NDPC Director-General Calls for Stronger Accountability and Enforcement to Drive Revised National Urban Policy
By Eugene Nyarko Jnr. | Accra | July 29, 2026
The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, has underscored the need for effective implementation, monitoring, accountability and stricter enforcement of planning regulations to ensure the success of Ghana’s Revised National Urban Policy (2026–2035).
Speaking during a live discussion on GTV’s Public Concern – The Urban Agenda programme on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, Dr Amoah said the revised policy provides a comprehensive framework to guide sustainable urban development and improve the quality of life in Ghana’s cities and towns over the next decade.
The discussion, held under the theme “Ghana’s Revised National Urban Policy: Can It Transform the Country’s Cities and Communities?”, followed the recent launch of the Revised National Urban Policy and the National Slum Upgrading Strategy.
Dr Amoah explained that lessons from the implementation of the 2012 National Urban Policy, which achieved approximately 50 per cent of its intended targets, informed the review of the new policy. She noted that shortcomings in institutional coordination, policy dissemination, implementation and monitoring under the previous framework had been addressed in the revised policy.
According to her, the new policy clearly assigns responsibilities to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), regional coordinating councils (RCCs) and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) within Ghana’s decentralised planning system. She said these institutions are expected to work collaboratively to achieve the policy’s objectives.
She added that the implementation framework outlines specific activities alongside the institutions responsible for delivering them, making it easier to monitor progress, measure performance and strengthen institutional accountability.
Dr Amoah further disclosed that nearly all public sector institutions have completed their Medium-Term Development Plans for the 2026–2029 planning period. These plans, she explained, were certified by NDPC after being assessed for consistency with national development planning guidelines, the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework, relevant legislation and other national development policies.
On monitoring and evaluation, the NDPC Director-General reaffirmed the Commission’s constitutional mandate to coordinate the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national development policies and programmes. She explained that all public institutions are legally required to submit quarterly and annual progress reports to NDPC, which are consolidated into the National Annual Progress Report for submission to Parliament and the President.
She also welcomed Parliament’s increasing oversight of government performance, noting that its engagement with ministries on their contributions to the National Annual Progress Report would enhance transparency, strengthen accountability and improve policy implementation across government.
Addressing the challenges facing urban development, Dr Amoah identified weak enforcement of planning regulations as one of the biggest obstacles to sustainable urban growth. Although metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies possess the legal authority to enforce planning by-laws, she observed that personal interventions on behalf of offenders often undermine enforcement efforts.
According to her, such interference weakens deterrence, encourages repeated violations and compromises orderly physical development. She therefore called for the consistent enforcement of planning laws to safeguard public spaces, promote planned urban expansion and improve the liveability of communities.
Dr Amoah stressed that the success of the Revised National Urban Policy will ultimately depend on coordinated institutional action, sustained collaboration among implementing agencies, robust research, continuous monitoring and evaluation, effective accountability mechanisms and firm enforcement of development planning laws.
The Revised National Urban Policy (2026–2035), together with the National Slum Upgrading Strategy, provides Ghana’s long-term framework for managing rapid urbanisation and promoting inclusive, resilient and sustainable development across the country’s cities and communities.
