Former President, John Dramani Mahama says steps to find a lasting solution to the current economic woes of the country is a shared responsibility.

He maintains that a robust collaboration, partnership, mutual respect amongst government, civil society, labour and private sector are the surest ways of achieving this agenda.

Speaking at an engagement with civil society groups in Accra, Mr. Mahama said the socio-economic predicaments of the country can be resolved by Ghanaians.

“I daresay that together, we are in a better place to help our country out of its current socio-economic predicament. What is required is a partnership, collaboration, mutual respect and an understanding that governance and efforts at meeting the needs of the ordinary Ghanaian are a shared responsibility between particularly, government, civil society, the private sector, labour and other key stakeholders”, he advised.

John Dramani Mahama stated that the continuous engagement of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) is needed and essential to improving the quality of governance in the country.

He called for broader civil society engagements and admonished the government to consider the inputs of these organizations in the development process of the country.

For him, the “Ghana We Want” agenda can easily be attained if policymakers consider the opinions and considerations of CSOs.

He lauded the transition CSOs have undergone from being confrontational to conversational entities, which are needed to develop the nation.

“There is currently a shift away from aggressive confrontations to constructive, civil conversations. Normally, the engagements were confrontational with Government, but now it is more of a civil conversation, and they have also enhanced their relevance with new capacities in terms of research and data analysis, thereby serving as storehouses for alternative policy ideas.”