Alfred Kwasi Opoku is the current President and former Vice President for Policy Planning for the Ghana Institute of Planners (GIP). A.K. Opoku is the proprietor of Jeavco Associates, a project management and planning consultancy firm.
In addition to being a licensed planner and a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Planners, Mr. Opoku is also a member of the Union of African Population Scientists.
Empowering Good Governance Magazine inquires of the GIP’s President as follows: Wherefrom, whereat and whereto, as regards the Institute?
Mr. Alfred Kwasi Opoku, congratulations on your ascension to the office of the President of the Ghana Institute of Planners (a.k.a. GIP). Given this mandate, what accomplishments are you striving for during this current term of office?
Thank you. A number of things are planned. They include:
1.To increase our membership strength You may say that given that we have gone from a strength of 226 to 320 last year, we hope to achieve 400 this year
2.To seek strategic partnerships that support GIP with its financial matters
3.To institute and organize Continuous Professional Development courses for members in order that they improve their practicing capacities. For example, courses addressing the SDGs or Ghana’s New Urban Agenda may be cited as examples
4.To make the professional stamp of members count in the permitting process
5.To have influence on the national development planning process through active participation with the National Development Planning Commission
6.To form the GIP Council backed by a Legislative Instrument
The Ghana Institute of Planners held its Annual General Meeting in December of 2017. What was the theme of the proceedings and how does it indicate what direction the institute is taking in 2018? Please be specific.
The theme for the 2017 AGM was “Planning for the sustainable development of affordable housing in Ghana”. The central thesis was to understand and hold a position on ‘affordable housing development in Ghana’. In the end, we found out that there is no house that is not affordable; it depends on one’s income level. So the term “affordable housing” is a misnomer. This issue at hand should appropriately be called ‘Housing by Income Levels’. The government or whoever wants to provide housing for Ghanaians should go ahead and build houses of various prices and let people buy what they can afford.
We intend to make presentations to policy makers to help shape the country’s strategy for housing the masses of the people. To be a bit more specific, we have been engaging the Ministry of Works and Housing as they who have suggested that 30% of SSNIT’s contribution should go towards aiding the development of affordable housing. SSNIT, of course, does have something to say about that and so may GIP, at least to the extent that efficiency and effectiveness is achieved, these among other major and minor details.
GIP has been taken a number of steps to strengthen planning practice and policy, some with the aid of the BUSAC fund. Please recount all that has been done and what has been accomplished so far. Additionally, what challenges remain and what is yet to be completed?
GIP has had support from BUSAC Fund on two occasions. The first was to establish a GIP Council. Along the line, we had to merge with government’s Town & Country Planning Department which was pushing for the formation of a Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority. Now that the law Act 925 has been passed and the Authority established, a provision in this act (what provision that disciplines planner practice specifically) exists that allows for the formation of a GIP Council, which may, for example, regulate planning practice. Towards this end, a Legislative Instrument has to be approved by Parliament that allows for the formation of the Council. GIP’s pursuance of a legislative instrument is a key step we are undertaking for this current term.
Secondly, we have been advocating for the preparation of a Long Term Development Plan for Ghana. GIP’s advocacy efforts became necessary when the government cancelled the recommendation for its preparation. This reparation which was to be executed by the Constitutional Review Committee. In due course, the government has taken it back up and plan preparation is in progress. The plan’s final completion has, however, slowed down due to a nomenclature impasse – i.e. the impasse centers on what the plan should be termed and treated as a long term development plan, a long term perspective or as a vision for 2057?
GIP has also been active in international circles, most notably with your counterparts in Nigeria as well as the Commonwealth at-large. There have been trips to Nigeria as well as a trip to the Pacific, for example. Please characterize these relationships.
GIP’s relationship with our Nigerian colleagues has remained on a fraternal level as at now. That is, each party makes paper presentations at each other’s Annual General Meetings. We exchange intellectual ideas and make recommendations for adoption on common West African issues at these gatherings. We intend to develop common research topics and raise support to study common problems affecting our two African countries.
With the Commonwealth, our immediate past President is the Commonwealth Association of Planners’ Vice President for the West Africa sub-region. I myself, A. Kwasi Opoku, in my capacity as the current President of GIP, attended a Commonwealth bi-annual conference in Fiji, at which I presented a paper titled ‘The Complimentary Governance System: Towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa – The Case of Ghana’. GIP remains an accredited member in good standing and we maintain good relations and communications with the Association’s head office. Additionally, GIP serves on the Awards Committee of the Association.
How are your relationships with allied built environment professional associations budding or stalling?
The lackluster relationship with our allies in the built environment is a growing concern. The built environment community is a large group comprising deep and diverse interests. Our challenge within GIP is that we do not have the financial muscle to push common agendas where there is interest or potential for them. GIP wishes we could do better beyond what the current state of our associating is. Amongst ourselves, we largely respond to one another’s invitations and we make relevant contributions in support of one another, these in the hope that much more may be achieved in the near future.
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