Story by, Paul Mensah Nsor
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has reiterated its commitment to coordinating Ghana’s decentralized planning system and advancing a consolidated national development plan that integrates existing long-term visions and medium-term policies.
Speaking at the NDPC press briefing on the commission’s strategic regional engagements, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, Director General of the NDPC, outlined the legal and institutional basis for the commission’s work and described the operational procedures guiding plan preparation, certification and implementation across national, regional and district levels.
Dr. Amoah said the commission’s mandate is rooted in Articles 86 and 87 of the Constitution and operationalized through key statutes including Acts 479 and 480—along with other laws such as the Civil Service Act, the Public Financial Management Act, the Local Governance Act and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act. The NDPC advises the President on development planning, policy and strategy, conducts studies to propose structural reforms and coordinates monitoring and evaluation across sectors and sub-national institutions.
Dr. Amoah highlighted priority initiatives under the framework, including:
Economic: “24 hour” economy, accelerated export development, Jumara program, Black Star Experience (tourism and cultural heritage), digital jobs and agri-processing initiatives.
Social: paid-for tertiary initiatives, Bright Beginnings for early childhood development, Furniture for All for basic schools, support for informal sector workers, pensions and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund addressing non-communicable diseases.
Environment & infrastructure: Restore Ghana, Clean Up Ghana, Light Up Ghana (electrification) and disaster risk reduction programs.
Governance & institutions: operations to strengthen recovery and electoral and judicial infrastructure, and community crime prevention programs.
International relations: diaspora engagement, peacekeeping, economic diplomacy and the e-visa program.
Dr. Amoah described the NDPC’s process for preparing and certifying plans across ministries, regional coordinating councils (RCCs) and the 261 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs). The commission issues guidelines and a checklist for RCCs to accelerate sub-district reviews. Plans submitted to the NDPC are reviewed against policy frameworks and legal requirements, and institutions must address NDPC comments before receiving certification. Certification qualifies assemblies and institutions to access implementation funds.
She stressed that planning must precede funding to ensure performance assessment, monitoring, and financial accountability. Certified plans inform district ranking systems and performance assessments that determine funding allocations. The NDPC coordinates national-level monitoring and evaluation, with sectors, regions and districts staffed by dedicated planning and coordination units. Delays at any level, she warned, impact the NDPC’s ability to compile national progress reports for Parliament.
Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, NDPC Chairman and Senior Advisor to the President on the SDGs, detailed the commission’s priorities and warned that weak institutions and uncoordinated planning continue to undermine growth.
“Development is collective by the people, about the people and for the people but it requires effective and responsive institutions,” Dr. Thompson said, stressing that laws, regulations, policies and social norms must align to translate plans into tangible outcomes. He called for both effectiveness doing the right things and responsiveness doing them at the right time.
A central initiative highlighted by the NDPC is the enforcement of a “no plan, no cash” principle. The measure, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and parliamentary stakeholders, will withhold budget allocations from ministries, departments, agencies and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that do not present vetted plans aligned with government development priorities. The commission is also working with parliamentary committees to formalize the approach through legislation.
Dr. Thompson identified persistent disconnects that hinder progress: between national plans and budgets, between spatial/land-use plans and sectoral plans (agriculture, industry, services), and between institutional mandates and delivery. He warned that unchecked urban commercialization notably the proliferation of used-car markets in open spaces and on pavements reflects broader failures in spatial planning and enforcement, undermining safety and urban liveability.
The NDPC will advocate for the creation of designated auto zones in major and smaller assemblies to regulate vehicle sales and reclaim public space. The commission is also advancing a consolidated National Development Plan, informed by recommendations from the Constitution Review Commission and regional engagements, which Dr. Thompson said will anchor state policy and institutional reforms if legislated by Parliament.
Sector-specific concerns raised at the briefing included the performance of state-owned enterprises and critical utilities. The NDPC criticized inefficiencies and mission drift at the Ghana Water Company, noting an increase in non-revenue water and what it described as unaccountable diversification into bottled water production. Electricity challenges were also highlighted: while access levels are high, per-capita consumption remains low a constraint on industrialisation and value addition that the commission says must be addressed alongside infrastructure improvements.
Local governance issues formed a significant part of the discussion. Dr. Thompson recounted findings from engagements with representatives from all 16 regions and 261 district assemblies, identifying weak revenue mobilization, promotion of informality, and leakages including cases where revenue collectors earned more in fees than they remitted. The NDPC intends to compile these findings into a report to inform the consolidated plan and push for institutional reforms that improve accountability at the local level.
The NDPC is targeting completion of the consolidated National Development Plan and its accompanying institutional reform framework by the end of the year. Once finalised, the plan will be presented to Parliament for consideration and potential legislation. The commission said these steps are essential to translate the many existing development plans into measurable, fiscally-backed actions that deliver visible results for Ghanaians.
