The Board Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has called for a renewed public understanding of long-term national planning, arguing that widespread misconceptions about its purpose have hampered Ghana’s development agenda and weakened commitment to policy continuity.
Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face programme on Tuesday, June 9, Dr Thompson stressed that long-term development plans should not be viewed as projections of what governments intend to do decades into the future, but rather as strategic frameworks that guide present-day decisions needed to secure sustainable national progress.
“We need to demystify long-term planning,” he stated. “A long-term plan is not what you are going to do in the long term, but what you need to do in the short term to guarantee the good life.”
According to Dr Thompson, misunderstanding the concept of long-term planning contributed significantly to the inadequate implementation of Ghana’s 40-year National Development Plan, despite its importance in shaping the country’s future.
He observed that some critics wrongly portrayed the plan as an agenda whose benefits would only be realised after several decades, leading many to question its relevance.
“It was twisted that in 40 years, everybody will be dead. The 40-year plan was supposed to start in 2018, but we missed strategic targets, such as electricity consumption. The gaps kept opening up because no one was referring to the plan,” he explained.
Dr Thompson maintained that long-term development plans are intended to provide broad strategic direction while informing the policies, investments and programmes governments undertake in the short and medium term.
Rather than prescribing detailed actions for future generations, he said such plans establish clear national objectives that successive administrations can pursue consistently to achieve sustainable economic and social transformation.
He emphasised that continuity in development planning is essential if Ghana is to address persistent structural challenges and avoid policy reversals that often accompany changes in government.
Dr Thompson’s remarks come at a time when discussions on long-term national planning have gained renewed attention, with policymakers and development experts advocating stronger institutional commitment to strategic planning to accelerate Ghana’s development and ensure lasting socio-economic progress.
