NDPC to take over economic planning functions
The government is to decouple economic planning functions from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, to strengthen development management by linking plans more closely to budgets.
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The decoupling will ensure that the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) takes over the economic planning functions of the State.
The transfer of functions, according to Dr Nii Moi Thompson, NDPC Director-General, would also ensure that ultimately, all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), as well as municipal, metropolitan, and district assemblies (MMDAs), work with the commission to align their plans with the nation’s development priorities before they are funded by the Ministry of Finance.
President’s directive
A statement issued by the NDPC in Accra said President John Dramani Mahama had already given directives for the decoupling.
It also said the two institutions had met several times to determine the scope and nature of the transfer.
According to the statement, the decoupling process was made known to heads of development co-operation agencies in Ghana, when they paid a working visit to the NDPC headquarters to familiarise themselves with the work of the commission.
The visit also gave the NDPC Director-General the opportunity to explain President Mahama’s transformation agenda, the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda Two (GSGDA 2), as well as other development frameworks of interest to the international development community in Ghana.
The statement said Dr Thompson also talked about the legislative instrument that gave the commission the power to sanction MDAs and MMDAs that did not comply with national planning and budget guidelines, which had been endorsed by the Attorney General’s Department and was ready to go to Cabinet.
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Additionally, it indicated that Dr Thompson fielded a number of questions from the delegation, including the relationship between the Ministry of Finance and the planning commission; the implications of a possible IMF programme for Ghana’s growth and development prospects; the role of the private sector in national development; and efforts by the government to address weaknesses in development management.
IMF programme
The statement said with respect to a possible IMF programme for Ghana, Dr Thompson assured the delegation that such a programme would focus mostly on short-term macro-economic stabilisation, while the commission would focus on medium to long-term economic growth to complement the programme.
“The commission is working closely with the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Ghana to ensure a successful programme,” he said.
The leader of the delegation, Mr Jim Bever, USAID Country Director, expressed appreciation to Dr Thompson and the NDPC for granting them audience and expressed the hope that the two sides would meet more frequently to share ideas.
The delegation included representatives of the United Nations System, the African Development Bank, the European Union, Germany, Denmark, France and the United Kingdom.
Credit: GNA