Ghana must move away from what the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has described as a “stop-and-go approach” to national development.
He said Ghana needed a more consistent, predictable and transparent approach to development planning to ensure that national infrastructure and other development programmes are sustained over time.
“It’s important that we move away from this stop-and-go approach to national development and have a more consistent, predictable, and transparent approach,” Dr Thompson said.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a Technical Committee tasked with reviewing, updating and finalising the Ghana Infrastructure Plan (GIP).
Dr Thompson said the updated GIP should provide clear direction for infrastructure development while establishing a governance framework to ensure that infrastructure is procured and delivered effectively, efficiently and transparently.
He identified energy, water, transport, including logistics, and digital infrastructure as critical areas requiring attention under the plan.
He also stressed the need to strengthen institutional capacity, decentralise implementation and support the development of Ghana’s construction sector.
The four-month assignment of the Technical Committee includes reviewing the existing GIP against current sector plans, policies, regulations, master plans and investment programmes.
The committee will also update the plan’s results framework and integrate the National Spatial Development Framework into the GIP.
The Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, said the committee would consult relevant stakeholders and update the plan’s indicators and milestones.
It is also expected to propose institutional arrangements for implementation at the national and district levels and identify financing options, including infrastructure bonds, government revenue and public-private partnerships.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its Convenor and Chief Analyst at the NDPC, Mr Daniel Amofa, expressed appreciation for the confidence placed in the members and pledged their commitment to the assignment.
