An economist and researcher of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Dr. Charles Ackah, has attributed Ghana’s economic development challenges to a number of factors. They include low productivity, both in the government and private sectors, high costs of and difficulty in accessing finance, underdeveloped infrastructure, chieftaincy conflicts and land tenure problems and unstable supply of energy and water.
Dr. Ackah was speaking at a media literacy project organized by the French Embassy in collaboration with the Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana, in Kumasi for some journalists from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions. He stated that Ghana’s economy is still not well structured, adding that though it formed part of government’s aim to reduce poverty, 50 years on, the country still cannot add value to raw materials like cocoa and pineapples. He said unlike Ghana, Botswana processes its diamond but Ghana’s economy still continues to remain traditional. To deal with the issues, he recommended the modernization of agriculture and the need to add value to raw materials.
