The government attributed its inability to attain a single digit inflation rate as projected in the 2003 budget to the increase in the price of petroleum products, resulting in the 'shooting up' of prices of goods and services, including lorry fares and foodstuffs.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has, therefore, targeted to reduce the rate to between 20 and 22 per cent by the end of the year. These were contained in an address read for the sector minister, Yaw Osafo-Marfo, at a two-day workshop on the topic "2003 National budget statement and the enhanced HIPC initiative and poverty reduction-the role of the church in demanding public accountability," on Tuesday at Cape at coast.
The workshop, which was organised by the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Centre for Policy Analysis (CPA) was attended by a cross-section of people including the clergy, public savants and assembly members.
It was aimed among other things at creating a platform for Churches to discuss government programmes and policies to enhance the role of civil society towards policy advocacy in poverty reduction strategy. The workshop was also expected to equip and strengthen the capacity of Churches to help them to monitor the performance of government and other development agencies.
Osafo-Marfo said the government had initiated prudent economic measures to help improve the standards of living of the people. The minister said a total of ?4,633.0bn cedis, made up of ?3,553.0bn from the government, ?680bn from the HIPC fund for 2003 and about ?400.0bn cedis of HIPC resources carried over from 2002, have been allocated for the implementation of programmes and projects throughout the country.
Yaw Osafo-Marfo said: "The resources would be used to improve human development through increase in access to basic services in education, health and sanitation, safe water and for improvement in incomes of the poor and vulnerable of the society through employment generation activities and the provision of productive assets."
He said the government would be able to undertake more development projects and programmes to better the living condition of the people in 2004 when greater part of the HIPC relief fund would be received.
Dr Joe Abbey, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Analysis stressed the need for increase in production to boost the export sector for more foreign exchange for the country. He asked Ghanaians to be hard working, honest, dedicated to duty and take good care of government properties and called for the establishment of community-based organisations to monitor progress of development projects.
In an address read for him, the Central Regional minister, Isaac Edumadze praised Churches for complementing government's development efforts by establishing educational institutions and helping in the poverty reduction programme. Michael Ansa, Coordinator of CCG, urged churches to seek the welfare of the people instead of concentrating on the spread of the gospel.
The Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta 11, said the Church was expected to identify the social and economics problems of the people and finding solutions to them. He appealed to residents in the municipality to participate in workshops and public programmes to enable them to contribute inputs for the development of the area.