Ensure adequate and timely provision of resources for accelerated economic and social development of Northern Development Zone-CSOs to Gov’t
The CSOs Platform on Good Governance has appealed to the government to ensure adequate and timely provision of resources for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone.
It said without doubt that even with the right set of people and skills, lack of resources will hamper successful delivery and achievement of the authority’s core mandate; hence the need for government to heed this call. The collation also wants enhanced intersectorial collaboration, to avoid duplication of interventions and waste of efforts and resources to maximize impact on development.
The platform made the appeal following President Akuffo Addo’s appointment of Dr. Abdulai Mobson and Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman to serve as the Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer for the Northern Development Authority-NDA, respectively. It notes that, the appointment is a major step in the restructuring and transformation of the inequality bridging authority.
The NDA was set up by an Act of Parliament, Act 963, 2017 to provide a framework for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone (NDZ) and for related matters. The authority undoubtedly has suffered serious setbacks since establishment with many development practitioners questioning its relevance.
The recent appointment has been considered appropriate, carefully done, forward looking and appears to be a response to demands of CSOs and well- meaning Ghanaians to have the right people at the authority for the rapid development of the North.
Convener of the Platform, Alhassan Mohammed Awal, commenting on the development in an interview with Zaa news suggested that the board be given full mandate to take decisions and then supervise management implementation of same.
Mr Awal also advocated the provision of strategic leadership and mobilized technical, financial, and human resources within and outside the country for effective execution of the mandate of Northern Development Authority. The authority should consciously work together with other MMDAs, CSOs, NGOs, and the youth to help realize the NDA’s mandate and address challenges that may arise, he added.
‘’What we expect this time round is to have an authority that will come out with inclusive policies that have inputs from people who really matter to review the road map and strategies that were developed when the authority was SADA to review those documents and agree on what the next step should be’’, he stressed.
He further expects that opportunities are created for regular interactions with institutions, CSOs, youth and the people at large to identify needs, plan, prioritize development projects, explore opportunities, and collectively brainstorm on practical solutions.
On the issue of scandals the hit the authority some time back, Mr Awal asked that those scandals must be investigated and perpetrators punished to serve as deterrent for others to follow. ‘’I think people who violate or commit such crimes must be investigated and if they are guilty, they should be made to face the law rather than protecting them’’, he noted.
The CSOs platform on Good Governance is a collection of NGOs based in Northern Ghana working on governance and human right issues. It is made up of over 30 CSOs and state institutions. The platform will continue to provide alternatives to governments as a way of growing our democracy and deepening the local governance in the country.
The CSOs platform on Good Governance with Norsaac as a convener however assures the leadership of unflinching support to advance the shared goals of sustainable development and human rights in Northern Ghana and Ghana at large.
By: Lilian D. Walter/zaanews/Ghana