The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has underscored the urgent need for improved infrastructure and stronger institutional reforms as Ghana works toward developing a Consolidated National Development Plan.
Speaking at a consultative engagement in Wa in the Upper West Region, Dr Thompson reflected on his first visit to the area more than three decades ago and expressed concern that several development challenges in the region remain unresolved.
“Over the past thirty-three years, the world has undergone tremendous transformation… yet we have struggled to construct a simple road connecting two major regions of our country,” he said, describing the situation as a telling reflection of the country’s development journey.
Dr Thompson explained that the Commission is currently working to merge several national development frameworks into a single, comprehensive plan to guide Ghana’s long term growth. He said the proposed Consolidated National Development Plan will prioritise infrastructure expansion, spatial development, institutional reforms and decentralisation, while drawing direction from the Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the 1992 Constitution.
“Infrastructure development is not only about bringing in external contractors to build roads for us; we must also develop our own construction industry and domestic capacity,” he stated.
He also stressed that national progress must be anchored on discipline and strong values, noting that development goes beyond physical projects and economic indicators.
“Development is not only about infrastructure and economic indicators but also about integrity, law and order, and the pursuit of excellence,” he added.
The Director General of the NDPC, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, also highlighted the importance of effective planning and timely reporting by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in strengthening national development coordination.
She explained that Ghana’s planning system functions through a chain that connects district, regional and national levels, where reports from the lower levels feed into broader national monitoring processes.
“One person’s output becomes the input for the next level,” Dr Amoah said, adding that delays in submitting district reports could affect the preparation of the National Annual Progress Report.
She further emphasised that development planning is just as important for institutions as it is for individuals. Using a simple analogy, she explained that “if a woman goes to the market without a list, she may return with items she did not plan for and even miss something very important.”
Dr Amoah therefore urged local authorities to ensure that development plans are properly prepared, implemented and monitored to address the real needs of communities.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, described the engagement as timely as Ghana moves to harmonise its various long term development frameworks. He noted that initiatives such as the 40 Year Long Term National Development Plan, the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter and Ghana@100 contain valuable ideas that must be aligned into a single national development blueprint.
