Kumasi, Aug 14, GNA- Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has said that chieftaincy institution was the only institution which could determine the type of sustainable arrangement for national development plan towards the attainment of middle-income status.

He stressed the need for the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) to institutionalize mechanisms to facilitate access to land requirements for mechanized agriculture, forestry fishing and industrialisation and housing among others.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said these in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a two-day consensus building workshop on National Long-Term Development Plan for members of the National House of Chiefs, in Kumasi on Thursday.

The workshop being organized by the NDPC was under the theme "Strategic Options for Consideration in the Comprehensive National Plan". The Asantehene noted that prevailing land acquisition and utilization policies tended to be fragmented and advised chiefs to help address the problem.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said it was time for the NDPC to look beyond the fairly recently favourable international market prices of the country's commodities including gold and cocoa which were the bed-rock of the economy

He even though resources ensure decent standard of living, there was also the danger that a major collapse in the prices of primary products would seriously destabilize the fragile economy.

The Asantehene urged the Commission to work towards improving key sectors of the economy and areas including the transport industry, water, health, education to enable them play vital roles in the socio-economic development of the country.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu called on the Commission to consider other positive roles that it could play in protecting the strategy and contents of the national development plans towards accelerated growth of the country. Dr Regina Adutwum, Director General of the NDPC, said the current national development policy framework, the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II, was designed to introduce a shift of strategic towards accelerated growth of national economy and society to propel Ghana towards middle-income status within a measurable planning period.

She said the Commission has been involved in organizing series of workshops to equip participants with skills and expertises to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development.

Mr J.H. Mensah, Chairman of the NDPC, said the objective of the Commission was to ensure the over all development of the country to fight against poverty, illiteracy, diseases and other problems to improve the living standards of Ghanaians.

Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, III, President of the National House of Chiefs, commended the Commission for considering chiefs as partners in development and organizing such workshops for them to discuss comprehensive long-term national development plan.