A Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has called for an end to short-term, politically branded development programmes in favour of long-term national policies that transcend successive governments if the country is to realise the vision of late President John Evans Atta Mills.

He explained that the nation’s inability to sustain development initiatives beyond electoral cycles had contributed to the country’s slow socio-economic progress, despite its enormous human and natural resources.

“This requires long-term planning and execution. What we have instead is a succession of politically named programmes that disappear when the president who launched them leaves office,” he said.

He said this while delivering the 14th Anniversary Commemorative Lecture in honour of the late President in Accra. 

Event

It formed part of a weeklong series of events organised by the J.E.A. Mills Memorial Heritage to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the passing of former President John Evans Atta Mills.

The lecture brought together various stakeholders and admirers of the former President, including senior government and public officials, academia, industry leaders, among others and was chaired by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hannah Tetteh. 

Attributes

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng described President Mills as a leader whose administration was anchored in integrity, humility, accountability and the rule of law.

He said the late President demonstrated his commitment to ethical leadership by reducing the size of government, removing ministers accused of misconduct and initiating constitutional reforms aimed at improving governance.

He then drew contrasts of that record with what he described as a growing culture of impunity in public life, arguing that accountability must never depend on which political party is in power.

Missed opportunities

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng also lamented the country’s persistent failure to pursue long-term national development plans, citing the abandonment of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s Seven-Year Development Plan after the 1966 coup as one of the country’s greatest missed opportunities.

He said the nation had similarly failed to fully leverage opportunities presented during the tenure of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi, Annan, and had neglected research institutions capable of driving technological advancement.

He maintained that the country’s development challenges stemmed largely from inadequate investment in science, technology and innovation, insisting that “the poverty gap is a technology gap.”

The renowned heart surgeon further criticised the underfunding of universities, research institutions and environmental regulators, warning that governments were gradually abandoning their responsibility to build institutions capable of supporting sustainable development.

Way forward

He, therefore, urged governments to invest consistently in education, science, technology and innovation, strengthen institutions, uphold integrity in public office and pursue industrialisation through a knowledge-based economy rather than dependence on raw material exports.

On the welfare of citizens, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said millions of Ghanaians continued to struggle with rising transport costs, housing shortages, food insecurity and increasing utility tariffs, despite improvements in some macroeconomic indicators.

He proposed a comprehensive national transport strategy, affordable housing reforms, stronger food security interventions and sustained investment in public institutions to improve living conditions.