Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Prof. Vladimir Antwi Danso has called for the strengthening of the role of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.
This he says will enable the Commission to fulfill its core mandate.
Prof. Antwi Danso is worried that the functions of the NDPC as established to advise the government on development planning policy has not been binding on all political parties over the years.
“I think what the constitution meant for the directive principles of state policy is that the NDPC will become the development organ of Ghana. So, every development idea would have come from them and not another government. They will plan the country so that the political parties will go to them and beg them from where they will write their manifesto and see who is best fit to run the country, but we are not doing that because of partisanship”, he told Citi News.
According to the international relations analyst, there is an urgent need to revise Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 constitution, which define the role of the NDPC.
This when done, Prof. Antwi Danso believes will compel political parties to commit to the Commission’s activities.
In accordance with Article 87 of the 1992 Constitution, the core mandate of the NDPC is to “advise the President on development planning policy and strategy”, and, “at the request of the President or Parliament, or on its own initiative,” do the following:
(a) Study and make strategic analyses of macroeconomic and structural reform options;
(b) Make proposals for the development of multi-year rolling plans taking into consideration the resource potential and comparative advantage of the different districts of Ghana;
(c) Make proposals for the protection of the natural and physical environment;
(d) Make proposals for ensuring the even development of the districts of Ghana by the effective utilisation of available resources; and
(e) Monitor, evaluate and coordinate development policies, programmes and projects.
The Commission, according to the Constitution, “shall also perform such other functions relating to development planning as the President may direct”.