National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has urged successive governments to prioritise continuity in public programmes, arguing that frequent changes in government should not result in the abandonment of initiatives that are delivering results.

He said Ghana’s development could be slowed when incoming administrations cancel, rename or significantly restructure programmes simply because they were introduced by their predecessors.

Speaking at the fourth Bono Regional Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards in Sunyani on September 19, 2026, Asiedu Nketiah said governments should rather assess existing initiatives, retain those that are effective and make improvements where necessary.

“A serious country cannot start every four years afresh,” he said, according to a report by Citi Newsroom.

He observed that changes in political administration often lead to existing programmes being given new names, restructured or assigned new personnel, sometimes resulting in additional expenditure on initiatives pursuing objectives similar to those of programmes already in place.

“A new government comes into office, and sometimes a programme associated with the previous administration becomes difficult to continue simply because of where it came from,” he said.

Asiedu Nketiah, however, stressed that continuity should not mean preserving programmes that have failed to achieve their intended objectives.

He said governments must be prepared to discontinue or reform policies that are not producing the desired outcomes, while avoiding changes driven solely by political ownership.

“Of course, a government must change policies that are failing, and nobody should continue a bad programme for the sake of continuity,” he said.

The NDC chairman made the remarks under the theme of the awards ceremony, “Ethics, Integrity and Impactful Journalism – Essential Ingredients for Societal Transformation.”

His comments add to the broader discussion about policy consistency and the need for successive administrations to build on programmes that have demonstrated measurable results rather than repeatedly starting new initiatives.