NDPC reviews 22-year-old guidelines for regional, district planning units

The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has commenced a comprehensive nationwide evaluation of the guidelines overseeing Regional Planning Coordinating Units (RPCUs) and District Planning Coordinating Units (DPCUs). This review, backed by GIZ’s PAIRed programme, aims to synchronize decentralised development planning with contemporary institutional and technological standards.

The assessment is scrutinising the current guidelines and soliciting input from officials managing development planning at the regional and district levels. The consultations are anticipated to reveal implementation deficiencies and propose pragmatic recommendations for enhancing planning, coordination, monitoring, and reporting.

The existing directives were formulated in 2004, with Rev. Harry Nii Kwatei Owoo, Chief Director of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, asserting that substantial changes since then necessitate an update. These changes include revisions in the legal and institutional framework, planning and budgeting procedures, monitoring requisites, and the increasing adoption of digital systems in public administration.

During a meeting in Greater Accra on Tuesday, October 6, Rev. Owoo implored participants to utilise their experiences to pinpoint shortcomings in the current guidelines and suggest measures that would render the revised document more pertinent to regional and district planning. Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, NDPC Director-General, emphasized that the review must be anchored in the practical insights of officials operating within the decentralised planning framework.