Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has commended Ghana for making progress in the management of the economy.
She, however, charged the government
to step up efforts to address the fiscal deficit and domestic debt.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala gave the
commendation yesterday when she called on President John Dramani Mahama at the
Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.
She is in the country at the
invitation of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation (JAK Foundation) to deliver
its second lecture on, "What Africa Must Do to Own the 21st Century".
Members of the JAK Foundation, led
by the acting Chief Executive Officer, Prof Alex Dodoo, led Dr Okonjo-Iweala to
the seat of government to pay a courtesy call on the President and hold
discussions with him.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala said the passing of
laws to manage Ghana's resources was in the right direction and charged the
government "to try to manage success".
She also asked it to focus on
creating more jobs to reduce the unemployment rate.
She again asked for a more conducive
environment for the private sector to play a central role in the economy.
Responding, President Mahama said
the challenges facing Ghana and Nigeria were common and stressed the need for
the two countries to collaborate to promote trade and finance.
He said the collaboration between
Ghana and Nigeria would enhance the integration of the sub-region.
The President lauded former
President Kufuor for inviting Dr Okonjo-Iweala to share her rich experience
with Ghanaians.
He said he might not be at the
lecture because of some engagements but indicated his resolve to read the
lecture paper, which he believed would be insightful.
Story by Musah Yahaya Jafaru
