Authority
Act,
2006
(Act
707);
the
Domestic
Violence
Act,
2007
(Act
732);
and
the
Criminal
Code
Amendment
Act
of
2007
(Act
741).
The
year
also
witnessed
Government
signing
MOUs
with
a
number
of
chiefs
and
elders
in
the
Greater
Accra
Region
that
will
pave
the
way
for
government
to
release
a
percentage
of
the
lands
it
acquired
to
its
original
owners.
Both
the
Ghana
Police
Service
and
the
Ghana
Prison
Service
are
changing
focus.
The
focus
of
the
Police
Service
is
on
forming
strategic
partnership
with
the
public
in
the
fight
against
crime.
Community
Policing
is
now
being
encouraged
to
involve
local
communities
in
identifying
potential
crime
problems
and
together
with
the
police
map
out
strategies
to
check
them.
The
Ghana
Prison
Service
is
changing
its
focus
to
become
more
of
a
correctional
service
that
focuses
on
reformation
and
rehabilitation.
The
economy
continues
to
withstand
the
pressure
of
the
global
financial
meltdown.
The
country
is
yet
to
witness
the
upheavals
that
have
swept
through
a
number
of
developing
countries.
The
initiatives
by
Government
to
mitigate
the
impact
of
the
economic
crises
on
Ghanaians
will
invariably
impact
on
national
debt.
The
spread
between
budget
allocations
and
actual
disbursements
pose
a
major
challenge
to
the
effective
implementation
of
activities
under
the
National
Programme
of
Action.
On
the
corporate
front,
the
public
sector
reform
is
yielding
dividends,
especially
for
business
registration
processes.
Stakeholders
welcomed
Government’s
commitment
to
deal
with
the
issue
of
child
labour
through
the
National
Programme
for
the
Elimination
of
the
Worst
Forms
of
Child
Labour
in
the
Cocoa
Sector.
The
increasing
interest
rates
and
depreciation
of
the
Cedi
pose
challenges
for
businesses.
Stakeholders
welcomed
the
reduction
in
the
prevalence
rate
of
HIV/AIDS
and
the
free
maternal
health
care
policy.
7