Business News of Sunday, 11 February 2018

Source: 3news.com

Agric alone can’t be backbone of economy – Prof Dordonoo disputes Akufo-Addo

Professor Cletus Dordonoo Professor Cletus Dordonoo

Agriculture alone cannot be the game-changer for Ghana, Professor Cletus Dordonoo has argued.

He said every sector plays a part in the growth of the economy.

The Chief Executive Officer of ClayDord Consult was contributing to discussions on TV3’s New Day on Saturday.

The discussions were on last Thursday’s State of the Nation address by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

President Akufo-Addo shared with members of Parliament results his policies on agriculture are yielding.

“For generations, we have bemoaned Ghana’s reliance solely on rain-fed agriculture,” the president noted.

“This means the slightest change in the rainfall pattern exposed our farmers to the loss of a season’s harvest. It is a disgrace that we have had to rely on our Sahelian neighbours to make up the deficit in foods, such as vegetables.”

He announced the rollout of the ‘One-Village, One-Dam’ programme this year in at least five regions aside expansion of the Planting for Food and Jobs flagship programme.

But speaking on TV3’s morning show, Prof Dordonoo said, “I am not sure agriculture alone can be the backbone”.

“Every sector can,” he stressed.

He added that not only agriculture by definition but also mining, in which case he called for value addition.

“That is the royal rule to job creation.”

Prof Dordonoo, therefore, admonished government to see to the growth of as many sectors of the economy as possible.