Ghana needs a 10-year development plan – Prof Adei

Professor Stephen Adei, former Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, has urged the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to device a 10-year strategic Development Plan.

The 10-year plan in addition to the 40- year plan would inspire Ghanaians and ensure a rapid development agenda.

“While commending the NDPC for bringing out the 40-year development plan, I think Ghanaians will be happy to know where Ghana will be in 2025 in terms of energy, quality education, revival of manufacturing and better national health care,” he said.

According to Prof Adei, the 40 years development planning, may be too long and therefore would not derive the short to medium term agenda in which would be reduced to an alibi of doing business as usual, for many years.

Addressing the 9th congregation of the Presbyterian University College (PUC) at Abetifi, he noted that he is an ardent advocate of a long term development planning provided there is commitment to it by leadership.

Prof Adei said the best time of positive development was during Guggisburg’s 10 year development plan of the 1920s and Kwame Nkrumah’s 10 years plan in the 1950s.

Speaking on the theme: “Leadership for Development: The Role of Mission Based Tertiary Institutions,” he said Ghana needs leaders who would be committed to the nation’s development and not be’ patrons of their political parties or groups.

He said faith based institutions have a role to play by instilling sterling leadership qualities, anchored in the fear of God, in their students to provide the needed men and women of Integrity that Africa needs in general and Ghana in particular to bring about change and transformation.

Prof Adei said Ghana lacks conscious training and grooming of leaders and asked the faith based institutions to take up the challenge of training quality leaders to solve Ghana’s problems “just like the Harvard-Yale, Oxbridge and Tokyo and the likes”.

He commended the PUC for setting up the Life Values Promotion Centre to instill the tenets of integrity and leadership in the students.

He urged the graduands to make a difference by exhibiting integrity and competent leadership to transform Ghana