The Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has said that he will convene an all-Northern Peoples conference to deliberate on the socio-economic development of the three Northern Regions.

The intended conference shall also make inputs into the recommendation of the National Economic Dialogue, which recommended a special package for the three Northern Regions especially in the areas of agriculture, education, health, tourism and infrastructure.

Alhaji Aliu was addressing the chiefs and people of the Region on a local radio station, Radio Savannah, after a six-day official visit to thank the people in the Region for their support to the NPP during the last December elections.

The Vice President said the Government would live up to its campaign promises to reduce the alarming rate of poverty, ignorance and disease in the three Northern Regions through implementation of realistic programmes.

He said few tractors and their accessories that have been distributed to some farmers in the North, is only the beginning of the government's programme to revamp the agricultural sector.

He said the Government would soon implement a programme that would make the North to regain its lost glory as the "food basket of Ghana".

Alhaji Aliu said the Government has acquired a 10-million-dollar grant to improve facilities at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale while the Tamale Regional Hospital is to be upgraded to a Teaching Hospital.

He said the Government will further support the University to improve the human resource base of the North, which will include the training of medical doctors, and development oriented professionals.