The Director General of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, has briefed President Mahama and ex-presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Jerry John Rawlings on preparations to launch, on August 4, this year, a long-term development plan for Ghana.
Briefing the President and the ex-presidents during separate courtesy calls on July 6 and 7, 2015, Dr. Thompson said the fact that an entire chapter of the Constitution Review Commission’s report of 2011 was devoted to calls by Ghanaians for a long-term national development plan, means that the country is ready to take a longer view of national development, and anticipate and address problems before they occur.
Dr. Thompson was accompanied by some Commissioners of the Commission, including Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Vice Chairperson; Dr. Samuel Nii-Noi Ashong, former Deputy Finance Minister under the Kufuor administration and current Chairman of the Commission’s Economic Policy Committee, as well as Dr. David Millar, Vice-Chancellor/Rector of Millar Institute for Trans Disciplinary and Development Studies, Millar Open University, and Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Dr. Thompson stated that the long-term national development plan, which is expected to span 40 years (2018-2057), “will be flexible enough for any government to draw up its own medium-term plans towards achieving the vision and goals of the plan, which are based on the Constitution, in particular the Directive Principles of State Policy.”
Dr. Thompson presented each of them with souvenirs of the Commission, as a reminder of the Commission’s ongoing attempts at rebranding and making itself more visible and accessible to the public.
On her part, the Vice Chairperson of the Commission, Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye, indicated that the Commission was mindful of the President and ex-presidents’ interest in the long-term development of the country, hence the need for the Commission to personally brief them on preparations, and invite them to the launch. The three expressed appreciation to the Commission for its hard work, and, in various degrees, advised it to make the preparation of the long-term development plan as inclusive as possible.
In particular, they emphasised the need to include all shades of political opinions in the process.
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