Bolgatanga, Oct 30, GNA - Parliament has been urged to ensure the passage of the Legislative Instrument (LI) on the Northern Development Fund (NDF) before the dissolution of the House. The Northern Patriot in Research and Advocacy (NOPRA), a Civil Society, working for the promotion of equal and social justice stated this at a Press Conference on Wednesday in Bolgatanga. A statement signed and read by the President of NORPRA, Mr Bismark Adongo Ayorogo, commended Government for setting up the NDF with a seed money of GH¢25 million.

It called on Parliament, especially the Northern Caucus in Parliament, to hasten the passage of the LI on the NDF before the dissolution of Parliament. The statement noted that the passage of the LI on the NDF would not only make it sustainable but would equally afford the ordinary citizens the opportunity to take legal actions against any government or institution whose action or inaction could be defeating the purpose for which the Fund was set up.

It indicated that the country Review Mission Report (CRM) of the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) explained that the progress in the attainment of a considerable number of goals, set out in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) document and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were distorted by the wide urban-rural gap. The statement said the general disparities in the distribution of socio-economic development in the country showed that the three Northern Regions and some parts of coastal Ghana were lagging behind the rest of the country.

It stated that with the legislation of the NDF, its implementation would enable Ghana to achieve its dreams of meeting the MDGs. It wondered why the Northern MPs were not pushing ahead with the passage of the LI on the Fund and asked them to put their partisan stand aside so as to ensure that it was passed before parliament was dissolved.