Tamale, Nov. 27, GNA- Mr Steffen Rasmussen, Regional Director of IBIS responsible for the Northern sector, on Friday appealed to the government to invest more in rural areas to enhance social development.

He said people in the rural areas suffered most in terms of poverty, inadequate health facilities and other basic amenities.

He said it would do the country good if the government and other NGOs focused their attention to rural areas.

Mr Rasmussen made the appeal at a send-off party organized for him by IBIS. The function was attended by the media, civil society groups, IBIS partners in development and some members of the public.

He said IBIS has now extended to the Liberia, Ivory Cost and Sierra Leon and though he was leaving the sub-region, the NGO would continue to grow from strength to strength.

Mr Rasmussen said he had been in the Tamale since 2001 and that IBIS had chalked a lot of success including peace building in the Northern region and in education.

He urged the new regional director to collaborative effectively with IBIS partners for development.

Ms Birgitte Karine Rasmussen, the incoming regional director called on IBIS partners not to hesitate to criticize it in order to keep the NGO going.

She said it was time for IBIS and its development partners to consolidate some of the activities to ensure that they got the necessary experience and competence to move the organisation forward. Mr Tijani Ahmed Hamaza, Programme Director at the Northern Ghana Office in Tamale thanked Mr Rasmussen for his tireless efforts in getting IBIS to where it is today, and urged him not hide any ideas that would help improve the organization.

He said though Mr Rasmussen was leaving, he should continue communicating to the office and help the incoming director and all IBIS staff with ideas that might be useful in developing IBIS.