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Mahama calls for consolidated long-term national development plan, echoes Nkrumah’s vision
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday inaugurated the 8th National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), tasking the body with creating a unified long-term national development plan that transcends political cycles.
The President invoked the legacy of Ghana’s first leader, Kwame Nkrumah, emphasising the need for a long-term vision to break free from the country’s reliance on primary commodities.
“Nearly 70 years after independence, our economy continues to rely heavily on a narrow range of primary commodities, with limited diversification and value addition,” President Mahama stated.
“This reality reflects the persistence of structural constraints that continue to hold us back—proof that, in many respects, we remain ‘prisoners of our past.’”
The President highlighted the existence of multiple long-term development frameworks, including the Ghana Beyond Aid Charter, the Ghana@100 Long-term Development Framework, and the Vision 2057 Perspective Framework.
He urged the NDPC, now chaired by Dr Nii Moi Thompson, who led the development of the 40-Year National Development Plan in 2017, to consolidate these efforts into a single, coherent plan.
“This must be done in close collaboration with Parliament and the people’s representatives,” President Mahama stressed, emphasising the importance of inclusivity and a broad national consensus.
The plan, he added, should be subject to regular review to adapt to evolving domestic and global challenges.
President Mahama underscored the significance of the NDPC’s work, noting its collaboration with the government in preparing the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies, due to be presented to Parliament within two years.
“This Programme will reflect not only the vision and policy priorities of this government but also the collective aspirations of the Ghanaian people,” the President stated.
He further clarified that this Coordinated Programme would form the foundation for the next medium-term national development policy framework, guiding the operations of government ministries, departments, agencies, and local assemblies for the next four years.
Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) successfully holds the African Women’s Health and Wealth Conference (AWoHW) with a call for research and investment into women’s healthcare.
It also called for robust financial systems and encouraged women to generate wealth as well as prioritise their health.
The conference held at the Shippers House in Accra on Thursday, March 5, 2026, was on the theme, “Championing Inclusive healthcare and finance systems for African women and girls.”
Speaking on behalf of Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sabia Kpekata, Programme Officer at the Ministry, said, Financial inclusion remains one of the most critical pathways to women’s empowerment and achieving sustainable development.
According to the minister, it is for this reason that the government continues to support initiatives that expand access to affordable credit, strengthen women-led enterprises and build financial literacy.
“Institutions such as MASLOC, the Women’s Development Bank and other targeted financing mechanisms play a critical role in closing the financial inclusion gap,” she added.
Against this backdrop, she stated that the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), further strengthens this agenda. By mandating progressive representation of women in decision-making spaces across public and private sectors, the Act ensures that women are not only beneficiaries of financial and healthcare systems, but architects of those systems.
“Women must sit at the policy table where budgets are approved, health priorities are set, and economic policies are designed. This is why the Ministry calls on all stakeholders to push for the effective implementation of the Affirmative Act,” she stated.
Furthermore, she noted that the conference called on everyone to move inclusion from talk to action, incorporating it in budgets, laws, health systems and corporate policies.
She added that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is committed to partnering with stakeholders to build inclusive healthcare and financial systems that serve every woman and girl, regardless of location, income, or social status.
“Let us strive to build a Ghana where opportunity is not determined by gender and where systems are designed to uplift, protect and empower,’ she noted.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, said many women suffer from mental health issues as a result of health financing, adding that this is why President Mahama has initiated the Accra Reset to tackle issues relating to women.
Additionally, she commended the Ghana Enterprises Agency for consistently promoting women entrepreneurs.
Nana Oye Bampoe further touched on some government initiatives targeted at women, adding that the government is intentional about women’s empowerment.
On his part, the convener, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said, “Today is not just a conference – It is a declaration. It is a declaration that African women and girls will no longer stand at the margins of systems that determine their health, their wealth, and their future.”
According to her, it is a declaration that sustainability is not a slogan for them, rather, it is a strategy, a commitment and a promise.
She said the greatest resource any organisation, community, nation or continent has is its human resources, adding that the continent’s economic prosperity depends on the quality, productivity and capacity of its labour force, including men, women and young people.
The convener noted that where both genders have equal opportunities and operate at near optimal levels, there will be greater economic Expansion and output for the prosperity of all Africans
Additionally, she stated that to drive inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, amongst others, there is a need for an intentional and clear alignment to economic and social dynamics in specific contexts.
“This will in turn positively impact the involvement and contributions to drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the overall economic prosperity of Africa,” she added.
She further stated that as 2030 approaches, WISA which officially launched on May 1, 2025 in Partnership with the UN Global Compact on behalf of all Women of Africa and of African Descent, will mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gaps, by being deliberate to center women at the heart of implementation and compliance.
The Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod Jewellery, Getrude Emefa Donkor, said, Saving alone cannot make one financially sound, adding that investing and having other sources of income is the best way to go.
She also provided some tips for women, calling for discipline in spending, and consistency in saving behaviour, as well as inculcating the habit of budgeting.
WiSA is a Coordinating Pan-African Organization that works with other CSOs, NGOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organizations and individuals to bring all women, men, young people and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the SDGs across Africa.
WiSA stands for the development of new perspectives and catalytic ideas towards accelerating growth for the achievement of the SDGs, including closing the Gender Inequality gap.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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Promoting Gender Equity In Governance: Felicia Adjei highlights importance of proportional representation
The Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, has made a statement in Parliament on the importance of proportional representation in promoting gender equity in governance.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, she noted that the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was a bold step toward encouraging women’s participation, but laws alone cannot guarantee fairness if the electoral system does not support inclusion.
She explained that proportional representation, particularly through Gender-Balance or “zebra” lists where parties alternate between male and female candidates, could help ensure equal opportunities for women in leadership.
The Kintampo MP was of the view that such a system promotes fairness by design rather than leaving representation to chance.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
