The country’s approach to development should be strategic with an eye on long-term deliverables rather than short-term ones, Dr. Felix Addo-Yobo, Director of Policy at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has said.

To be able to achieve that, he suggested that policymakers and social actors may need to move away from addressing symptoms of problems to identifying and tackling the root cause of those problems in a more sustainable manner.

“We can’t flourish without inclusive and equitable development; national development is headed in the wrong direction if we were to maintain the status quo.

“We should create a future and a world that we can all be proud of and the process of making that happen must start now,” he said at a virtual discourse on peace and development organised by Abibiman Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.

Supporting this proposition was socio-economic activist and Founder of the Abibiman Foundation, Kwabena Okai Ofosuhene, who further recommended the adoption of key standards that will get both public and private stakeholders to strive to propel the nation’s growth.

“Development decisions must be centered around comprehensive and workable policies that will fast-track national socio-economic development,” he added.

Aside the prudent policies and long-termed targets, there is also the need for strong civic values that will drive down the penchant for corrupt practices, said another panelist, Ewald Quaye, who is a research fellow of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).

He also argued: “We need to get our priorities right as a nation; and citizens must take their rightful places by taking interest in politics and related actions that affect their aspirations.”

With the political temperature on the rise, the panelists highlighted the nexus between peace and development and urged both politicians and the general public to strive to maintain the stability of the nation.

“Once the peace we are enjoying is bridged, it will be difficult to recover from the pain. It is only in a peaceful environment that we can hone skills that are essential ingredients for national development,” said Dr. Addo-Yobo.

To Mr. Ofosuhene, peace is a critical instrument that drives all aspects of socio-economic development.

“Election is about putting people into positions of governance and not about getting people to lose their lives,” he advised.

The virtual discourse was convened to relaunch Abibiman Foundation’s flagship project dubbed “Nkabom Journey for Peace and Development” on the theme “Shaping minds for the future—Addressing present needs”.

The Nkabom project seeks to facilitate engagements with relevant stakeholders and policymakers in governmental and non-governmental agencies in Ghana and other African countries to fast-track the implementation of the needed actions and solutions on selected sector-specific policies and programmes towards the achievement of SDGs.”