Tamale, Nov 15, GNA - The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr. Moses Bukari Magbenba, has called for a legislation and regulatory body to monitor the activities both local and foreign Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the country as some of them were not operating in the interest of their proposed beneficiaries.

He observed that the legislative power was needed because some NGOs had lost their focus of being non-profit entities and were making huge profits at the expense of poor communities. Mr. Magbenba was addressing the Fifth Tamale Learning Festival, in Tamale, at the weekend, organized by SNV Netherlands Development Organization with ActionAid-Ghana, Ibis, New Energy and Send Ghana, all NGOs operating in the country. It was under the theme; "Development impact in Northern Ghana : the case of Non-State Actors." It attracted people from diverse backgrounds in the country.

Mr Magbena noted: "Some NGOs have become the mouthpiece of political parties or instruments that could be destructive to the nation." "There must be a greater transparency in the activities of NGOs, just like the banks, which publish their annual financial and audited statements in the dailies," Mr. Magbenba added. He also called for a peer review mechanism amongst the NGOs so that they would be able to tell the basic truth about one another to guide them. The Minister, however, commended some NGOs that had made tremendous strides in helping the nation to meet and sustain their development objectives in the face of challenges. He said some also played roles in the implementation of the Millennium Development Compact Plan, while others assisted in the areas of good governance, health, education, infrastructure and mobilizing grass-roots support. The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, Professor David Millar, who delivered a lecture on the theme, noted that development must be endogenous in its approach and should be culturally based. He said it should encompass local initiatives, experiences, knowledge and institutions. Prof. Millar said development organizations should influence policy making by offering specific policy options to relevant policy makers.