The People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) have endorsed the National Developmental Policy framework by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) which would be launched on August 4, 2015.
The approval followed steps taken by the Commission, in relation to a Constitutional Review Commission’s report of 2011, to establish a long-term national development plan that will ensure continuity in governance even in the midst of change of government.
The two political parties endorsed the National Developmental Policy framework during an interaction with Executives of the National Development Planning Commission in Accra.
[contextly_sidebar id=”j3Wf7JynoAxN0zDap4LzzxFCaFCPP1jL”]The Interaction formed part of the NDPC’s consultations with all political parties, former Presidents – Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, and other democratic bodies on the 40-year National Development Policy draft.
The PNC National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, said the steps taken by the Commission is in the right direction and it must be supported by every Ghanaian, irrespective of one’s political ideology.
The PNC General Secretary, Bernard Mornah, said it is important that the country re-visits the era of development plans to shape the destiny of the country.
According to him, the PNC wants the framework to be part of the demands of the Constitution so that the content will be binding on all political parties.
The leader of the GCPP, Dr Henry Lartey, assured the NDPC of his party’s full support and commitment in the plan.
Dr Lartey said GCPP is a pluralist party that supports both capitalism and socialism; therefore the party is ready to support any step that would promote national cohesion and development.
“I am looking forward to see a policy framework that would support an all inclusive governance,” he added.
The NDPC Director General, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, told the parties that the long-term national development plan, which is expected to span 40 years between 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, especially the Directive Principles of State Policy.
He noted that, the lack of cohesion and synergy in developmental planning is a problem facing the nation, therefore, the probability of some of the plans being altered when there is a change of government is very high.
“For a long time now, the nation has had series of plans and currently, the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda one and two, which serves as a reference point for the government between 2014 and 2017, is a short term plan,” Dr Thomson said.
He said the long term plan will ensure cohesion such that the government in power continues the work of the previous government so that it does not put the development of the country into instability.
Source: GNA