Kintampo (B/A), Dec. 08, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Brong Ahafo Regional

Minister on Monday said the government was committed and determined to effectively

implement the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) initiative, for an

accelerated socio-economic advancement of the northern savannah areas of the country. He said the government's resolve to bridge the development gap between the north and south

was not just in fulfilment of the NDC manifesto pledge but a constitutional requirement in Article

36 (2) (d). The article states that "the state is enjoined by the directive principles of state policy to take

necessary steps to establish a sound and healthy economy through the undertaking of even and

balanced development of all regions and improvement of conditions of life in the rural areas". Mr Nyamekye-Marfo was speaking at the opening of a one-day orientation workshop

organised by the national secretariat of SADA under the office of the Vice President, for

stakeholders drawn from the earmarked areas of the project in Brong Ahafo and Volta regions. The 30 participants included Municipal/District Chief Executives, District Planning Officers,

Assembly Members, representatives of civil society and non-governmental organisations. It was aimed at sensitizing the stakeholders to contribute to the strategy of the development

framework. The Northern Savannah areas comprise Upper West and East Regions, Northern Region and

the 10 districts contiguous to the Northern Region in northern Brong Ahafo and northern Volta,

which are Kintampo Municipality, Kintampo South, Atebubu-Amantin, Pru, Sene and Tain in

Brong Ahafo as well as Krachi East and West, Nkwanta North and South districts of Volta

Region. Mr Nyamekye-Marfo stated that these areas were known to represent the poorest sections of

Ghana with between 70 and 85 per cent of the inhabitants being poor. He said the SADA project sought to reduce the level of those living in poverty to less than 20

per cent by 2030 and to transform the northern Savannah into a bread-basket of the country. The Regional Minister explained that the strategy focused on the creation of "forested and

green North", to be "an area where farmers plant and reap the fruits of economic trees, while

producing nutritious staple foods for domestic consumption and commercial purposes".

Dr. Sulley Gariba, Development Policy Advisor at the Office of the Vice President reiterated

that the SADA initiative was a right guaranteed by the constitution and emphasized that it

represented a bold response to the decaying environmental circumstances in Ghana and

therefore sought to stem the impact of climate on the country. He said by prioritizing climate-change mitigation strategies, the initiative proposed to

coordinate a multiplicity of agencies to design and implement flood control measures, through

drainage of the white Volta River basin, aggressive planting of tree seedlings and progressive

land development and management. Dr. Gariba indicated that much of the investment would be public sector-led, targeting the

construction of canals, roads and bridges as well as irrigation and drainage systems to enable

farmers to produce food and commercial crops all year- round. Dr. Gariba intimated that by focusing on the pivotal role of the private sector, "SADA

promises to be instrumental in mobilizing private sector businesses to take advantage of the

investment incentives and opportunities offered by SADA to get involved in a new orientation of

the value-chain". Investments in agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, mining and services were expected to

ensure that more than 90 per cent of the jobs created would be long-term, sustainable

employment, especially for the youth, he added. Dr. Charles Jebuni, leader of the SADA technical team, in a presentation noted that projects

in the country were planned on sectoral lines and that made the country to lose advantage of its

individual ecological belts. He disclosed the project was a long-term initiative spanning 20-25 years and was based on

the premise of five principles, including the fact that the North had fast growth potential in

agriculture, mining and tourism. The team leader said growth was the most cost-effective means of addressing poverty and

emphasized that "discourse on regional inequality must be based on growth". Dr. Jebuni revealed that over the years, development had been moving from the urban centres

to the rural areas and SADA was intended to reverse that trend where the beneficiary zones

would economically be empowered to modernize their own agriculture as the pedestal for

industrialization to propel development of the urban areas. 08 Dec. 09