The 1979 Constitution (Article 73) was the first to propose the establishment of a National Development Commission under the chairmanship of the Vice President, the first of such constitutional provision in Ghana’s history. The Commission, through the Vice President, was to report to the President and had an advisory, monitoring and evaluation role. The coup of December 1981 ended the existence of that Commission.

In the 1980s, as Ghana intensified the process of decentralisation, the Government recruited a team of Hungarian consultants (TESCO), sponsored by UNDP, to study and propose a structure for national development planning based on grassroots participation. The resulting proposal from TESCO was considered at a high-level workshop in March 1987 after which a decision was taken to establish a development planning agency separate from the then Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

In September 1987, the PNDC government announced the establishment of the National Development Planning Commission.

A preparatory committee, the Transitional Implementation Team (TIT), was accordingly set up to manage the establishment of the Commission. The TIT drew up detailed proposals for the organisation and structure of the Commission and prepared an interim operating manual. The Team also prepared a draft "National Development Planning Law" as the legal basis for the Commission. The draft law underwent a number of revisions and was accepted by the government in 1989 but was not immediately promulgated.

In early 1990, the government decided to proceed administratively with the implementation of the TIT's recommendations A Preparatory Committee (PREPCOM) for the establishment of NDPC was thus set up under the chairmanship of Lieutenant-General Arnold Quainoo. The Commission began operations at Flagstaff House, Accra, on 2 April 1990.

With the change from military to constitutional rule in 1993, the Commission’s legal status was affirmed by Article 86 of the 1992 Constitution, which formalised the establishment of the Commission, and Article 87, which spelt out the Commission's functions, including the mandate to "advise the President on development planning policy and strategy".

In September 1994, the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) Act, (Act 479), was promulgated in accordance with the 1992 Constitution. Lieutenant-Colonel Mensah K. Gbedemah, who had been the secretary to the PREPCOM from February 1991 to June 1994, was appointed technical head of NDPC. From June 1994 to February 1995, Dr. Kobena G. Erbynn, a university lecturer, replaced Lt.-Col. Gbedemah.

On the basis of the Act 479, on 15 June 1995, President Jerry John Rawlings officially swore in the first generation of members of the Commission at the Castle, Osu. Ing. Paul Victor Obeng served as the Chairman of the Commission, while Dr. Kobena G. Erbynn served as the Director-General of NDPC. Among the leading members were: Mr. Paul Victor Obeng (Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs) as Chairman; Prof. E.A. Boateng (former Head of the Environmental Protection Council and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast) as Vice-Chairman; and Dr. Kobena G. Erbynn as Acting Director-General of NDPC. Lt.-Gen. Arnold Quainoo stayed on as a member of the 35-member Commission.

On 7 February 2002, President John Agyekum Kufuor sworn into office the second Members of the Commission. Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom served as Chairman of the Commission and was later succeeded by Joseph Henry Mensah as Chairman of NDPC in January 2004. At the technical level, Dr. Ferdinand D. Tay served as Acting Director-General during the transition period. Prof. George Yaw Gyan-Baffour subsequently served as Director-General from July 2002 to December 2004. This period coincided with a major shift in Ghana's development planning towards poverty reduction and pro-poor growth. NDPC coordinated the preparation and implementation of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I), 2003–2005, which provided the national medium-term development policy framework for coordinating Government policies, programmes and investments.

Following the exit of Prof. George Gyan-Baffour as Director-General, Dr. Regina Adutwum assumed responsibility for the technical and administrative leadership of NDPC, serving as the Director-General. Joseph Henry Mensah continued to serve as Chairman of the Commission with the members of the Commission in the second term of President John Agyekum Kufuor Under this leadership, NDPC coordinated the preparation and implementation of the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II), 2006–2009, which succeeded GPRS I.

In 2010, President John Evans Atta Mills sworn into office the fourth Commission of NDPC. Ing. Paul Victor Obeng returned to the leadership of the Commission as Chairman, having previously chaired the First Commission in 1995. Dr. Regina Adutwum continued to provide technical and administrative leadership as Director-General. During this period, NDPC coordinated the preparation and implementation of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA I), 2010–2013. The framework sought to promote shared and inclusive growth, improve human development, strengthen governance and accelerate infrastructure development while providing the basis for coordinating national and sub-national development planning.

The passing of Ing. Paul Victor Obeng on 17 May 2014 brought an end to his tenur as Chairman of the Commission. In August 2014, President John Dramani Mahama appointed Dr. Kwesi Botchwey as Chairman of NDPC and Dr. Nii Moi Thompson as the Director-General. NDPC coordinated the preparation and implementation of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda II (GSGDA II), 2014–2017, which succeeded GSGDA I. The Commission also intensified work towards the development of a long-term national development framework capable of providing continuity in Ghana's development agenda beyond successive electoral cycles.

In 2015, President John Dramani Mahama sworn into office the fifth Commission of NDPC. The Commission was chaired by Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, while Dr. Nii Moi Thompson served as Director-General. A major feature of this period was the Commission's extensive national consultation towards the preparation of a 40-Year National Development Plan intended to provide a long-term development vision for Ghana extending beyond political and electoral cycles. The period also coincided with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, strengthening NDPC's role in integrating global development commitments into Ghana's national and sub-national development planning systems.

In October 2017, Dr. Grace Bediako assumed responsibility as the Acting Director-General of NDPC. This transition also marked the beginning of a new phase in the Commission's work, including the alignment of the national development planning system with the priorities of the incoming administration.

In 2018, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo sworn into office the sixth Commission. Prof. Stephen Adei served as Chairman of the Commission, while Dr. Grace Bediako served as the Acting Director-General. During this period, NDPC coordinated the translation of Government's Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies into the corresponding Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework, 2018–2021 — An Agenda for Jobs: Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All. The Commission continued to strengthen coordination between national policies, sector plans and district development plans while enhancing monitoring and evaluation of national development outcomes.

In 2019, Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa assumed office as Director-General of NDPC, succeeding Dr. Grace Bediako, who had served as Acting Director-General. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Stephen Adei, NDPC continued to strengthen national development policy coordination, monitoring and evaluation and the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Commission coordinated Ghana's first Voluntary National Review (VNR) on implementation of the 2030 Agenda, which was presented at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in 2019. The VNR provided an opportunity for Ghana to assess progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, identify implementation challenges and strengthen national mechanisms for SDG monitoring and reporting.

During the second term of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the seventh Commission of NDPC was sworn into office. The Commission was chaired by Prof. George Gyan-Baffour. Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa continued to serve as the Director-General. Under this leadership, NDPC continued to coordinate national development planning, monitoring and evaluation and the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals into national and sub-national development planning.

In February 2025, President John Dramani Mahama appointed Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, a former Director-General of NDPC as Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission. Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah assumed responsibility as the Director-General in February 2025. On May 20, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama officially sworn into office the members of the eight the National Development Planning Commission. The Commission was tasked with strengthening national development planning and supporting the development of a consolidated national development plan capable of transcending political and electoral cycles.