INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION The major objective of this Ghana National Programme of Action (GNPOA) is to address gaps, deficiencies and weaknesses identified in the National Self-Assessment Report. It seeks to provide clear, time-bound commitments on key governance and socio-economic development priorities over the next 3 years. It includes the identification of key stakeholders for implementation, and the estimated cost to implement the activities mapped out. The specific objectives of the GNPOA are: i. To guide and mobilize the country's efforts in implementing the necessary changes that can foster improvements in the state of political and good democratic governance, economic governance and management, corporate governance and socio-economic development. ii. To indicate time-bound commitment on implementation of key governance and socio-economic development priorities in the four thematic areas of the APRM including the identification of key stakeholders for implementation. iii. To highlight the capacity building and resource mobilization requirements for undertaking the GNPOA iv. To outline the implementation, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms that are critical success factors to drive the GNPOA. This introductory narrative on the GNPOA seeks to chart the road map that was used to prepare the GNPOA and the participatory processes that informed it. In particular it articulates the nature of national consultations that took place between the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC) which is the national APRM focal point, the Government, the Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders during the national self-assessment process and the preparation of the Country APRM Report and the outcomes of these processes which were used as the basis to generate the GNPOA. Second, it examines how the GNPOA has integrated existing national development strategies and programmes to reflect policy initiatives already on the ground. Third, it describes the methodologies that were used to calculate the cost of the priorities identified in the GNPOA. Four, it outlines the feedback mechanism that has been established to keep local stakeholders involved in the process. The GNPOA and the nature of national consultations The implementation of the APRM in Ghana has been a long march in respect of the political commitment of the Government of Ghana to enthrone and entrench democracy in the body politic through popular participation. Ghana was the first 155