After presenting broad constitutional reforms to the President, Ghana has positioned the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) at the center of the nation’s economic strategy, strengthening long-term planning and governance.
Under the proposals from the Constitutional Review Committee, the NDPC would be constitutionally mandated to “serve as the central coordinating, monitoring, and evaluation body for the National Development Plan,” while ministries, agencies, and local governments retain responsibility for implementing the plan within their respective domains.
The National Development Planning Commission was established under Articles 86 and 87 of the 1992 Constitution to advise the President on national development planning policy and strategy, as well as to coordinate economic and social planning across the country. Under its current mandate, the Commission prepares national development plans, monitors and evaluates government programmes, and provides strategic analysis to guide long‑term development efforts.
Embedding the NDPC more firmly in the Constitution aims to reduce policy fragmentation and improve alignment across sectors. Globally, effective planning bodies play a pivotal role in coordinating long‑term development frameworks, ensuring that governments move beyond short‑term political cycles.
In Ghana, the NDPC’s current statutory mandate already includes preparing national development plans, monitoring government programmes, and making strategic policy recommendations, functions that the proposed constitutional changes would solidify as part of the governance architecture.
Beyond structural elevation, the report emphasises that the NDPC must remain strictly non‑partisan. It states that the Commission “shall not express opinions on the merits of any party or candidate manifesto.” Its role in assessing political programme submissions, the report adds, would be strictly technical: “its certification or notification shall be factual and technical in nature and shall not rank, compare, endorse, or criticise political programmes.” This provision is designed to preserve institutional neutrality while ensuring that policy direction remains consistent with the long‑term interests of the economy.
Unpredictable policy shifts when governments change have long disrupted continuity in national planning, often sidelining long-term strategies for short-term political priorities. Anchoring the NDPC’s evaluations in technical consistency with the National Development Plan rather than political considerations would create a more stable framework, helping ensure that policy decisions support sustained economic planning and reduce the risk of abrupt reversals.
A second pillar of the reforms focuses on turning broad development goals into measurable benchmarks. The report requires that “a long‑term or medium‑term national development plan, with defined objectives, targets, and milestones, shall be prepared… for the progressive realisation of the goals and objectives set out in the Directive Principles of State Policy.” Adding measurable targets to national planning would extend the NDPC’s mandate beyond coordination to include tracking progress against clearly defined outcomes, a change seen as essential for strengthening accountability, improving public sector performance, and building confidence in how government development goals are pursued.
