Tamale, July 12, GNA- Mr Mohammed Amin Adam, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) has urged investors to take advantage of the numerous opportunities the implementation of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) would bring to the Northern Region and invest in the area. He said the MCA was a key strategy aimed at poverty reduction through the transformation of agriculture, leading to an increase in productivity at all levels of the economy. Mr Adam said this at the inauguration of the District Advisory Committee (DAC) of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) for the Tamale Metropolis on Friday.

The committee is made up of representatives from farmer based Organizations (FBOs), banking and micro-finance institutions, women's groups and civil society organizations. The DAC is to give advice and provide local input to the MiDA to enable it to effectively address peculiar problems associated with the implementation of MiDA projects in the Metropolis. Mr Adam said the Northern Region plays a strategic role in the development of the country, because of its vast, rich and fertile lands, which were suitable for the cultivation of different varieties of food and cash crops. He said investors should therefore take advantage of the opportunities and establish facilities such as factories and industries for the processing, packaging and transportation of the agriculture products.

Mr Adam said Tamale in particular, was strategically placed to accelerate the development of the three northern regions because it had facilities such as an airport, which could facilitate the transportation of goods abroad. The MCE said there was also a lot of land around the airport for the construction of the necessary infrastructure for the purposes of enhancing trade and providing allied services. He said the Metropolitan Assembly had also acquired land for the construction of an inland transit port, which would enhance economic activities between the northern sector of the country and its neighbours.

Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin, Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, who inaugurated the Committee said, the DAC were to facilitate the progress of work of the MiDA and must therefore not be seen as one, which would "add a layer of bureaucracy or become another bottleneck in our implementation process". He briefed the people on the objectives and aims of the MiDA and urged them to take advantage of it to boost agricultural production and also improve upon the standards of their lives. 12 July 08