The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has emphasised that tackling corruption and promoting strong national values are essential for Ghana’s development, warning that weak ethical standards continue to undermine the effective use of public resources.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in the North East Region, he indicated that development plans must be grounded in strong societal values if they are to achieve meaningful results. “For every development plan, whether national, regional or institutional, after stating the vision, mission and objectives, it is equally important to define the core values that binds it together,” he stated.
Dr Thompson highlighted that corruption and the misuse of public resources remain major obstacles to development, noting that in some cases revenue collected by district assemblies do not even reach official accounts. “If the right values exist, revenue collected will reach the district’s account. But if the prevailing value is to divert or misuse funds, development will always be constrained,” he explained.
He added that integrity, accountability and professionalism must guide public administration to ensure that resources intended for development are used effectively.
The Chairman further pointed out that corruption and inefficiency reduce the country’s capacity to implement development plans. He explained that development challenges often arise not because problems are unknown, but because resources intended to address them are diverted. “The challenge is not that our development plans fail to identify the problems we face. In many cases, the problems are clearly captured in the plans. The real difficulty lies in implementing those plans and ensuring that resources intended for development are used for their designated purposes,” he said.
The Director General of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, also highlighted the importance of strategic planning and accountability in achieving sustainable development outcomes. She explained that the Commission provides guidelines and review mechanisms to ensure that development plans prepared by ministries, departments, agencies and districts align with national development policy frameworks. “When the plans reach us, we subject them to the policy framework, the guidelines and all applicable laws. Institutions are then given comments, and only when these are satisfactorily addressed do we issue certificates,” she explained.
Dr Amoah further emphasised the role of development plans in monitoring performance and ensuring accountability across the country’s decentralised governance system. “Even audits and monitoring exercises begin with the plan. They first ask: ‘What did you plan to do, and what have you actually done?’” she said, adding that delays in district submissions could affect regional and national planning processes.
Hon Ibrahim Tia, North East Regional Minister, commended the Commission for engaging stakeholders in the region and emphasised the importance of inclusive development planning. “Development planning is most effective when it reflects the voices, aspirations and priorities of the people it seeks to serve,” he stated, urging participants to actively contribute ideas that will help accelerate socio-economic transformation in the region and across the country.
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