The Board Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has attributed Accra’s persistent flooding challenges to the absence of an effective and coordinated national development strategy.
He said the capital’s recurring flood disasters are largely driven by unplanned urban growth, weak land-use management, and the failure to implement long-term policies to guide infrastructure development and environmental protection.
Dr Thompson made the remarks on Tuesday, June 9, when he addressed the Economy and Development Committee of Parliament on the 2024 National Annual Progress Report.
“Based on the 2021 population, the Greater Accra, even though it is the smallest region in terms of land area, 1.4%, is now the most populous region of the 16. So that’s like the perfect storm where every contradiction you can imagine has been put in this little space. And those are the consequences we see: the flooding, the collapsing buildings, and everything.
“You cannot put the bulk of your population in the smallest land area. Population density like 1,680 versus 300 for the region. And so we are perfectly aware of these structural distortions that are actually getting worse,” he said.
Dr Thompson added that the NDPC is finalising a consolidated national development plan, which brings together four unimplemented development plans over the past decade.
He urged the adoption of long-term thinking in national planning.
“Don’t listen to the propaganda of the past, where people rejected long-term planning. There’s not a single country out there that doesn’t have a long-term plan. They all do. I always tell them the United States has a 100-year plan for creating jobs, from 1950 to 2050. And they have the institutions for that. And we will come back to you with that request in terms of finishing the consolidated national development plan.
He added, “It will consolidate four existing plans that have never been implemented in the last 10 years. The 40-Year Plan, Ghana Beyond Aid, Ghana at 100, and Vision 2057.
“These were all prepared in the last 10 years. None were implemented. Within the same period, China had China 2025. And they went ahead rapidly and transformed their fortunes.”
