NDF, STAR-Ghana present development proposal to NDC

The Northern Development Forum (NDF), a non-partisan advocacy group and Star-Ghana Foundation, a civil society organisation, have presented development proposals to the manifesto committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday.

The document titled: “The Northern Ghana Transformation Agenda” seeks to provide a guide to the various political parties in Ghana to help them draw a manifesto that will bring accelerated development to the five regions of northern Ghana.

It highlights six key areas of development in the five regions of the north that needs attention. The areas are Agriculture and Climate Change, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security and Tourism.

The proposal was received by the Chairman of the NDC manifesto committee, Professor Kwaku Danso Boafo. Present at the ceremony was the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

Development in the North

Presenting the document to Prof. Boafo, the Chairman of the NDF, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), said the document was a product of grassroot consultations with a cross section of people in the northern sector of the country.

“We went up North to do consultations across the five regions of northern Ghana. We held a big Northern Ghana Development Conference in May last year with support from Star-Ghana and was able to host 400 people,” he stated.

He attributed the under development of the northern part of Ghana to the poor state of infrastructure adding that “if the necessary infrastructure is provided, it would serve as a catalyst for development.”

Health

In the area of health, Major Don-Chebe (tetg) called for the Upper West Regional Hospital to be operationalised saying, “it is not functioning the way it is supposed to function.”

“There are probably less than 15 doctors in the whole Upper West Region. There are many Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds that have been built but not staffed. In the five regions of the North, there is only one tertiary hospital which is the Tamale Teaching Hospital. Those in need of the services of the hospital have to travel long distances which is hampering access to good health care” he said

Politicisation of development issues

Receiving the proposal on behalf of the manifesto committee, Prof. Boafo said the gesture was in line with the objectives of the NDC to develop a grassroot type of manifesto.

“It is something we have been looking forward to. We want to assure you that we will seriously consider your proposal,” he pledged.

For his part, the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, decried the politicisation of development issues which he described as a bane to national development.

“The amount of money locked up in uncompleted projects across the country when put together could equal our national debt,” he stated.

Mr Asiedu Nketia expressed the hope that all political parties would consider the proposal of the NDF and include it in drawing their manifesto for the five regions in the North.