There�s Considerable Instability In Ghana�s Economy - Don

A former Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Ernest Aryeetey, says there is considerable instability in Ghana�s economy. This follows the high growth rate of the industrial sector which was the largest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of this year. The industrial sector boosted the economy mainly due to the commercial exploitation of oil, ahead of the services sector which was hitherto the biggest contributor, followed by the Agric sector. Even though agriculture shrank by 35.7 percent, this has been attributed to the seasonal patterns. But analyzing the turns the various sectors have taken as leading contributors in the last few years, Prof Aryeetey says the trend is not a sign of a diversified economy, but a considerable instability in the economy. �I want to see a steady movement of resources from low productivity areas especially in agriculture, to high productivity areas. Traditionally these high productivity areas have been in the industrial sector, specifically manufacturing so when I begin to see that transition then I will understand that there is something happening here. �The kind of changes that I�ve seen take place do not reflect a movement from low productivity areas to high productivity areas. I see movement from low productivity areas to other low productivity areas in other sectors that�s why in this economy you find a strong domination of the informal sector; so I�m doing low productivity farming and then I move to Accra and engage in low productivity services, selling phone cards. �So most of that growth in services that we used to talk about was of that nature. Does it reflect or trigger transformation? No it doesn�t,� Professor Aryeetey, who is now Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said.