Development planning focuses mainly on

Analyzing the question The question asks what development planning mainly focuses on. The key words are "development planning", which is a government-led activity.

The concept Development planning is the process by which a government sets out the goals for a country's economic and social progress. It also decides the strategies, policies and priorities for reaching those goals, usually over a fixed period such as 5 or 10 years. Examples in Nigeria include the National Development Plans of the 1960s-80s, Vision 20:2020, and the current National Development Plan.

Its main features are:

• It is carried out by the government or central authority.
• It sets objectives, such as growth, employment and poverty reduction.
• It maps out strategies and allocates resources across sectors, such as agriculture, education, health and infrastructure.

Evaluating the options

• A. Allocation of resources by entrepreneurs. This describes the private sector and the market mechanism, not planning.
• B. Mapping out strategies by the government. This matches the definition of development planning: the government designing strategies to achieve national goals.
• C. Developing some areas of the country by the government. This is too narrow. Development planning covers the whole nation and all sectors, not only selected areas.
• D. Deciding on which types of homes to build. This is a housing decision, which is only one small part of a plan.

Answer: The correct option is B.

Exam tip: In WASSCE Economics, when you see "planning" paired with "development", think "government strategy for the whole economy". Options that are too narrow (a single area or sector) or that name private actors are usually distractors.