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N/R: Group commends Akufo-Addo for appointing new NDA board chair, CEO

General News President Akufo-Addo
JUL 22, 2021 LISTEN
President Akufo-Addo

The CSOs Platform on Good Governance has commended Akufo-Addo for appointing Dr. Abdulai Mobson and Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman to serve as the Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Northern Development Authority (NDA) respectively.

The Northern Development Authority (NDA) was set up by an Act of Parliament, Act 963, 2017 to provide a framework for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone (NDZ) and for related matters.

Unfortunately, the authority has since its establishment suffered serious setbacks with many development practitioners questioning its relevance.

In a bid to revive the authority, President Akufo-Addo has appointed a new board chairman as well as CEO.

Elated with the appointment, the CSOs platform on Good Governance says it congratulates the two appointees for catching the eyes of the President.

“The recent appointment has been considered appropriate, carefully done. forward-looking and appears to be a response to demands of CSOs and well-meaning Ghanaians to have the right people at the authority for the rapid development of the North,” part of a release from the group of NGOs has said.

Among a list of recommendations, the CSOs platform is urging the government to provide strategic leadership and mobilize technical, financial, and human resources within and outside the country for effective execution of the mandate of the Northern Development Authority.

The platform also wants “the government to ensure adequate and timely provision of resources for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone.”

Find below the full release from the group:

ED APPOINTMENT OF BOARD CHAIR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (NDA).

The CSOs Platform on Good Governance welcomes with great satisfaction the President appoint of Dr. Abdulai Mobson and Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman to serve as the Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer for the NDA, respectively. It notes that, the appointment is a major step in the restructuring and transformation of the inequality bridging authority. The Northern Development Authority (NDA) was set up by an Act of Parliament, Act 963, 2017 to provide a framework for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone (NDZ) and for related matters. The authority undoubtedly has suffered serious setbacks since establishment with many development practitioners questioning its relevance. The recent appointment has been considered appropriate, carefully done. forward looking and appears to be a response to demands of CSOs and well- meaning Ghanaians to have the right people at the authority for the rapid development of the North.

We congratulate the two appointees for catching the eyes of His Excellency the President and challenge them to leverage on the several decades accumulated experience to transform the authority. We hesitate in reminding you of the challenges that have bedeviled the authority because of your familiarity with the issues. We have spent several years as political parties, development practitioners, private sector, donors, and citizens blaming each other for the woes of the authority. The appointment of the two must be seen as a new journey and we expect nothing but an inclusive process that awakens the spirits of all citizens of Northern Ghana.

As we continue to congratulate the appointees and celebrate the credentials, we make the following specific demands of them and that of government.

  1. Provide strategic leadership and mobilize technical, financial, and human resources within and outside the country for effective execution of the mandate of Northern Development Authority. consciously work together with other MMDAs, CSOs, NGOs, and the youth to help realize the NDA’s mandate and address challenges that may arise.
  2. Create opportunities for regular interactions with institutions, CSOs, youth and the people at large to identify needs, plan, prioritize development projects, explore opportunities, and collectively brainstorm on practical solutions.
  3. Ensure the effective use of resources when given, employ transparency and accountability in their work and to distant themselves from repeating the unfortunate past stories of NDA.
  4. Not take-over the role of MMDAs but rather complement MMDAs for the sustainable development of the Northern Zone

We the members of the CSO Platform on Good Governance make a passionate appeal to

  • the government to ensure adequate and timely provision of resources for the accelerated economic and social development of the Northern Development Zone. It is without doubt that even with the right set of people and skills, lack of resources will hamper successful delivery and achievement of the authority’s core mandate; hence we call on government to heed this call.
  • Enhanced intersectoral collaboration, to avoid duplication of interventions and waste of efforts and resources to maximize impact on development.
  • To eliminate the influence of any central ministry or agency like the former ministry of development initiatives from leading procurement and usurping the powers of the authority. The board must be given full mandate to take decisions and then supervise management implementation of same. The CSOs platform on Good Governance with Norsaac as a convenor assures the leadership of unflinching support to advance the shared goals of sustainable development and human rights in Northern Ghana and Ghana at large. The platform wishes Dr. Abdulai Mobson and Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman all the best in their new roles.

Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo
Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo

JournalistPage: EricNanaYawKwafo

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