The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and Snr. Advisor to the President on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, has outlined stronger institutions, strict enforcement of planning regulations, and a long-term national development plan as essential pillars for Ghana’s economic transformation and sustainable development.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face programme, Dr. Thompson said effective institutions are critical to implementing policies, enforcing regulations, and driving national development, describing institutional weakness as one of Ghana’s greatest challenges.

“We always talk about budget deficits and trade deficits, but the mother of all deficits is institutional deficits. We have very weak institutions; in most instances they do not even exist. Without building institutions, we are not going anywhere because institutions are the engine of growth, not the private sector,” he said.

He also underscored the importance of long-term planning, noting that Ghana’s development challenges can only be addressed through a clear national vision backed by sustained implementation. According to him, the country already possesses comprehensive development plans covering urban planning, flood control, infrastructure development, coastal protection and land-use management, but implementation has remained a major challenge.

“Everything we are going through shouldn’t have happened. We thought about all these things in 2017 and put them in a document to guide the people who run the city, but nobody worked with it. The floods didn’t have to happen, and if they did, the damage to property and harm to human lives would have been far less and more manageable than they are now if we had done the right thing over a decade ago,” he stated.

Dr. Thompson further stressed the need for stronger enforcement of existing laws and greater accountability within local government institutions. He argued that illegal developments, encroachment on waterways and environmental degradation persist largely because regulations are not adequately enforced.

“It’s not just the ill-disciplined citizen who’s encroaching on public land, but also the corrupt officials who allow these things to happen. We have bylaws, zoning laws and assemblies whose responsibility it is to enforce them, but where individuals within these institutions are corrupt, you are going to have these problems,” he said.

He added that stronger enforcement mechanisms are needed to ensure compliance with planning regulations and safeguard public interests.

On economic development, Dr. Thompson highlighted the need for a long-term national development plan aimed at transforming Ghana’s predominantly informal economy. He noted that about 92 per cent of businesses operate in the informal sector, limiting productivity, revenue mobilisation and wealth creation.

“If we want to grow this country, we must first transform it, and in order to transform it, you need a vision, which is a long-term national development plan. Part of the reason we keep going back to the IMF is that we have a highly informal economy where most businesses are engaged in low-value activities that do not create the kind of wealth needed for development,” he explained.

He also called for renewed focus on inclusive development, particularly in the Savannah Belt, where significant agricultural potential remains underutilised despite persistent poverty levels.

Dr. Thompson said Ghana’s future depends on combining strong leadership, effective institutions and long-term planning to achieve economic transformation and shared prosperity.

“The only strategy is the transformation of the economy. We need a roadmap for economic transformation and shared prosperity because we cannot continue with business as usual and expect development,” he added.

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NDPC PR-UNIT