International anti-corruption actor, Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to prioritise effective resource governance to build a resilient economy for job creation and poverty reduction.
“Resetting the sector remains crucial, as the nation’s economy rebounds,” he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani and lauded the President, urging the government to push long-term economic resilience through realistic monetary policies.
Mr Ahenu, also the Founder of the Sunyani-based Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), an anti-corruption media advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) argued that the nation natural resources had huge potential to “lift millions out of poverty if properly managed with transparency, accountability and sustainability.”
He said the GloMeF worked to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of the vulnerable in society, targeting adolescents, saying the “nation’s economy is gasping for relief and the quickest and most effective oxygen we can give it lies in our resource sector.”
President Mahama must therefore make it a central pillar of his administration to reform, as his government put the nation on the edge for economic recovery and rebound, he advised.
Mr Ahenu said decades of “poor oversight, corruption, weak regulatory enforcement, and inequitable distribution of resource revenues have undermined the country’s development efforts.”
“It’s unacceptable that while our lands are rich in gold, bauxite, oil, and other natural resources, the majority of our people continue living in deprivation and abject poverty,” he said.
For Mr Ahenu’s view, strategic reforms in the mining, oil, and forestry sectors supported by strong institutions and citizen engagement could dramatically improve revenue mobilization, curb illicit financial flows, and promote inclusive growth.
“Resetting the resource sector will not only restore investor confidence but also secure funds for education, healthcare, and infrastructure,” he stated, adding “it’s the foundation for building a resilient and self-reliant economy too.”
Mr Ahenu advocated implementation of stronger monitoring mechanisms, community participation in resource management, and transparency in contracts and revenue utilization, recommending the review of existing mining agreements, and thereby tightening environmental regulations to safeguard communities affected by extractive activities.
His advocacy comes in the wake of many Ghanaians demanding greater accountability in the management of the nation’s wealth.
Mr Ahenu also called on the Civil Society community and the media to hold the government accountable, by ensuring that the nation’s natural riches benefited all, and just not privileged for few.
GNA
