Economist, Professor Godfred Bokpin, has called for a renewed commitment to long-term economic planning in Ghana, emphasizing the critical need to leverage national data to inform policy decisions that foster equitable development across all regions of the country.
According to him, Ghana has over the years prioritised short-term, politically driven development strategies that often fail to deliver lasting solutions.
Speaking during the Joy Business Economic Forum, Prof. Bokpin noted that without a strategic plan to pursue long term economic sustainability, Ghana will continue to face resilience challenges.
“Our growth pattern has been quite erratic. The economy is yet to find its level in terms of a steady growth that is anchor
Economist Prof. Godfred Bokpin has highlighted the lack of resilience in Ghana’s economy, attributing it to the country’s short-term approach to national development.
He explained that Ghana’s economic growth remains volatile because it lacks a long-term development perspective that builds strong economic fundamentals capable of withstanding external shocks.
“The reason our growth has been quite volatile is because we haven’t adopted a long-term perspective to our national development. So the short-term nature does not allow us to build the kind of economic fundamentals that will allow us to withstand shocks. We need to provide a long-term view to our growth pattern,” he said.
Prof. Bokpin also identified one of Ghana’s persistent challenges as the disjointed nature of policymaking, which he said is often influenced by election cycles rather than strategic national interest.
While acknowledging pockets of economic progress, he stressed that regional disparities in development remain glaring, with rural areas trailing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
“If you see the regional differences in terms of food inflation, the regions do not react the same way. We don’t use micro data to inform national policy formulation and implementation,” he noted.
To address these imbalances, he advocated for the systematic use of national data—ranging from demographics and poverty indices to agricultural productivity and infrastructure needs—to guide resource allocation and development priorities.
He further called for a greater focus on agriculture as a strategy to curb food inflation and enhance economic resilience.
Prof. Bokpin urged a bipartisan approach to national development, encouraging political leaders, civil society, and the private sector to unite around a long-term national development framework.
He added that each region in Ghana holds unique economic potential—from agriculture and mining to tourism—which should be harnessed through targeted investments and policies tailored to local realities.
Prof. Bokpin’s remarks serve as a timely reminder of the need for long-term planning and data-driven governance to achieve inclusive national prosperity.
