The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) says the expertise of planners in mobilising revenue for national development cannot be overemphasised.
Director-General of the NDPC, Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, said that “planners have what it takes in assisting government in revenue mobilisation and generation; property tax among others were avenues these professionals could help in mobilising revenue.”
He made the assertion when the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), paid a courtesy call on him, at his office in Accra recently.
The meeting, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Ghana Institution of Planners (GIP) discussed how institutions could collaborate to strengthen efforts to promote national development.
Dr Mensah-Abrampa noted that the NDPC, per its mandate to advise the President on development, planning, policy and strategies, would not work without the expertise of planners in the various fields to change the country’s development narrative.
He assured the delegation that he would work with the appropriate institutions to ensure that professional planners were engaged in national development discourse, particularly ensuring that “women and youth in planning are given the needed support since they were the future of planning”.
Dr Mensah-Abrampa commended CAP for its exploits and expressed the readiness of the Commission to work with GIP and CAP respectively, saying, “GIP will be stronger with its collaboration with NDPC.”
Vice president for CAP, and a past president of GIP, Dr Stephen Yirenkyi, said the visit would set the tone for stronger partnerships with the Commission.
He said the GIP was one of the pioneers of CAP and had helped nurture some countries in the sub-region, particularly the Gambia in building the planning profession.
According to Dr Yirenkyi, global institutions like CAP where ideas were shared and solutions found to Africa’s common problems, must be strengthened, adding that plans were afoot to form a West-African Association of Planners to address problems affecting the sub-region.
Secretary-General of CAP, Mr. Clive Harridge, observed that challenges, including urbanization, population growth, capacity shortages if not managed would impede progress in the sub-region, and called for collaborative efforts to achieve national development goals.
CAP is a major global institution in planning which plays a significant role in promoting planning as a fundamental part of governance for sustainable human settlement.
It currently has a membership of 28 countries throughout the Commonwealth including African, Asian, Australian and Caribbean countries.
BY TIMES REPORTER
