BOOST FOR SADA

Page 7: Daily Graphic, March 30, 2012. THE level of poverty and under-development in the three northern regions will continue to attract commentary until the gap between the north and the south is closed. The gap continues to expand because policies and programmes instituted to address this handicap either go unimplemented for lack of funds or are swept under the carpet and treated as business as usual. When the government announced the setting up of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), many Ghanaians saw it as one of the usual rhetorics. The Daily Graphic had cause to challenge officials of SADA to initiate activities with the start-up funds from the government. Fortunately, the government has announced the release of $100 million for SADA to kick-start its programmes, with a promise to release a further $100 million by the second quarter of this year. What better news can our compatriots in the three northern regions want to hear than this coming from the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama. The provision of this amount should resolve one of the jig-saws facing officials of SADA. With the release of this amount, we expect officials of SADA to demonstrate more passion and commitment in embarking on the national assignment of helping to bring development to the north and improving the lives of our people. Although the Vice-President gave indication that SADA had already made an impact, we believe that impact is yet to reflect on the lives of the people. The impact Ghanaians expect to see is an improvement in the living conditions of the people up north as a result of the activities of SADA. The Daily Graphic expects to see a huge reduction in, if not an end to, the movement of people from the north to the south to seek elusive opportunities and consequently become victims of abuse. We, therefore, urge officials of SADA to give meaning to the hope and joy the government has brought to the people through the establishment of SADA by taking concrete action that will begin to rub on the lives of the people. This is particularly so when a Stakeholder Co-ordination Committee (SCC), a body mandated to solicit inputs for various development aspects in the north into SADA’s plans and programmes, has also been inaugurated, in line with provisions of the SADA Law, Act 805. Some may argue that the destiny of the people of the north is now in their hands following the setting up of all the requisite structures and the release of money for SADA’s operations. We agree that the three northern regions boast some of the skilful personalities and resources needed for breaking the back of poverty and under-development but the people still need our support. The Daily Graphic, therefore, calls on all corporate institutions and the donor community to rally behind the government and SADA to accelerate development in the three northern regions and help bridge the poverty gap between the north and the south. For now, it is high time the officers tasked to supervise the activities of SADA went into immediate action to give hope to the people. Action, it is said, speaks louder than words.