The Policy additionally takes into account the fact that: • Ghana's national debt is a major impediment to economic development; and that, the nation’s average national debt per capita (in 2000) exceeded its annual average gross national income per capita. And that Ghana’s debt burden measured in terms of its annual debt servicing payments do present the country with a major developmental challenge • Ghana’s current gross national income per capita of $340 is lower than the average for SubSaharan African countries estimated at $480 and also lower than that of low-income countries estimated at $420. • Ghana’s aspiration to accelerate its socio-economic development process and achieve a middle income status will require achieving a considerably high growth rate well above its current growth rate. And that Ghana growing at its current economic growth rate will for many years continue to register a gross national income per capita below the current Sub-Sahara Africa average. • Ghana will require a double figure growth rate of between 10% - 12% per annum sustainable over the next fifteen to twenty years to be able to attain a middle income per capita level of between $1000 and $2000 in the next 15 years and over • Historically, Ghana has never achieved a double figure growth rate. And that the highest GDP growth rate the nation has ever achieved was 8.8% in 1984. • A lot of efforts will be required to transform the economy from its current low single digit growth rate to a double digit growth rate. And that anything short of a growth rate between 10% and 12% sustained over a number of years will make it extremely difficult for Ghana to move into the middle income zone in the foreseeable future. Crystallizing the Developmental Challenges Facing the Country Further to taking into account the current status of key socio-economic indicators in guiding the development of the ICT4AD Policy, the Government also recognizes the need to target the Policy at addressing the key developmental challenges facing Ghana –and these include: • The social and economic pressures of a youthful population –-- Ghana’s relatively young population of close to 60% of the population under the age of 25 years do present the country with a number of development challenges. Some of the developmental challenges that Ghana is facing as a result of having a relatively young population include those relating to heavy social expenditure budget in areas like: education, training and provision of health and other social services. • The challenges of turning the youthful population into an asset for development –-- The lack of policies and initiatives targeted at turning the youthful population into a skilled human resource asset to aid the development of the country may translate into a high unemployable population in the years to come. Turning of the youthful population into an asset for development and the 16