MEMBER of Parliament for Hohoe Constituency in the Volta Region, Dr. Bernice Adiku Heloo, has said that the name Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Committee of Parliament is outmoded.
She was of the opinion that the name has outlived its usefulness and thus called on the Rt. Hon. Speaker, Prof. Aaron Michael Ocquaye, to change the name of ‘Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee’ of the House to reflect current economic trends.
According to her, the “Poverty Reduction Strategy has outlived its usefulness in Ghana`s statute books hence the need for it to be changed to a more responsive and relevant name.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Today, the Hohoe law maker suggested that the name ‘Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee’ be changed to ‘Economic Development Committee.’
She explained further that changing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee to Economic Development Committee will give a true meaning to the committee and also reflect Ghana`s current status as a lower middle income country.
The former deputy minister for environment, science, technology and innovation under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) noted that, the committee was first set up in the early 2000s when Ghana was declared a Highly Indebted and Poor Country (HIPC) to help in drafting relevant poverty reduction strategies to enable the country come out of poverty.
Hon. Dr. Heloo, who was a member of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Committee in the 6th Parliament under the Fourth Republic, argued that issues that were discussed during the committee sittings with relevant stakeholders including reports of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) were not poverty reduction strategies but purely economic empowerment issues.
The Hohoe MP, therefore, appealed to the leadership of the August House to change the name as well as restructure the committee’s activities to meet the current challenges.
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