SYPALA 2026: Policy indiscipline undermining Africa’s economic resilience – Franklin Cudjoe

‎By: Godbless Asaana
‎Franklin Cudjoe, policy analyst and founding President of IMANI Africa, has identified policy indiscipline and institutional incompetence as major obstacles to building resilient economies across Africa.
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‎Speaking at the Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) 2026, organised by the IMANI Center for Policy and Education, Cudjoe said African countries often have good policies and development plans but lack the discipline to implement them consistently.

SYPALA 2026, organized by the IMANI Center for Policy and Education in partnership with the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), brought together students, young professionals, academics, entrepreneurs and policy thinkers for discussions on governance, economic freedom, development and public policy.

‎According to Mr. Cudjoe, the continent’s development challenges are partly rooted in what he described as “asymmetry and policy illogicality.”
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‎He said building a resilient economy requires strong alignment between policy planning and implementation, as well as discipline in following established plans.
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‎“Today’s lectures essentially were saying that you can build a resilient economy only when you have proper alignment with policy planning, the discipline in ensuring that you go through whatever plans you have, and then making sure that everything you do actually synchronizes,” he said.
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‎According to Mr. Cudjoe, the continent’s development challenges are partly rooted in what he described as “asymmetry and policy illogicality.”
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‎“I think the number one problem we have on the continent is what we call asymmetry and policy illogicality,” he stated.
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‎He questioned why governments would pass laws designed to promote fiscal discipline but subsequently fail to adhere to them.
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‎“How do you pass a law, pass two laws actually, Public Financial Management Act and Fiscal Responsibility Act, two years later, you are in debt?”
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‎Cudjoe said the situation reflects a lack of respect for institutions and laws established to guide economic management.
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‎“That means you don’t even respect the thing that you did,” he added.
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‎He therefore urged policymakers to prioritise effective implementation and compliance with existing policies rather than continually introducing new ones.
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‎“I think policy indiscipline has been the number one challenge facing that,” he said.
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‎“We have a lot of good policies, right? Plans here and there, but we are not disciplined,” he added.
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‎The IMANI Africa founder also blamed what he described as “Institutional incompetence” for the failure of some policies, arguing that individuals placed in key positions must have the competence required to perform their roles.
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‎“And I think that’s the theme that ran through today’s lectures: incompetence, institutional incompetence, where people are not competent to perform certain roles,” he said.
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‎He added that the problem is compounded when officials do not fully understand the policies they are expected to implement.
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‎“Also because the things they… the policies they are working with, they don’t even understand,” he noted.