NDPC begins development dialogue series May 30

The National Development Planning Commission will roll out a monthly dialogue series to promote discussions on the development of the country and to get inputs from the general public on how best to solve nagging development issues.

Planned to take off on May 30, 2019, the exercise would offer Ghanaians the opportunity to dispassionately discuss development issues bothering them to help find lasting solutions to them.

Expatiating further on the dialogue series, Dr Bediako said the plan was to hold the fora on the third or last Thursday of every month at an agreed venue on the theme, “Ghana at 100”.

The exercise would put the development of the country in the next 40 years in perspective.

The Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Grace Afua Bediako, made this known when she called on the acting Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr K.K. Inkoom, at his office in Accra last Monday.

Her visit was to solicit partnership from the Daily Graphic to champion the ideals of the series and also promote sustainable dialogue on issues raised in the media.

The core mandate of the NDPC is to advise the President on development planning policy and strategy by providing a national development policy framework and ensuring that strategies, including consequential policies and programmes, are effectively carried out to enhance the well-being and living standards of all Ghanaians on a sustainable basis.

Dialogue series

While indicating that the Board Chairman of the NDPC, Professor Stephen Adei, would address the maiden forum this month, Dr Bediako said the series “is meant to generate and sustain interest, and issues raised will be discussed in the media to keep the dialogue going”.

Participants in the series, she said, would be made up of a broad spectrum of people.

“We would want people from civil society organisations, student groups, research institutions and the youth groups who will speak about the issues,” she said.

“The dialogue will seek to bring hope to the Ghanaian,” she added.

Partnership

Mr Inkoom pledged the Daily Graphic’s support in terms of guaranteeing space for the publication of stories from the dialogue series and other events of the NDPC.

He, however, asked that the Commission made available all information on the issues that it would discuss.

“We need a good command of the issues to be able to carry relevant reportage on the activities,” he said.

The acting Editor said, “One big problem we have in this country is that of planning, and we don’t seem to have continuity. Every government comes and pumps money into a project, but unfortunately once a government leaves, all good ideas are abandoned.”

He said, on the contrary, a lot of private institutions planned their programmes and schedules ahead with good results.

Mr Inkoom, therefore, expressed the hope that the dialogue series would re-orient Ghanaians to pursue the development of the country with a future perspective.