Editorial

Stakeholders in development recently concluded a resource mobilisation workshop for the country’s new development programme -the Programme for Accelerated Growth and development (PAGE). The outcome of the convergence was a commitment from stakeholders to amalgamate efforts towards the successful implementation of this new programme.

Cognizant of the rate of development in the country albeit challenges confronting the process and the dire need for more resources to wage an all-out onslaught against poverty and underdevelopment, it is prudent that stakeholders particularly international partners commit resources to this new programme so that we can meet the targets of the national development blueprint.

This reality in fact makes the resource mobilisation form significant and timely and it depicts the commitment of the Ministry of Finance to the materialisation of the blueprint.We therefore hope that donors and other stakeholders would respond to this important call for resource mobilisation.

After all, the relevance and timeliness of PAGE cannot herein be overemphasised. Statistical data shows that in spite of the huge success registered by the PRSP, poverty and unemployment continue to pose challenges to national development. The initiation of PAGE as a national programme to replace PRSP to curb these two social menaces shows the readiness of the state to accomplish the national development blueprint. The government is not relenting in its efforts at creating the necessary environment for people to maximally utilise their potentials.

What is required is for all stakeholders in development to embrace PAGE with open arms and integrate with government to ensure the realisation of its objectives. There is in place the necessary infrastructure, and the political will needed to make the programme work.  The challenge is for all and sundry to adopt to the demands, commitments and dynamics that this programme requires, so that collectively we can reducepoverty and unemployment .