The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), will hold its 13th National Development Forum (NDF) on Tuesday, October 27, in Accra.

Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director-General of NDPC speaking at a press launch of the event in Accra, said the 13th forum would be on the theme: “Towards Election 2020: Political Party Manifestos and Long-Term Strategic Needs of Ghana”.

He noted that the forum would consider among others the policy trade-offs between short-term political gains and long-term sustainability of the national development agenda and how to balance short-term public expectations often captured in political party manifesto and the national development agenda expressed in medium to long term plans and strategies.

The keynote address of the forum would be delivered by Professor Peter Quartey, Director, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon. It would be chaired by Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei, Chairman of the NDPC.

The forum's panellists include Dr Esther Ofei-Aboagye, Chairperson, Star Ghana Foundation and Prof Joseph Atsu Ayee, Department of Political Science, University of Ghana.

Dr Mensah-Abrampa said electoral manifestos played a crucial role in the visions of party democracy, adding that they provide a compendium of valid party propositions and were used as political campaign material.

"Political parties that are successful, form governments having raised expectation of public with their political campaign promises."

He noted that since the focus of the performance was based on their political manifestos, consistency with the long-term sustainable development agenda of the country was not assured either the continuity of programmes, projects and key development initiatives guaranteed.

He said the reliance on, demand for and utilisation of short-term manifestos is increasingly dominating the national development agenda setting, shifting the focus from national development planning and implementation, which usually took the form of medium-to-long-term planning to short-term political agenda.