Koforidua, Oct. 14, GNA - An economist has observed that, though Ghana was the first country in the world to come out with an economic development plan in 1910, its development had not been systematic due to ineffective political leadership.

He blamed lack of visionary leaders, misguided political policies and political instability as some of the causes which had made the contemporaries

of the country to develop faster than it. Mr Geoffrey P. Padditey, Eastern Regional Economic Planning Officer, was speaking at a one-day workshop for the Regional Executive Members of the Eastern Regional Women Wing of the Trade Union Congress(TUC) at Koforidua on Wednesday.

He said the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strateg y (GPRS) One was aimed at correcting some of the imbalances in the economic development of the country while the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy(GPRS) Two was aimed at initiating the process that would enable the country to increase its per capita income to 1,000 dollars. Mr. Padditey said the GPRS II was a gender-sensitive document and urged women groups to organize themselves into pressure groups to ensure that the gender aspects of the programme was implemented to the full.

The Deputy Head of Organization of the TUC, Mr. Francis X. Owusu, said as employers improve upon the conditions of service of workers, the TUC also needed to position itself in a way that it could continue to grow in numbers and in strength. He said in that direction, the Union had initiated programmes to attract more workers in the informal sector of the economy into its fold to educate them to know the opportunities available for them in the economy.

Mr. Owusu urged the participants to encourage the women in the informal sector to join the trades unions to take advantage of the protection it provides to all organized workers. The head of the Women's Desk of the TUC, Mrs. Nadia Ibrahima, observed that, for women trade unionists to be empowered, they needed to increase their knowledge beyond trade union activities to know more about other issues around them.

She called on women trade unionists to bring more women on board for them to understand the challenges facing women in general and help effect the necessary change that would enable women to play the role expected of them in the economic development of the country. The Acting Regional Secretary of the TUC, Mr Harry Pitterson, observed that, the democratic change in the country had improved upon the freedom of expression in the country and one needed to be well-informed to be able to provide leadership in the society. He therefore, called on the participants to take advantage of all opportunities that would come their way to improve upon their knowledge 14 Oct. 06