NDPC

NDPC Director-General Presents Recent Planning Guidelines and National Development Policy Frameworks at KNUST

The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, on Thursday, 30 July 2026, engaged faculty, students, and planning and built environment practitioners and professionals at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) during a policy dialogue session organised by the Department of Planning as part of activities marking the 65th Ghana Association of Student Planners (GASP) Week celebration. The session provided a platform for meaningful dialogue on strengthening Ghana's development planning system and deepening collaboration between academia and the Commission.

In his welcome address, the Head of the Department of Planning, Prof. Charles Peprah, warmly welcomed the Director-General back to her alma mater and described the engagement as a valuable opportunity to strengthen the link between planning education and professional practice. He encouraged students and faculty to take advantage of the session to gain first hand insights into the NDPC's planning guidelines and Ghana's evolving national development policy framework.

Chairing the session, the Provost of the College of Art and Built Environment, Prof. Christian Koranteng, challenged participants to move beyond diagnosing development challenges and focus on implementing practical solutions. He called for renewed commitment from academia and policy institutions to address the persistent gap between policy formulation and implementation, urging stakeholders to identify barriers to implementation, define the role that academia could play in addressing those challenges, and determine the support the Commission required from the University. He concluded by reminding participants that "Ghana does not need more plans; she needs fewer excuses," and urged all present to "stop discussing the problem and start dismantling it."

Delivering the keynote presentation on *Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Practice: An Analysis of the Planning Guidelines and National Development Planning in Ghana*, Dr Amoah outlined the constitutional and legal framework underpinning Ghana's national development planning system. She discussed the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (2025 to 2029), the Medium Term National Development Policy Framework, the recently issued planning guidelines, the policy formulation process, and the ongoing development of a Consolidated National Development Plan.

She emphasised the need for stronger coordination, evidence based planning, effective monitoring and evaluation, and a greater focus on implementation to achieve sustainable and inclusive national development. The Director-General also highlighted the Resetting Ghana Agenda, which seeks to create jobs, promote accountability, and foster shared prosperity while advancing the country's long term development objectives.

The presentation was followed by an interactive discussion during which faculty members, students, and planning practitioners exchanged views on long term national planning, policy implementation, monitoring and evaluation, accountability, data management, and strategies for translating development policies into measurable outcomes. In response to participants' questions, the Director-General clarified that the Medium Term National Development Policy Framework operationalises the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies by translating its broad policy direction into policy objectives, strategies, and responsible institutions across the development dimensions.

She explained that the structure of the two documents reflects their complementary roles. She also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability through Parliament's oversight of Annual Progress Reports (APRs) submitted by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), noting that similar accountability mechanisms would be extended to the district level to strengthen implementation and improve development outcomes.

The dialogue reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between the NDPC and academia in strengthening Ghana's development planning system and equipping future planners with the knowledge and practical skills required to support national development.
𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐭

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NDPC Director-General Highlights Implementation, Monitoring and Accountability Mechanisms in the Revised National Urban Policy (2026-2035)

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has stressed that the successful implementation of Ghana’s Revised National Urban Policy (2026–2035) will depend on coordinated action across national, sectoral, regional and district level institutions, supported by effective monitoring, evaluation and strong accountability mechanisms.

The Director-General of NDPC, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, made the remarks during a live studio discussion on GTV’s Public Concern – The Urban Agenda programme on Tuesday, 28 July 2026. The discussion, held under the theme “Ghana’s Revised National Urban Policy: Can It Transform the Country’s Cities and Communities?”, followed the recent launch of the Revised National Urban Policy and the National Slum Upgrading Strategy.

Dr Amoah said the revised policy seeks to make Ghana’s cities and towns more liveable, resilient and productive over the next decade by promoting sustainable urban development and improving the quality of life of citizens. She noted that lessons from the implementation of the 2012 National Urban Policy, which achieved about 50 per cent of its targets, had informed the review processes. According to her, the revised policy addresses gaps identified under the previous policy, particularly in institutional coordination, dissemination, implementation and follow-up monitoring.

She explained that the policy clearly defines the roles of national and sub-national institutions within Ghana’s decentralised planning system, requiring ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), regional coordinating councils (RCCs) and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to work collaboratively in delivering its objectives. The revised policy also provides clearer implementation arrangements by outlining specific activities and identifying the institutions responsible for their delivery, making it easier to monitor progress and strengthen institutional accountability.

Highlighting the country’s preparedness for implementation, Dr Amoah noted that almost all public sector institutions had completed their Medium-Term Development Plans for the 2026–2029 planning period. She explained that these plans were certified by NDPC after haven been assessed for consistency with the national development planning guidelines, the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework, relevant sector legislation and applicable national development policies…Read more: https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/media_center/blog_details/ndpc-director-general-highlights-implementation-monitoring-and-accountability-mechanisms-in-the-revised-national-urban-policy-2026-2035

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Join us this evening on GTV’s Public Concern – The Urban Agenda as Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), joins the discussion on “Ghana’s Revised National Urban Policy: Can It Transform the Country’s Cities and Communities?”

NDPC, Africa HCD+ Convene Stakeholders to Advance Human Capital Development Strategy

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in partnership with Africa Human Capital Development Plus (Africa HCD+), has opened a three day advocacy workshop to build stakeholder support and strengthen coordination for Ghana's forthcoming National Human Capital Development Strategy.

The three day workshop, which began on Monday, 27 July 2026 will bring together representatives from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), civil society organisations, development partners, academia and other key stakeholders. The workshop aims to strengthen advocacy, promote collaboration and build broad based ownership to support the development and effective implementation of Ghana's National Human Capital Development Strategy.

Delivering the opening remarks, the Director General of NDPC, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, said the workshop forms part of a broader effort to build political, institutional and public support for Ghana's human capital agenda. She noted that although Ghana has made significant progress in expanding access to education, health and social protection, key human capital indicators continue to present challenges that require urgent and coordinated action.

Dr Amoah stated that junior high school and senior high school enrolment had declined to 58.8 percent and 34.5 percent, respectively, while unemployment stood at about 13 percent in the third quarter of 2025. She further noted that child stunting remained at 17.4 percent, with anaemia affecting nearly half of children under five..Read more: https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/media_center/blog_details/ndpc-africa-hcd-convene-stakeholders-to-advance-human-capital-development-strategy

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NDPC Briefs Speaker of Parliament on Ghana Consolidated National Development Plan For Economic Transformation and Shared Prosperity

The chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, on Wednesday, 22nd July 2026, briefed the Speaker of Parliament, the Right Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, on the Commission’s ongoing efforts to prepare a national development plan to guide Ghana’s economic, social and institutional development across governments in the future to ensure continuity, , consistency and better development results.

Dr. Thompson informed the Speaker that the Commission had begun compiling four existing development plans, which were prepared in the past 10 years but were not implemented, into a Ghana Consolidated National Development Plan, which the Commission expects to be adopted by Parliament as “the legislated will of the people” to ensure its implementation across governments and electoral cycles for the benefit of all Ghanaians. The four plans are the 40-Year Development Plan (2016); Ghana Beyond Aid (2019); Ghana@100 (2019), and Vision 2057 (2024).

The preparation of the Ghana Consolidated National Development Plan and the integration of the four existing plans forms part of the Commission’s evaluation of Ghana’s “unfinished business of development” in the 70 years since independence and the preparation of a “Road Map for Economic Transformation and Shared Prosperity” in the medium-to-long term.

According to Dr. Thompson, Ghana has been stuck in a “middle-income trap” since it became a lower middle-income country in 2010, and that it risks remaining there, or slipping back to low-income status, unless Parliament adopts the Consolidatead Plan as a strategic framework to guide the preparation of medium-term plans and their annual action plans..Read more: https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/media_center/blog_details/ndpc-briefs-speaker-of-parliament-on-ghana-consolidated-national-development-plan-for-economic-transformation-and-shared-prosperity

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NDPC, AFIDEP Strengthen Partnership to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment and Discuss Gender-Responsive Budgeting training

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration to advance the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme and support gender-responsive approaches to development planning in Ghana.

The commitment was reaffirmed during a courtesy call by an AFIDEP delegation, led by its Executive Director, Dr. Eliya Zulu, to the NDPC on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. The engagement focused on the next phase of collaboration between the two institutions following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this year, as well as preparations for a Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Planning (GRB) training programme for selected districts in Ghana.

Speaking during the meeting, Dr. Eliya Zulu described AFIDEP as a pan-African research and policy institute committed to strengthening evidence-informed policymaking across the continent. He noted that the Institute works to ensure that research evidence translates into improved development outcomes and enhanced well-being for citizens…Read more: https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/media_center/blog_details/ndpc-afidep-strengthen-partnership-to-advance-womens-economic-empowerment-and-discuss-gender-responsive-budgeting-training

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GMet Presents Ghana Climate Atlas to NDPC, Seeks Partnership on Climate-Informed Development Planning

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has presented the Ghana Climate Atlas to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) as part of efforts to strengthen the integration of climate information into Ghana’s national development planning and decision-making processes.

The engagement, held on Monday, 20th July 2026 followed GMet’s request for a strategic partnership with NDPC to demonstrate how the Atlas can support policy formulation, development planning, public investment decisions and climate risk management.

Opening the presentation, a Principal Meteorologist at GMet, Ms Maureen Abla Ahiataku, explained that the Agency’s mandate is to provide weather and climate services that protect lives and property and support socio-economic development. These services include marine and aviation forecasting, numerical weather prediction, public weather updates and the provision of climate data…Read more: https://www.ndpc.gov.gh/media_center/blog_details/gmet-presents-ghana-climate-atlas-to-ndpc-seeks-partnership-on-climate-informed-development-planning

Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet)

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