This was revealed by the Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC), which claims that the NPP flag bearer is not in support of a national development plan.
Media and Campaign Co-ordinator for ISODEC, Dr Steve Manteaw, reveals that Nana Akufo-Addo is convinced a long-term development plan will return Ghana to what he terms, “socialist economic planning.”
“I am very much aware that the NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, does not buy into this idea. As at 2012, we had an encounter with him and he had convincing reason why we should not be governed by a long-term development plan.
“His view is that a long-term development plan for Ghana will return us to the command type of socialist economic planning and he thinks that people should be free to provide whatever manifesto they want to be guided by and carry it through,” Dr Manteaw noted.
Dr Manteaw, however, holds the view that a long-term development plan can work only if the plans are restricted to only broad national aspirations.
“I think what is being proposed is not a document that will be very detailed in terms of how this country must be governed. What is being proposed is a broad development framework that sets our national development priorities. You may want to liken this to the Millennium Development Goals or its successor programmes.
“So it sets the broad goal and then political competition will take place within that framework in terms of who has the best strategy to take this country to where we want to get to by 2040, the plan actually should be very broad,” he expatiates.
In a related development, NPP General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has raised issues with the structure and number of members constituting the body that will shepherd the process, that is, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
In respect of the structure, Mr Agyepong argues that it is not proper to have a Director General and Cabinet Ministers serving on one commission; hence he calls for a re-examination of the structure to see if it fits the purpose.
