The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), has inaugurated a 15-member Technical Advisory Team to provide professional advice to the Commission on the structure and preparation of the Long-term National Development (LND) plan.

The Team is expected to advise the Commission on the draft outline and contents of the LND plan as well as review draft reports prepared by the Plan Preparation Team.

It is also the responsibility of the Team to provide any other professional advice that is necessary to ensure that the processes and outputs in the preparation of the LND plan are professionally acceptable and of the highest standards.

Members of the Team include Professor E.K. Tamakloe, formerly of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof George Djan-Baffour, former Director General of the Commission, Prof Ernest Aryeetey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Seth Appiah-Opoku, Dr Franklin Obeng-Odoom, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia, and Dr S. S. Yirenkyi, Ghana Institute of Planners.

Other members are Mr Kwame Essilfie Adjaye, Economist, Dr Charles Amoatey, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Dr Callistus Mahama, Local Government Service, two representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Mr Albert Osei, formerly of the World Bank, Dr Nii Moi Thompson, Director General, NDPC, as well as a designated NDPC technical support staff.

Dr Thompson said inauguration of the Team followed an initiation of a LND plan on August 4 by the Commission in response to the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Commission as well as public calls from professional groups and civil society.

The Director General said the Commission has embarked on a series of regional consultations to solicit public inputs for the plan adding that the process seeks to involve political, economic and social stakeholders at all levels to promote national ownership and acceptability.