Values, attitudes key to Ghana’s development – NDPC Chairman

The Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has called for greater attention to the values, norms and aspirations that shape national development.

He said Ghana’s development efforts had often focused on physical and economic issues, while less attention was given to the soft issues that influence the behaviour, attitudes and contribution of citizens to national development.

Dr Thompson stated this on Friday in Accra when he represented the Chief of Staff at the official closing ceremony of the 2026 edition of the HR Café.

He said the soft aspects of development were essential to Ghana’s ability to build a society capable of achieving its development goals.

According to him, the values and attitudes of citizens ultimately determine whether a country is able to build and sustain the institutions and systems required for national progress.

He said there was therefore the need for policymakers and institutions to pay greater attention to those issues as part of efforts to address Ghana’s development challenges.

The NDPC Chairman also commended the organisers of the HR Café for creating a platform for professionals and institutions to share experiences and learn from one another.

He said such platforms should go beyond a single event and provide opportunities for continuous collaboration, consultation and learning, particularly as African countries faced many common challenges.

Dr Thompson lauded the organisers for bringing the event to Ghana and urged participants to sustain the collaboration and knowledge sharing generated through the forum.

On his part,the Head of the Burkina Faso Organising Committee for the HR Café, Comrade Ousmane Sandwidi, called on public sector professionals to learn from their mistakes and shortcomings to improve public administration.

He said recognising imperfections and drawing lessons from past experiences were necessary for individuals and institutions to improve their performance and achieve better results.

According to him, professionals must be willing to acknowledge areas where they fell short and use those experiences as lessons for improvement.

He said no individual or institution was perfect and that continuous learning was necessary to address weaknesses and improve performance over time.

Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran, ISD