Northern Citizens Deserve Better - CPP

BONABOTO-UK , a voluntary organisation of the peoples of Bolgatanga, Bongo and Talensi-Nabdam Districts of the Upper Region of Ghana, wrote to the British Prime Minister in March pointing out the disadvantaged position of Ghana’s Northern citizens.

The Convention People’s Party views the issues raised with such seriousness that we wish to lend our support to the cause which highlights the plight of Ghanaian citizens in the northern part of our country and the deplorable neglect shown by successive government since the CPP government of the 1950’s and 60’s.

Bonaboto pointed out that the citizens of the Ghana’s North i.e. Northern region, Upper East region and the Upper West Region form a sizeable element of our population , 20% to be exact , that it is the most disadvantaged section of our society, lacking basic infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals, good drinking water and electricity. That 88% of the Northern population live in poverty. Thus close to 4million of our citizens live a life that is not satisfactory , unacceptable , unnecessary and totally preventable. 70% of our northern population depend on agriculture for their livelihood and this is the reason why the CPP government established manufacturing industries which not only employed people but utilized the agricultural produce of the area to ensure that the integration of industry with local needs, practice and lifestyle served to maintain and raise living standards .

Successive governments have not had the foresight or perhaps inclination to continue with these policies and have overseen the collapse of these industries, leaving our northern citizens further impoverished.

As Bonaboto have pointed out , Northern Ghana had been deliberately denied development since colonial times to ensure a source of cheap labour for the cocoa farms and mines in Southern Ghana.

It is our view therefore that Ghana owes the North and any Government of Ghana must as a matter of priority address the inbalance and injustice perpetuated for so long against the peoples of Northern Ghana.

The situation is now very urgent and government must move to reverse the deteriorating trend in education and health. The figures published by Bonaboto show 60% of children over the age of 6 have never attended school. That 64% of parents cannot afford to send their child to school, that more than 78% of adults over the age of 15 are illiterate.

On the health front one doctor per every 30,000 people in the North cannot address situations such as the reported 53.8% of the population with malaria.during 2005/2006. At a time when we celebrate 50 years of nationhood 40% of women in the North deliver children unsupervised with 220 in every 1000 women dying during childbirth.

Bonaboto have also pointed out that Ghana’s Northern citizens have been discriminated against when it comes to sharing the national cake pointing out that on Investment, District Assembly Common Fund allocation etc the North has come out worse against any other region of the country. The CPP United Kingdom and Ireland thus extends a hand of support to BONABOTO-UK in its for an urgent formation of a movement, to intensify the fight and struggle for equity, justice and economic emancipation for the people of Northern Ghana.

We also wish to assure Bonaboto both in Ghana and the United Kingdom that we would support any move which calls on all political parties of Ghana to sign a “Charter of Development for Northern Ghana” . We would point out however that both the NDC and NPP have failed Ghana’s Northern Citizens. Ghana ‘s Northern citizens deserve better and only an incoming CPP government can build on its track record of development and fairness for our citizens in Northern Ghana.

Forward Ever! Backward Never!!!! Development and Fairness for Ghana’s North!!!!

Secretariat Convention People’s Party (CPP United Kingdom and Ireland) cppuk@hotmail.com cppyouth@gmail.com