Deputy CEO and interim management committee member of the Northern Development Authority Mr. Stephen Engmen has stressed the need for chiefs from Northern Ghana to work together and speak with “one voice” to enable them attract the needed development to the region.
“We are in difficult times now, as we all know COVID-19 is still around and public funding is dwindling and this is not only in Ghana but across the world so it is important for the North to come together so they can speak with one voice and demand what is due them in unionism”.
Speaking at a consultative meeting with regional Ministers of Northern Ghana, Planners and CSOs ahead of the 2021 Northern Ghana Development Summit (NGDS), Mr. Engmen noted that “just like the 1960s where Northern Chiefs could work together which even led to the formation of a political party, our Chiefs today can still come together solely to drive the developmental agenda of the North”.
Organized by the Northern Development Authority in partnership with the STAR-Ghana Foundation, the meeting was to enable participants to make inputs into the proposed concept notes of the 2021 Northern Ghana Development Summit (NGDS) and deliberate on its funding and sustainability concerns.
Opportunities In Norther Ghana
Mr. Stephen Engmen indicated that several opportunities in the areas of agriculture, energy, and tourism are still untapped “and these are areas that will provide the people with jobs and bring the needed development to Northern Ghana if our Chiefs can begin a strong advocacy together”
He mentioned that “we have the Ya-Na, the Nayiri, the Yagbonwura and we can add the house of Chiefs President from the Upper West and East regions and these powerful people will lobby both government and the private sector to invest in the many untapped opportunities within the region”.
Mr. Engmen also indicated that, the NGDS is a platform that seek to present the developers and investors the opportunity to deliberate and an opportunity for traditional authorities to also advocate and woo investors into their communities.
The Northern Ghana Development Summit (NGDS)
The Northern Ghana Development Summit is an annual convening platform that bring together state and non-state actors, including institutions and individuals onto one forum to assess, discuss and recommend actions to accelerate the progress of development in Northern Ghana.
The NGDS is a rebrand of the Mole Series which was initiated in 2001 by the Regional Economic Planning Officers in Northern Ghana to coordinate the economic planning and transformation of the Northern sector and to jointly influence both political actors and development partners to invest in development projects in the North.
Peace, stability and security are essential for development.
Executive Director of the Star Ghana Foundation, Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu in a presentation indicated that peace, stability and security are essential for development to thrive in every society.
“Coupled with its fragile economy and livelihoods, and limited access to social services, Northern Ghana also faces the risk of instability and insecurity, driven by internal and external factors that must be addressed urgently” he added.
Mr. Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu raised concerns over the rising violent extremism in the Sahel regions, which he said has implications for Northern Ghana in particular and Ghana as a whole and the increasing inequality and poverty in parts of Northern Ghana.
To this end, he noted that the 2021 Northern Ghana Development Summit will focus on three areas; ie- promoting peace and stability in Northern Ghana, fighting inequality and eradicating poverty on a sustainable bases in the North and also looking at how to institutionalize the Northern Development Summit so that it becomes part of the development agenda in Ghana which will provide the basics for coordinated development of the North.
Institutionalization of NGDS
Upper West Regional Minister, who is also Dean for the five regional Ministers in the North Hon. Dr. Hafiz Bin Salib called for the institutionalization of the summit to offer opportunity for partners and stakeholders to discuss the development agenda of the North.
“Looking at the thematic areas, peace and security, poverty, terrorism and illiteracy are hitting us hard and it is time that we find a common platform to discuss how to tackle these challenges holistically” he noted.
He pledged the support and cooperation of all the five regional coordinating councils within the North to help mobilize the needed resources to help ensure the success of the 2021 edition of the NGDS.
Story by: Edward A. Ken-Zorre
