Third Ghana Policy Fair opens today

THE third Ghana Policy Fair to showcase government’s policies, projects and programmes opens today.

About 150 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) will participate in the five-day fair on the theme: “Building together in a better Ghana”.

Participating MMDAs would showcase completed and ongoing projects in their jurisdictions over the last three years.

The opening ceremony is expected to be performed by President John Evans Atta Mills.

A Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told the Daily Graphic that this year’s dialogue would focus on the economy, energy, youth development and the creative industries.

According to him, the creative industries the world over had become a major contributor to economies such as United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK) and India, among others.

He said some 106,700 businesses in the creative industries were created in the UK in 2011, representing 5.1 per cent of that country’s gross domestic product in that year.

“We, as a government, believe that this feat is equally possible, hence the decision to include them in the dialogue sessions this year,” Mr Ablakwa said.

The creative industry in Ghana, he said,  was also becoming a dependable form of employment for all manner of people, as against the traditional areas of employment, hence the need to make it one of the priority industries.

Also, dialogue session on family education is expected to be part of highlights of the fair. A renowned marriage counsellor, Rev Dr Samuel Kissiedu, is expected to provide an insight into family life education.

Mr Ablakwa expressed  the hope that the general public’s participation and contributions at the various sessions would offer meaningful suggestions to the government on ways to improve its activities and development programmes.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon, 16 April,  2012