Ghana’s envoy to the UK, HE. Mr. Isaac Osei, has given the assurance that the development of the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions cannot be divorced from the Government’s national development effort.

He said the Government’s vision, aimed at fostering a total and balanced national development, would not be realised if the northern regions remained undeveloped.

Ghana’s High Commissioner made the comments when he addressed members of the Union of Northern Ghanaians in the UK during a one-day forum held at the Chancery of the Ghana High Commission, London.

Subjects discussed at the forum centred, among other things, on critical issues underpinning the development of the regions. Present at the forum were Mr Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Peter Yankey, Minister (Welfare & Consular Affairs), Alhaji Issah Danjumah and Mr Francis Dakura, Chairman and Executive Secretary respectively of the Union, and representatives of the Ghanaian community associations.

High Commissioner Osei cited insecurity as the greatest challenge militating against the development of the regions and emphasised that interventions and initiatives aimed at creating a lasting peace in the area would not yield the desired dividends if the various factions did not make a conscious effort to reconcile among themselves.

He said the conflict situation in Dagbon had compelled Government to divert part of the nation’s meagre resources which would otherwise have gone into development projects into conflict resolution efforts and appealed to indigenes of Dagbon, particularly those living outside the area to stop heightening tensions by their pronouncements and instead contribute to restore peace so that increased economic activities would guarantee wealth for the people.

The High Commissioner announced that Government would be putting in place irrigation and other schemes under which small-scale farmers would be assisted to grow rice in line with on-going efforts to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported rice.

On his part, Alhaji Issah Danjumah expressed the hope that the recurring spate of conflicts in the North would be curbed with enhanced security presence, improved literacy levels and the provision of employment opportunities for the youth.

He lamented on the high incidence of poverty in the North, which was once considered the “bread basket” of the country and called on the Government to extend the President’s special initiatives to the area to help alleviate the plight of the communities in the regions.

On the perennial problem of guinea worm infestation, he appealed to the government to evolve a mechanism to attract to the area skilled personnel to improve health delivery services, quality education and the administration of justice.