POLICY FAIR, BOLD INITIATIVE (APRIL 28, 2010)

THE government yesterday took a significant step towards highlighting key policy initiatives and programmes when the first-ever policy fair in the country was opened.
Touted as a timely and innovative showpiece, the fair is expected to provide a platform for making public institutions to make their products, policies and services available to the public.
It is also expected to showcase the government’s plans and programmes and also demystify the governance process.
The theme for the fair: “Engaging the citizenry for a better Ghana”, emphasises the government’s commitment to bring governance to the doorstep of every Ghanaian to ensure the participation of the masses in the governance process.
This year’s fair is the first of what is expected to be an annual event, and in the true spirit of making its impact felt, the DAILY GRAPHIC believes that the noble ideals that inspired the organisation of the five-day fair will be translated into tangible gains.
All over the world, development has been founded on sound policies and programmes and one of the efficient ways of attracting the people’s interest in the development agenda of the country is to continuously apprise them of the policies and the interventions that the government is pursuing.
It is a fact that once the people understand the policy initiatives and programmes of the government, they will be in a better position to support more effectively those policies and programmes and also offer their inputs as to how best the policies can be shaped or pursued to achieve the desired results.
Indeed, more often than not, good policies have been derailed even before they are allowed to be fully operational because of misinformation about their objectives and the thrust of those policies.
In a country with a high illiteracy rate, any misrepresentation of government actions can derail the development agenda of the country.
It is for this reason that the DAILY GRAPHIC commends the government for the initiative, as it has the potential to remove whatever veils that cover government policies and programmes and make the boring documents inspiring blueprints for developing the country.
As noted by Vice-President John Mahama at the opening of the fair, the initiative was underscored by the conviction that the enterprise of nation-building was a collective effort of the entire populace.
According to Mr Mahama, the government intended to use the policy fair to further open up governance and get the ordinary Ghanaian to be part of the development process of the country.
The initiative is certainly a good step, but we also wish to remind the government that the success of the initiative cannot be realised in a day hence the need to sustain it by directing ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) not to make the initiative a public relations gimmick.
It is also important for Ghanaians to avail themselves of this opportunity and become educated and enlightened on government policies and programmes.
The objectives of the fair cannot be achieved if it is poorly patronised. In this regard we urge Ghanaians to visit the fair to get first-hand information on government policies and programmes.
We need to appreciate the fact that the electorate can only hold the government accountable if they closely monitor the activities and development initiatives of the government and its agencies.