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| Nduom News |
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| In the News |
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| Press Release - Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) |
| from Nduom Secretariat |
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| Thu, May 7th 2009 |
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 It is important that we consider as a matter of public interest ways to implement the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) that will ensure efficiency and effectiveness. The development of the three northern regions and other poverty endemic areas of the country is a matter that is agreed by all political parties in Ghana. The NPP when in government went through an Act of Parliament to back its interest and intent. The CPP in its campaign promised to bridge the gap in development between the north and the south. So it is matter of national interest and not of a partisan nature. When in power after independence, the CPP embarked on an aggressive program to develop the human capital, social and industrial development of the north. Students from the north were given scholarships up to the tertiary level of education. The tomato, groundnut and meat processing factories were established in that part of the country. A Presidential lodge was built in Nyankpanduri that had it not been for the Kulungugu bomb throwing incident would have seen trips to that area and certainly gained even more exposure of that part of the country for development opportunities.
While the accelerated development of the northern part of the country is accepted by all, the Mills administration has made an important promise about running a lean and efficient government that will continue to be a guiding post for the four year term of office. This makes is necessary for all programs and policies to be examined against this promise prior to their implementation.
A number of consultations were engaged in by the Kufuor Administration before the passage of the Act of Parliament to make its northern development policy a matter of official public policy and voted an initial sum of money to begin implementation. The Mills Administration has also engaged the minds of a variety of experts in the field to propose changes to the existing Act including changing the name to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, the geographical coverage and other considerations. It is in this regard that I wish to make a suggestion with regards to the implementation of SADA.
The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has some characteristics that are very similar to those proposed for SADA. Both are aimed at geographic areas that are known areas of extreme poverty. They aim to modernize agriculture to improve yield and the prosperity of farmers. They are designed as integrated development programs to include roads, energy, education, water, health and other social facilities in addition to job creation projects. MiDA was created by an Act of Parliament just as SADA will be.
MiDA though funded mostly by a foreign government in its initial program was designed by Ghanaian professionals – experts in agriculture, infrastructure, finance, education, environmental protection, law, etc. The MiDA Act included provisions that make it possible for the Authority to be used to implement other development programmes. The Act made room for other sources of funding to be sought to implement non-MCA projects in other parts of the country.
MiDA has a well-funded administrative organization and has been able to gather professionals who can be used on non-MCA projects. It also has a good number of policies and procedures in areas such as credit, procurement, road construction, agriculture that can be applied to other projects. The experience gained by gathering government officials at the district and national levels to serve on a Board of Directors along with private sector representatives and bringing together experts from Ministries of Finance & Economic Planning, Education, Energy, Agriculture, Roads and Highways and others is too valuable to push aside.
My suggestion for the consideration of the experts assisting the Mills Administration to implement SADA is to consider the experience of MiDA and learn some lessons from its project implementation activities. Serious consideration should be given to using the administrative capacity of MiDA for the implementation of SADA’s projects. There is more there than is publicly known. This is one case where the country can be saved from the unnecessary re-invention of what already exists. |
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Press Release - Savannah |
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from Nduom Secretariat |
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Thu, May 7th 2009 |
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It is important that we consider as a matter of public interest ways to implement the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority |
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