<<Print>>

Following the August 4, 2015 launch by President Mahama for the preparation of work on the 40-year development plan, the NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, says he finds the structure of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) responsible for the implementation problematic.

According to him, the structure is huge and it may not work as expected because there a lot of people involved which will create too much cost for the country on their meeting allowances and feeding.

Speaking on Okay Fm’s "Ade Akye Abia" Morning Show, Kwabena Agyepong insisted the NDPC commissioners are too many, and doubted if the over 35 commissioners can work together and keep the project running.

He explained that “once there is a Director-General, I think the structure and direction itself is too large...you cannot have cabinet ministers and a Director-General serving on one commission, and I think the whole structure is a bit complicated and we have to look at the structure of the NDPC to see if it fits for the purpose”.

Inasmuch as he agrees with the long term planning preparation work, he suggested the structure has to be trimmed down; adding that the involvement of political parties’ appointees in the consultation exercise will not inure to the benefit of the actual work.

He however disagreed with the consultation the commission wants to embark on in the country as there are a lot of development document already which needs to be put together for review.

He therefore urged the commissioners to get experts in the various areas of the development planning to discuss the way forward; stressing that “the overheads will be too much in the team to go round for the consultation exercise”.