By Ghana News
Copyright ghanamma
Founder and Fellow of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr. Hene Aku Kwapong, has outlined 10 thematic areas he believes Ghana must prioritise to accelerate national development and improve governance.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, September 15, Dr. Kwapong stressed the need for bold reforms in governance, decentralisation, culture, and civic education.
“These reforms,” he said, “are necessary to build the right structures, strengthen social organisation, and prepare Ghana for long-term development.”
1. Decentralisation: Classifying Communities
Dr. Aku Kwapong said Ghana must begin by clearly classifying its communities to distinguish between villages, towns, and cities, a move he argued would improve local governance and planning.
On decentralisation, he advocated reforms to the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to give local governments more financial control. He further proposed relocating some ministries to regions that align with their core functions—for instance, Agriculture in the North, Fisheries in the Western Region, Tourism in the Volta Region, and Lands and Natural Resources in the Ashanti Region.
2. Modernise Chieftaincy through a Senior House
Dr. Kwapong also called for the modernisation of the chieftaincy system by replacing the Council of State with a bicameral “Senior House” of 50 members made up of traditional leaders, experts, and regional representatives.
This, he said, would bridge traditional and political leadership by fostering collaboration among cultural leaders, administrators, and Members of Parliament.
3. Bridging Tradition and GovernanceHe emphasised the importance of bringing cultural leaders, administrators, professional managers, and Members of Parliament together to build a more cohesive governance structure.
4. Decentralise MoneyDr. Kwapong noted that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) is overly centralised and urged reforms to grant local governments greater financial autonomy.
5. Decentralising Ministerial Headquarters in Ghana
He expressed confidence that this move would strengthen local economies and help curb the mass movement of people into Accra.
He recommended moving some ministries to regions aligned with their functions. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture should be in the North, Fisheries in the Western Region, Tourism in the Volta Region, and Lands and Natural Resources in the Ashanti Region.
6. Reform Ghana News Agency (GNA)
Touching on national institutions, Dr. Kwapong urged reforms at the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to rebuild public trust.
7. Revise Religious and Moral Education (RME) to Civic and Moral Education (CME)He further suggested a revision of Religious and Moral Education (RME) into Civic and Moral Education, with emphasis on citizenship and national values. He also called for a redefinition of hometown identity to be based on a person’s place of birth rather than family origin, arguing that this would reduce tribalism.
8. Redefining Hometown for Modern GhanaHe proposed that a person’s hometown should be defined as where they were born, not where their family originates from. This, he believes, would help reduce tribalism.
9. Create a national language
On national cohesion, Dr. Kwapong called for the adoption or creation of a national language to promote unity.
10. The National Development Planning Commission needs to changeHe suggested restructuring the NDPC into a National Economic Development Corporation (NEDC) to place greater emphasis on economic strategy and execution.
“The NDPC doesn’t work for our modern world,” he said.
