EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and ineffective, thus hindering participation, accountability and transparency in social service delivery at the lower levels of government. 18. As summarised in the Country Report and made all too clear in the various consultations undertaken by the CRM, socio-economic development in Ghana has been less than what would be required for sustainable development. There is ample scope for improvement in the quality and standard of living of Ghanaians. Opportunities and options are available to them to secure and sustain their individual and collective self-development, if the MDGs and the national development objective of US$ 1000 per capita income by 2010 are to be achieved. 19. Overall, major daunting challenges remain, which Ghana must urgently address if the NEPAD/APRM objectives are to be met. Worthy of note are decentralisation and low governance capacity, especially at lower tiers of government. The institutional and legal frameworks for decentralisation have made great progress since 1992, when District Assemblies were established and the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) became operational. Nevertheless, not as much effort has been put into deepening and institutionalising decentralisation in Ghana. The following issues remain, some of which are recurring and cut across the four APRM thematic areas: ? The ability of Parliament to perform its representative, legislative and oversigh functions is still limited. ? Trends over the past few years in key economic parameters reveal considerable progress in stabilising and growing the economy, which is gradually etching towards stability. Slow progress has, however, been made in the structural transformation of the economy. ? Cumbersome government requirements are serious obstacles to business development. ? The quality and availability of health services need improvement. ? School enrolment and retention are still too low, especially in the northern region. ? Corruption is a major governance problem in Ghana. Participants at the various stakeholders' consultations carried out by the CRM have complained about the high levels of corruption in Ghana's public sphere at both the national and regional levels. 20. It is hoped that the implementation of the POA, which has been debated by various stakeholders cutting across the various strata of Ghanaian society, will ameliorate these problems.