President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to long-term, inclusive, and sustainable infrastructure development anchored on fiscal discipline, transparency, and continuity of projects across political administrations.
He said Ghana must move from fragmented and politically motivated projects to a unified, long-term investment approach that generates jobs, adds value, and fosters national prosperity through efficient infrastructure delivery.
The President made the remarks at the launch of the Ghana Infrastructure Plan (GIP) in Accra yesterday on the theme: “The GIP is the foundation of Ghana’s long-term national development.”
The event, organised by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), is a 30-year national framework designed to guide the design, financing, and implementation of infrastructure projects across the country. It seeks to promote regional balance, improve coordination among implementing agencies, and align Ghana’s development priorities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
President Mahama noted that fiscal responsibility was key to the success of the plan, revealing that government had introduced stronger public expenditure controls through a Fiscal Responsibility Council to penalise infractions and prevent waste.
“We must cut the perennial waste associated with government expenditure,” he said, adding that “every cedi spent on infrastructure must deliver value, ensure regional equity, and support sustainable growth.”
He disclosed that specialised courts would soon be established to deal with cases cited in the Auditor-General’s reports, adding that such accountability measures would free up resources for development.
Highlighting the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure initiative, the President said it marked the first phase of operationalising the GIP through deliberate, high-impact investments that complete abandoned projects and strengthen institutional capacity for project delivery.
He urged all ministries, departments, and agencies to align their sector plans with the GIP to ensure value for money and regional balance.
The Chairman of the NDPC, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, in his presentation, traced Ghana’s infrastructure planning journey to the visionary leadership of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who in 1965 launched Africa’s first integrated infrastructure and industrial development plan.
He recalled that the plan sought to extend the Accra–Tema Motorway to Paga, modernise urban settlements, and ensure equitable industrial growth across the country, but lamented that it was abandoned after the 1966 coup, leading to decades of infrastructural decline and economic stagnation.
Dr. Thompson noted that Ghana’s present development challenges were rooted in this history of policy discontinuity, citing that in 1962 the country’s per capita income was 73 per cent higher than South Korea’s, but had since fallen to 95 per cent lower.
He said the GIP represented a revival of the long-term national planning vision that began under the 40-Year National Development Plan (2015) and reflected the President’s commitment to continuity in national development policy.
According to him, the NDPC was now working towards completing a composite long-term framework — to be known as “Ghana Vision 2027: A Roadmap for Economic Transformation and Shared Prosperity” — which would harmonise earlier frameworks, including Ghana Beyond Aid and Ghana@100, into a single national blueprint.
Dr. Thompson underscored the importance of sustained long-term planning to guide successive governments and maintain national focus on key development priorities such as job creation, industrial transformation, and infrastructure efficiency.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
