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Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah Calls for Consistent National Development

By: Elliot Sarpong

Date:

April 30, 2026

The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, has underscored the urgent need for Ghana to adopt a unified and consistent long-term national development plan capable of surviving political transitions and driving sustainable national progress.
Speaking during the Commission’s media briefing on the Strategic Regional Engagements on the Preparation of a Consolidated National Development Plan, Dr. Amoah said Ghana’s future development depends on a coordinated national vision that reflects the aspirations of all regions and citizens.
She explained that the engagements formed part of efforts by the Commission to consolidate existing long-term development blueprints, including the 40-Year Development Plan, the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda and Ghana at 100, into a single comprehensive national framework.
According to her, President John Dramani Mahama tasked the newly inaugurated Eighth Commission on May 20, 2025, to develop one consolidated development plan that would guide Ghana’s growth into the future. Read Also: GRA Rolls Out ITAS For Tax Efficiency
Dr. Amoah noted that the initiative has received strong backing from religious leaders, traditional authorities, policy experts and citizens across the country, many of whom believe a consistent national plan would prevent successive governments from abandoning ongoing projects.
“One of the chiefs during our engagements in the Ahafo Region stressed that a stable national development plan will stop the cycle where new governments discontinue projects started by previous administrations,” she stated.
She revealed that the Commission undertook extensive consultations across all 16 regions to gather inputs on each region’s unique challenges, opportunities and comparative advantages to ensure inclusiveness in the national planning process. http://dailydemocratnewsonline.com
The Director-General emphasized that the engagements were also aimed at strengthening ownership of development plans at the local level, noting that communities are more likely to support projects when they are actively involved in the planning process.
Dr. Amoah highlighted the constitutional mandate of the Commission under Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 Constitution, explaining that the NDPC is responsible for advising the President on development planning, coordinating decentralized planning systems and monitoring national development policies.
She further outlined several flagship government initiatives captured under the current Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework running from 2026 to 2029. These include the 24-hour economy policy, accelerated export development, digital jobs initiatives, the Feed Industry Programme, the Big Push infrastructure programme, the Restore Ghana initiative and Operation Recover All Loot.
The NDPC boss disclosed that out of 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, 191 have had their development plans certified, while 10 out of the 16 Regional Coordinating Councils have also received certification.
She stressed that institutions must prepare approved development plans before accessing public funds, explaining that planning remains critical for accountability, performance assessment, monitoring and effective use of state resources.
Dr. Amoah also expressed concern over gender imbalance within leadership structures at the regional and district levels. Out of 787 participants engaged during the consultations, 635 were men while only 152 were women.
She called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, traditional leaders, civil society and the private sector to ensure the successful implementation of Ghana’s long-term development agenda.

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