Prominent policy analyst and Founding President of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has been appointed to Ghana’s Joint National-United Nations Steering Committee (JSC), placing him at the heart of the country’s strategic planning for sustainable development over the next four years.
His appointment comes as the Government of Ghana and the United Nations begin developing the 2027-2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the principal blueprint that will guide UN support for Ghana’s national development agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Joint National-UN Steering Committee is the country’s highest governance and oversight body for the Cooperation Framework. It is co-chaired by the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the United Nations Resident Coordinator, and comprises senior government officials, heads of UN agencies, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society organisations and minority groups.
The Committee is mandated to provide strategic oversight for the design and implementation of the Cooperation Framework, review progress, strengthen accountability between the Government of Ghana and the United Nations system, mobilise resources, promote policy coherence and coordinate collaboration among key national and international stakeholders.
It will also endorse annual development results, review Country Results Reports, oversee independent evaluations and recommend strategic adjustments to ensure the framework remains responsive to Ghana’s evolving development needs.
Mr. Cudjoe’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment as Ghana seeks to consolidate recent macroeconomic gains while confronting longstanding development challenges, including youth unemployment, climate change, governance and accountability gaps, fiscal constraints, economic diversification and domestic resource mobilisation.
The roadmap for the new Cooperation Framework includes nationwide consultations, strategic planning retreats, inter-agency coordination across the UN system, resource mobilisation planning and government approval before implementation begins in 2027.
In a statement announcing the appointment, IMANI described the development as recognition of Mr. Cudjoe’s longstanding contribution to governance, institutional reform, economic policy and democratic accountability.
For more than two decades, he has led IMANI’s transformation into one of Africa’s leading independent public policy think tanks, consistently ranked among the five most influential think tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa and among the world’s top 100 think tanks.
His international profile includes recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010 and inclusion among The Africa Report’s Top 50 Africans. He has participated in policy engagements with governments, multilateral institutions and international development partners, while also serving on Ghana’s Ministry of Finance Foreign Exchange Development Committee and DANIDA’s Sounding Board for Private Sector Initiatives.
According to IMANI, the appointment underscores the growing importance of independent, evidence-based public policy institutions in shaping Ghana’s development agenda.
The think tank said Mr. Cudjoe’s participation on the Joint National-UN Steering Committee will provide an opportunity to contribute rigorous research, policy analysis and governance expertise to one of Ghana’s most significant national development planning processes.
The Committee’s work is expected to shape strategic priorities, implementation arrangements, financing strategies and monitoring mechanisms that will define cooperation between Ghana and the United Nations from 2027 to 2030 in pursuit of inclusive and sustainable national development.
By: Christian Kpesese
