The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) is committed to ensuring that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs) receive the necessary assistance and direction to create Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) that meet certification and approval requirements.
To accomplish this, the NDPC held a session with the NDPC’s Technical Staff on Wednesday to discuss how to best support MDAs, MMDAs and Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) to develop comprehensive and cohesive plans for the years 2026 to 2029.
Key stakeholders’ feedback on the present Guidelines (2022-2025) will help shape the 2026-2029 Planning Guidelines, which will support Ministries to create Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) that are compliant with past planning cycles.
The Director-General of NDPC, Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, pointed out that the capacity at the District and MDA levels needed to be reviewed to ensure the interpretation capabilities of the guidelines and ensure effective implementation.
He stated, “The planning guidelines will shape the development of the nation for the next planning cycle, which is very crucial for the review by the technical staff of the commission.”
Dr. Abrampa underlined the significance of developing National Policy measures following the planning cycle, which comprises integrating the President’s vision as outlined in the constitution, considering political party manifestos and balancing current policies.
He noted that the Political Party manifestos were quoted as primary sources of policies, given their role in securing mandates from the public.
He added that the president’s vision, as outlined in the constitution, also plays a crucial role in shaping national policies in the form of the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Policy (CPESDP).
“The recommendations that the Commission gave to Municipal and Metropolitan District Assemblies (MMDAs), Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), are the basis on which the MTDPs are produced,” he said.
The Director-General stated that maintaining current projects and assessing whether it is feasible to begin new ones depend heavily on the Public Investment Programme (PIP).
He outlined the connection between the Fiscal Framework and the Medium-Term Development Plan and said ongoing assessment and monitoring were essential to guarantee the efficacy, efficiency and relevance of projects and policies that were put into action.
To enable the early implementation of MTDPs, Dr. Abrampa underlined the need for the new guidelines to be drafted as soon as possible.