NPP is committed to northern development - Akufo-Addo assures

The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, Monday stated that unlike the ruling National Democratic Congress, the NPP is committed to the development of the three Northern Regions.

He said the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority had been a complete failure because the NDC was never committed to the idea of transforming Northern Ghana.

Addressing the people of Damongo as part of his 'tour to restore hope', Nana Akufo-Addo assured he would always remain committed to the development of the three Northern Regions when he is elected into office as president.

He noted that the Northern Development Authority was about how to develop the Northern Regions so that the gap between the north and the south could be bridged.

“When I proposed the Northern Development Plan in 2008, backed by a Northern Development Authority with seed capital of one billion US Dollars, John Mahama, then running mate to Prof Mills, said if I had that amount of money I should use it to pay the debt of VRA,” he recalled.

He added: “upon second thought, however, the NDC quickly copied our idea and renamed it SADA.”

Nana Addo said it is obvious today that SADA was just a mere political gimmick by the NDC designed to win votes.

“They showed clearly from their own comments that the development of the North is not a priority for them and it is therefore not surprising that SADA has been a failure,” the NPP Presidential Candidate said.

He questioned the evidence of the impact SADA had made in the lives of the people, adding, “All you hear is seminars upon seminars and yet nothing shows on the ground that SADA is really functioning.”

The NDC in its 2008 Manifesto pledged to set up SADA to accelerate the socio-economic development of the Savannah Belt.

As part of the pledge, the NDC was to establish a Special Development Fund for the SADA to be sourced from the Consolidated Fund, Multi-donor Agencies, Bilateral, Multilateral and Development Finance Institutions and private sector capital, notably from local and international Banks as well as investors in the Savannah economy.

“The initial start-up contribution to this fund shall be GH¢200 million, with annual contributions from Government of GH¢100 million each year for 20 years. Once established, the Government of Ghana will lead a Donor Conference on Northern Ghana, with the aim of raising an additional $200 million from Ghana's Development Partners and the Private sector, in order to assure the new Authority a firm and financial solid foundation,” the party added in its Manifesto.

Even though the NDC had promised to make budgetary allocation of GH¢25 million to the fund in 2010, it failed to do so.

Nana Akufo-Addo is of the view that the Mills-Mahama led government has been unable to effectively implement the SADA project, assuring that the NPP would work hard to ensure that the Northern Development Authority inures to the benefit of all the people of the three Northern Regions.

“If we are able to do that it will create jobs here and therefore the young people of the north can stay here and live dignified lives without having to move down south in search of jobs that do not exist,” he added.