Burning Issues Any justification for National Development Bank in Ghana? (Part 1)

“The Development Bank is going to play a very important part in the rapid economic transformation of Ghana, following the onset of COVID-19.” These words came from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the signing ceremony on Wednesday May 19, 2021, when the President of the Republic held a meeting with the President of European Development Bank (EDB), Dr Werner Hoyer, as part of his official visit to Belgium.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the design and operation of the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) in Ghana has been on the drawing board over the past two years and when established, would satisfy the highest standards, scrutiny and best practices of development banks across the world.

He assured further that the €170 million facility being provided by European Investment Bank (EIB) for the establishment of the Development Bank Ghana (DBG), signals the determination of the country to continue partnering with the EU to continue to finance other projects in the pipeline as the country works to recover from the impact of COVID-19 as well as assist in the rapid recovery of the Ghanaian economy from the ravages of the pandemic.

Not quite long ago, during the presentation of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Wednesday, 17th November, 2021, the Hon Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, stated that the country would soon establish a national development bank to address our developmental issues. In opposition to the announcement, some of the minority in Parliament expressed the view that the Minister should have informed Parliament to pass the relevant law on the bank before making the announcement.

This is surprising because a Minister can announce an intention of setting up an entity in the country before informing Parliament about it. It appears everything by Government, even if good, will be antagonistically be attacked before going through the process, a behaviour that is unpalatable or awful and should, therefore, be discarded or thrown overboard.

WHY IS SUCH BEHAVIOUR EXHIBITED TOO OFTEN IN THIS COUNTRY?

We need to ensure that, as much as possible, we place our partisan interest far above that of the nation, so that we would be able to confront and overcome all challenges or obstacles that may come our way as a nation. This is the only way to ensure that we are able to rise above every difficulty in this country.

If right from the beginning, we are not able to do this, then we must note that moving forward as a nation will always be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Countries are admired today for their economic achievements – United States, Germany, France, Canada and all others that are able to donate funds to needy countries – exercised democracy in this way but had to keep their nations afloat before being able to reach where they are today.

It is also for this reason that we often say that Rome was not built in a day. What this means is that, the process of nation building always requires sacrifices on the part of residents before being able to get to the top. Similarly, the process of growth for every human takes a long time through a lengthy process before a baby becomes an adult, not forgetting daily guidance from parents and others in society in addition to the vital issue of socialisation.

What all this means is that, as citizens and residents in the country, we need to know our priorities and desire for societal values before being able to move from the first step to the end. It is said also that, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. If this is the case, then Ghana as a country needs much patience to go through the various nationalistic processes needed to cement national progress for all and sundry.

We, therefore, have a long way to go before being able to achieve our developmental goals. These goals can only be attained if as a nation, we begin to understand each other, appreciate our differences in opinion while at the same time being critical at each other, through constructive criticisms not destructive or deadly ones, so as to be able to move the country forward.

ANY NEED FOR A NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANK?

One question that comes up immediately is whether there is the need for a bank for developmental purposes when indeed other banks are already operating in the country. It has even been argued that, to prevent the collapse of certain banks and strengthen the banking sector, the government in collaboration with the Bank of Ghana, recently sanitised the sector to ensure that it is strengthened up for business in the country.

And if this is the case, why should another bank be established if it is aimed at promoting the same economic development that we are all seeking?

DEVELOPMENT BANKS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Generally, development banks serve as important instruments to promote economic growth. They usually do this by providing credit and a wide range of advisory as well as capacity building programmes to stakeholders. The stakeholders here include households, small and medium enterprises and even large private companies. Usually, the financial needs of the huge private companies are not sufficiently served by private commercial banks or by local capital markets.

Email address /whatsapp number of author: Pradmat2013@gmail.com/0553318911

By Dr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako