The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, has called for greater discipline and responsiveness in Ghana’s national development planning process, warning against the proliferation of plans without effective implementation.

He said development would remain meaningless unless planning frameworks translated into concrete outcomes that improved the lives of citizens.

Dr Thompson made the call at a media briefing in Accra on Wednesday, April 2,9 while presenting the State of Development Planning in Ghana.

He said development should be seen as a collective responsibility, stressing that it must be “by the people, about the people, and for the people.”

The NDPC chairman, who also serves as presidential advisor on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscored the need for strong institutions, supported by appropriate laws, regulations, policies, and social values, to drive sustainable national development.

He welcomed ongoing reforms aimed at ensuring that no ministry, department, or agency received public funds without submitting development plans aligned to national priorities.

Dr. Thompson stated that the president had directed the consolidation of multiple development frameworks, including the 40-Year Development Plan, the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter, and Vision 2057, into a single coherent national development plan.

He said the move would eliminate duplication, improve coordination, and enhance accountability in the use of national resources.

Touching on sectoral reforms, Dr. Thompson said institutional restructuring in key areas such as water and electricity was a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth.

He urged state-owned enterprises to improve efficiency and called for enhanced domestic resource mobilisation, particularly at the local government level.

On continental issues, Dr. Thompson condemned recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, describing them as misplaced and largely driven by deep-seated structural challenges rather than competition from foreign nationals.

Drawing on his experience as a former senior economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he explained that South Africa faced significant skills shortages and that immigrants often contributed to job creation rather than job losses.

He attributed the violence to weak institutions and entrenched cultures of extortion, recalling earlier warnings by former South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and former President Thabo Mbeki that the country’s poor education system risked making many young people unemployable.

Dr. Thompson noted that brain drain and deteriorating infrastructure had further worsened the situation and urged respect for African Union protocols that guaranteed freedom of movement across the continent.

He stressed that private individuals had no mandate to enforce immigration laws through violence and commended South Africans who had spoken out against the attacks.

The NDPC Chairman commended the Director-General of the Commission, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, and her team for what he described as their “yeoman’s work” in consolidating inputs from stakeholders into a coherent national development framework.

He said Ghana’s development planning agenda must remain effective, inclusive, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people.