The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, hosted a team from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ghana as part of ongoing engagements to advance the Local Economic Development (LED) project.
Welcoming the team, the Director-General of NDPC, Dr. Audrey Smock Amoah, expressed appreciation for the visit, noting the importance of the project to the Commission’s mandate. She recalled that the LED project was one of the first initiatives that came to her attention when she assumed office.
She commended the efforts of the Director of Research, Mr. Tweneboah Kodua, who has provided consistent feedback on the project’s progress. “We are happy to welcome you. This meeting is an opportunity to take stock of where we are and where we want to go,” the Director-General said, while extending warm regards to KOICA officials, particularly the Deputy Country Director, Madam Choi.
Speaking on behalf of KOICA Ghana, Mr. Joshua Nana Yirenkyi, Assistant Manager for the Health, Agriculture, and CSO Section, highlighted the purpose of the visit. He explained that KOICA sought to introduce its Deputy Country Director, who will oversee the LED project as well as KOICA’s health and agriculture portfolio, and also to review progress on the project’s R&D.
He further noted that significant progress had already been made, including feasibility studies, project documentation, and the drafting of the R&D, which had been reviewed by NDPC. KOICA has since received feedback and inputs from the Commission and is eager to finalise discussions.
Following the discussions, the Director of Research at NDPC, Mr. Tweneboah Kodua, emphasised the need for a comprehensive project roadmap. He stressed that, beyond feasibility studies, the Commission expected a detailed report outlining project activities, costing, and timelines.
He also underscored the importance of baseline surveys to establish key performance indicators that would guide monitoring and evaluation throughout implementation.
The KOICA delegation assured NDPC that such processes were already integrated into their project approach, including the deployment of a Project Management Consulting (PMC) team from Korea to work alongside NDPC and KOICA Ghana to oversee reporting, translations, and baseline surveys before the commencement of implementation.
The meeting underscored both institutions’ commitment to strengthening collaboration towards the successful execution of the LED project, which is expected to boost local economic development and align with Ghana’s broader national development goals