NDPC meets over Transformational Agenda for Ghana

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has met with the Parliamentary Select Committee on poverty reduction to deliberate on the President’s Transformation Agenda (TA).

The TA is known officially as the coordinated programme of economic and social development policies, 2014-2020.

A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday said the meeting, which took place at the premises of the Commission in Accra, also discussed the second Ghana shared Growth Development Agenda (GSGDA II), which covers 2014 to 2017 and is based on the TA.

It said the two documents which were submitted by President John Dramani Mahama to Parliament in December 2014 would be debated by the full house when members return from recess at the end of January.

The statement said the committee which was led by its Chairman, Mr George Arthur represented one of the few occasions when Parliament, with the permission of the speaker, held hearings outside of Parliament.

It said Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Director General, NDPC, explained that the 1992 Constitution requires every president to within two years of assuming office, present a coordinated programme to parliament as a guide to the country’s social and economic development.

The statement however quoted Dr Thompson as saying: “President Mahama decided to devote his coordinated programme to transformation as a complement to his government’s efforts at macro-economic stabilisation.”

It said the Director General indicated that the successful implementation of the interventions outlined in the document, which reflects as much as possible the development aspirations of all Ghanaians, would move Ghana closer to its long term vision of building a just, free and prosperous society.

According to the statement, the features of such a society, Dr Thompson said would include increased access to quality education and health services at all levels, a strong role for science and technology in education and national development, increased application of technology in agriculture and manufacturing as well as the “formalisation of the informal sector for increased decent work, among others”.

Speaking on poverty reduction, Mr Arthur, expressed gratitude to the NPDC for the presentation that spearheads the process of transformation.

It said Mr Arthur pledged the committee’s support to the commission’s ongoing efforts to build its capacity for national development.

Source: GNA