By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA – The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has begun a four-day technical assessment of selected 2026–2029 Medium-Term Development Plans (MTDPs) to strengthen the integration of population variables into evidence-based development planning.
“It’s very good to have a good plan, but it is best to have the plan implemented and ultimately the plan having effect on the people the plan is intended to serve,” Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, the Director-General of the NDPC.
Dr Amoah, in her opening remarks, urged the participants to contribute actively to the review process, stressing the need to move population planning beyond preparation towards achieving tangible results for citizens.
In a statement issued by the Public Affairs Unit of the NDPC in Accra, said Dr Amoah underscored the importance of updating Ghana’s Population Integration Models to reflect current demographic realities, noting that population size and growth, age structure, fertility, mortality, migration, and spatial distribution have direct implications for social services, infrastructure, employment, and other development needs.
According to the statement, Madam Angelina Osei Kodua-Nyanor, the Acting Executive Director of the National Population Council, said the review was timely, as the models had not been utilised for over a decade.
She said the availability of data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census provided an opportunity to update the models and make them more relevant to present planning needs.
She emphasised that the exercise was not merely about replacing old figures with new ones, but about ensuring that population evidence effectively translated into development planning and decision-making at the local level.
The statement reported that Mr David Agyemang, the Programme Analyst, in an address on behalf of the UNFPA representative, welcomed the initiative, describing population dynamics as central to development planning.
He said the assessment would examine not only whether population variables were included in MTDPs, but whether population evidence was informing priorities, implementation, and decision-making.
The technical assessment, undertaken by the NDPC in collaboration with the National Population Council, brings together representatives from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other institutions to evaluate how population variables have been applied in selected MTDPs.
The findings of the exercise are expected to inform the review and update of the Manual on the Integration of Population Variables in Development Planning, as well as related capacity-building support for planners. The initiative reflects Ghana’s commitment to ensuring that demographic realities are systematically incorporated into national and local development strategies.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]