Tamale, March 2, GNA - A forum to promote the development of Northern Ghana has ended with a call on the government to accelerate the implementation of the Northern Development Fund through the establishment of the Northern Development Authority. The forum also appealed to the government to consider the development of Northern Ghana as a key responsibility to address the widening gap between the area and the south. These were contained in a communiquee issued at the end of the three-day forum organised by the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference with funding from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The forum, which was on the theme: "Reducing poverty in Northern Ghana through a holistic development", discussed an action plan with clear vision of development, the role of government in the promotion of the area's development and the equitable use of the Northern Development Fund.

The communiquee committed itself to working towards a lasting peace and dealing with the recurrent conflicts, which were retarding the development of the area. It entreated all northerners particularly politicians, to participate in and contribute meaningfully to the development of the north. The communiquee said it was also committed to holding Members of Parliament, government appointees and other stakeholders from the north, accountable to ensure that they worked to develop the area.