Participants at a day’s consultative forum in Tamale on the proposed 40 years long-term comprehensive national development plan have called for an all inclusive approach to its implementation.
The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is soliciting public opinion on the proposed plan expected to fast track the nation’s transformational agenda.
The NDPC has so far organized consultative forums in the Ashanti, Upper East and the Northern Regions.
The Tamale forum brought together technocrats from the Regional, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, Chiefs, students, civil society organizations and the business community.
Representatives of political parties including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), the Peoples National Convention (PNC) and the Great Consolidated Peoples Party (GCPP) lauded the NDPC’s vision.
The PPP’s 2012 running mate, Miss Eva Loko said the proposed plan should be legally mandatory for subsequent governments to adopt.
The GCPP’s leader and 2012 Presidential candidate, Dr. Henry Lartey anticipated that a successful implementation of the plan could ensure economic discipline.
Some selected students from Tamale Girls Senior High (PAGNAA), Ghana Senior High (Ghanasco) and Tamale Senior High Schools (Tamasco) implored policy makers to make feasible the proposed plan.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna called for national consensus on the NDPC’s proposal.
“Indeed the efforts of the National Development Planning Commission must be lauded and supported by all of us because the need for a long-term national development plan is long overdue.”
He bemoaned, “By far the more serious consequence of a lack of a long-term plan has been the dwindling nationalism and rising apathy that seems to be creeping into our nation.”
Alhaji Limuna maintained that political parties must hold supreme the nation’s interest.
“Political parties, regimes and administrations will continue to change but the country Ghana will continue to remain forever: this must be our guiding principle as a nation and we should never turn our backs on this principle.”
He attributed the under-developed nature of the Northern Region to the recurring chieftaincy, land and political conflicts which have inundated the area.
“The persistence of conflicts be it ethnic, religious or political is capable of bringing down any long-term effort that we envisage: if we spend the bulk of our time and energies resolving conflicts and if properly budgeted funds for Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies end up being spent on periodic conflicts there is no way we can achieve development.”
–
By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana