.

It will be held on the theme: “Changing the narrative: Building a national consensus for economic and social transformation.”

Among participants to be at the forum will be former Finance Ministers, Former Bank of Ghana governors, economists, parliamentarians, business leaders, representatives of trade associations and members of the academia.

Ghana’s current economic challenges have been blamed on some of government's economic policies.

Mr Murtala, however, disagrees, saying economic challenges have been suffered by governments since 1992.

“Every single government has gone through some of these challenges,” he said. He said even the challenges have taken a global downturn to the extent that advanced economies are also crumbling.