'Let's change our policies or remain poor'

Executive Director, Ark Foundation, Angela-Dwamena-Aboagye The Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, Angela Dwamena-Aboagye says abject poverty will continue to plague the nation unless there is a change policy direction. She said it was an undisputable fact that women constituted the poorest of the poor in the country because policies by present and previous governments had neglected women. Ms Dwamena-Aboagye was contributing to discussions on the topic, “Is Ghana poor?” on Joy FM’s Current Affairs Programme, Front Page. She said Ghana’s development efforts will continue to stagnate unless policies were deliberately targeted at women. According to her, the seeming neglect of the northern part of the country in terms of its development holds a great danger for the country. For her, if the current trend continues, the north will draw the rest of the nation back. She disagreed with the notion that the nation was poor, blaming the current economic doldrums on poor economic policies and the reliance on Bretton Woods Institutions. Other discussants on the programme agreed that the educational system of the country did socialize citizens to see opportunities. The system, she argued overemphasized “the absorption of other people’s ideas.” The panelists advocated a paradigm shift in the country’s educational system to focus on looking within for solutions to the question of poverty. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana