An economist and presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) for Election 2008 says the ordinary Ghanaian must be consulted on how government seeks to spend proceeds from its oil discovery. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, who was speaking at this year’s Joy 99.5 Debate 2009, organised in association with the Coconut Grove Hotels in Accra, said such consultations are needed to ensure that funds from the oil find are better utilized to build the nation. The debate themed: “Building consensus on a national development agenda” featured personalities including economic consultant Kwame Pianim; seasoned politician J.H. Mensah; development policy analyst from CEPA, Samuel N. Ashong; and business mogul Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom. “Many politicians have been concerned with how the national development plan promotes the implementation of the political ideology of the party and the promises contained in their campaign manifestos. Such concerns have tended to make the focus of government’s investments and development programmes short-term, thus, loosing the long-term perspective needed to ensure accelerated growth,” he said. “But then one document that has been ignored, and in some instances forgotten when we discuss topics of national development for national agenda is the 1992 Constitution,” he added. “We must first educate each other on the need to seek grounding from the constitution of the republic,” Dr Nduom indicated, and quoted several portions of the constitutions which, he said, would lead the way to the country’s progress. “If all of our presidents account annually to Parliament and to the nation on how they are implementing the principles, and also show how the coordinated programme promotes these principles there will be less anxiety than exist presently,” he hinted. Play attached audio for full text of Dr Nduom’s speech at the debate

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