Economist and Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Peter Quartey, has urged the John Mahama government to align capital infrastructure projects with the National Development Plan to ensure continuity beyond its tenure.
Speaking at his inaugural lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on March 13, 2025, on the topic “Debt, Investment and Growth in Ghana: Did We Borrow to Consume?”, Prof. Quartey cautioned against initiating projects without long-term benefits for citizens.
He emphasized the importance of selecting capital projects through a structured national development planning process to assess their impact before committing funds.
“When we are selecting some of these projects, we must look at the national development plan. We must consider our medium-term strategy and what we want to achieve before we start,” he advised.
Prof. Quartey warned against choosing projects based on partisan considerations, noting that such decisions do not serve the broader population or enhance economic well-being.
“I didn’t see much of that in the last elections. But previously, you see incumbents cutting sods left, right, and center to start projects in an election year. These are projects that have not been planned,” he said.
He criticized politically motivated, unplanned projects, warning that they only contribute to the country’s growing debt burden.
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