NDPC briefs Chief Justice and Speaker of Parliament

Accra, July 12, GNA - Director General of the National Development Planning Commission, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, at the weekend briefed the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Doe Adjaho, and Chief Justice Mrs Georgina Woode, on preparations for Ghana's long-term development plan.

A statement issued by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) said Dr Thompson highlighted Ghana's readiness for a long-term national development plan as was captured in one chapter of the Constitution Review Commission's report of 2011.

Dr Thompson said the long-term national development plan is expected to span 40 years (2018-2057), and 'will be flexible enough for any government to draw up its own medium-term plans towards achieving the vision and goals of the plan, which are based on the Constitution and in particular, the Directive Principles of State Policy'.

The statement said he was accompanied by some commissioners of the NDPC, including Dr Samuel Nii-Noi Ashong, current Chairman of the Commission's Economic Policy Committee and former Deputy Finance Minister in the Kufuor's administration; Mr Eben Anuwa Amarh; and Dr David Millar, Chairman of the NDPC Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and Vice-Chancellor/Rector of Millar Institute for Trans-disciplinary and Development Studies.

Dr Thompson presented NDPC souvenirs to the Speaker and Chief Justice 'to serve as a reminder of the Commission's ongoing attempts at rebranding and making itself more visible and accessible to the public'.

The statement said the Chief Justice expressed confidence in the future despite the challenges facing the nation and appealed for the judiciary to be included in the national infrastructure plan as most of the courts built about 40 years ago are in deplorable states across the country.

The NDPC said the speaker also reiterated the essence of involving the people and the political leaders in the whole process in order for the long-term development plan to come to fruition.

'Both the Speaker and the Chief Justice commended NDPC for the initiative shown and the hard work so far and supported its efforts to get all hands on deck', the statement said.

GNA