Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, Northern Regional Minister, has stated that the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) was reaching out to strategic partners to implement programmes that would ensure the rapid development of the Region.

Alhaji Limuna, who stated this at a meeting with a delegation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Tamale on Thursday, said there was the need to look elsewhere for strategic partnerships to develop the region instead of solely depending on government subventions.

The NRCC invited the USAID to the meeting which was also attended by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and District Coordinating Directors in the region, to explain its (USAID) programmes and how such programmes could be accessed by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to propel development in their respective jurisdictions.

Alhaji Limuna, therefore, appealed to MMDCEs to be innovative and tap into opportunities offered by development partners to improve the living conditions of the people.

He said the NRCC was working to woo other development partners to the region to implement programmes to raise the status of the region.

Mr Andy Karas, Deputy Mission Director, USAID Ghana, who led the delegation, made a presentation on the programme areas of USAID Ghana, which include health, education, economy, and democracy and governance where it supported national, regional and district authorities to strengthen systems to ensure efficiency.

He said the Northern Region was a priority area for USAID adding the United States government had approved a five-year (2013-2017) plan to support health, agriculture, education and civil society initiatives.

He said the programmes of USAID were developed taking into consideration the country’s development aspirations as contained in the documents of National Development Planning Commission.

USAID has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, West Gonja and Tolon Districts to implement the Resiliency in Northern Ghana (RING) initiative.

This brings to nine the number of districts in the region where RING is being implemented.

RING is a $60 million project by the U.S government to improve the livelihoods and nutritional status of the poorest of Northern Regional households with an emphasis on pregnant and lactating women and children under five years.