GHANA – The Federal Government of Ghana is planning to tackle the country’s sanitation challenges by exploring ways to produce biodegradable plastic bags using cassava, GNA reports.
Speaking to a panel discussion at Ghana Economic Forum held in Accra, the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said they already had an entrepreneur in mind who has a proposal on the same agenda.
The government is also considering the re-establishment of a jute factory in Kumasi which engage in manufacturing of cheaper jute bags which are currently being imported by the Ghana Cocoa Board for bagging cocoa beans.
Building a competitive economy for sustainable growth
‘Building a competitive economy for sustainable growth’ was the topic at this year’s Ghana Economic Forum.
It serves as a platform for captains of industry to debate on key issues affecting the Ghanaian economy and proffer innovative ideas to resolve them.
The Vice President noted that for the nation to move beyond aid, there was the need to produce and add value to her raw materials thus, the government was gradually departing from the conventional approach to development and adopting new policies that would accelerate economic growth.
“We have to think about new paths and new ways of doing things and it’s really that thinking that is driving a lot of the things we’re doing.
“We have to think outside the box and avoid straight jacket approach to development because the conventional way of doing things has not help us for the past 60 years.
“We have to be thinking about things that would give us competitive advantage and produce them right here in Ghana,” he said.
The government had earlier taken some financial technology companies (Fintech firms) to Silicon Village in the United States in order to expose them to how the advanced nations were leveraging on technology for development.
In line with this, it is planning a digital conference before the end of the year to explore ways of using technology to accelerate economic development.