“Ghana needs to do even better, and it can!” said Paul Wolfowitz to a large gathering of Ghanaian youth on eve of 50 th Independence Anniversary Celebration. KUMASI, GHANA, March 6, 2007 – An estimated 1,200 people gathered at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana’s second biggest city, on Monday March 5, 2007, eve of Ghana’s 50 th Independence Anniversary Celebration. The occasion was the Development Dialogue Series organized by the World Bank Ghana office and KNUST as part of the visit of World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz to Kumasi.  | World Bank President speaks at the Development Dialogue Series. |
Addressing the gathering, which consisted of students, faculty, CSOs, private sector, media, and government and local government officials, Mr Wolfowitz, said in his keynote message that Ghana’s good record of recent years should be no cause for complacency. Mr. Wolfowitz noted that “just as China and Korea managed to defeat Oriental fatalism and become economic role models, Ghana too has the potential to sprint ahead on the path to higher standard of development.” He asked Ghanaian leaders to scale up action on private sector competitiveness, infrastructure, and on ensuring sustained good governance. The theme of his speech was: Achieving Middle Income Country Status, Ghana’s Potential and Challenges. (For the full speech, please see KNUST Speech.) The event was carried live nationwide on radio and internet (courtesy Joy FM in Accra and Luv FM in Kumasi and their affiliates in other regions). In his welcome statement Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof Kwesi Adarkwa, said that the need to reflect on Ghana’s 50 year-old history ought to be holistic, including the role of development partners. He encouraged Ghana and the World Bank to utilize lessons of the past years to make development partnership more effective in the future. “I believe Ghana can make it, and I hope this Development Dialogue will go a long way to help us find solutions,” he said. Ghana’s Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, pointed out that his personal review of government policy programs over the last 50 years indicates that the lack of continuity in program implementation has been a major drawback. “How we stick with implementation and hard work,” will make a difference over the next 50 years for Ghana,” he said. The Finance Minister also said that a culture of open discourse about governance and policy in Ghana was an important factor in the country’s recent performance. He stated that the Development Dialogue initiative of the Bank’s Ghana Office is “critical.” He also acknowledged the role of the media, particularly radio, in informing the people and in promoting social accountability. The Reverend Akwasi Sarpong, Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, who chaired the event, said that the Bank’s ability to support new and innovative approaches to development in Ghana will be an important contribution to making its work in the country more meaningful. He added that that the Bank’s decision to partner with traditional rulers in Ghana to advance grassroots development was innovative, and encouraged the Bank to consider similar unconventional approaches.  | Participants at the Development Dialogue Series. |
After the remarks and keynote address, several participants lined up behind microphones to speak with Mr. Wolfowitz about issues that included development strategy, effectiveness of World Bank aid, World Bank conditionality, WTO and globalization, job creation and the environment. The questions reflected global concerns about World Bank interventions in developing countries and how the Ghanaian public thinks these might impact on the country’s future. In his response Mr. Wolfowitz said, “We are moving away from conditionalities...the only benefit we get as a Bank is to see development happen by working with governments.” In concluding his participation in the 21st Development Dialogue Series, the president urged the several young Ghanaians who had come to interact with him to find ways to create jobs. “You represent the future of Africa...and I hope you are all dreaming big dreams and setting your sights high,” he told them. Mr. Wolfowitz later commissioned a Development Information Center at KNUST. The facility, sponsored by the Bank’s Ghana Office, provides access to a wealth of development information for students, researchers and the general public. To learn more about the Development Dialogue Series, please click on Doing Development Dialogue Differently. |
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