Parliament urged to pass legislation on Northern Development Fund

Accra, Dec. 17, GNA - The Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), a pressure group, has urged Parliament, especially the Northern Caucus to ensure that a legislation is passed on the Northern Development Fund.

A statement issued in Accra on Monday and signed by Mr Bismark Adongo Ayorogo, President, the group said the enactment of a law to establish and govern its operations would not only lead to its sustainability and perpetual existence, but also make it possible for ordinary citizens to take appropriate legal action against any government or institution that might be found to show little commitment to the fund.

The statement said like the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF), the law should stipulate a specific amount from total tax revenue each year to be allocated to the fund.

"The 48 percent of government expenditure for Northern Ghana advocated by the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy 1 (GPRS1) was never implemented. Now that the government has listened to the cries of the poor and has taken the bold step to bridge the development gap between the north and the south, it is not too late to revisit the GPRS1 stipulation and use the same percentage as a starting point for allocation of state resources to the Northern Development Fund." According to the statement, development experts had indicated that the active participation and involvement of the end beneficiaries in any development programme was the surest way of achieving its successful implementation.

The statement urged all parliamentarians from the north, to use the Christmas break to discuss with their constituents the socio-economic development potentials of the three northern regions and specific areas that the fund should target.

This it said would enable them to get first hand information and acquire in-depth knowledge about the people's needs and aspirations. "It is our strong belief that this will lead to effective prioritisation of programmes and projects and the drawing up of a marshal plan for the development of Northern Ghana," the statement said, adding, a budget for the marshal plan would properly inform and convince government of the inadequacy of the GH=A225 million allocated to the fund.

The statement reiterated government's call on its development partners to contribute significantly to the alleviate the sufferings of the vast majority of people who were poor and vulnerable.

It also urged all stakeholders including civil society organisations to show keen interest in the fund by contributing towards it as well as monitoring the inflow and utilization of resources to ensure its judicious use. 17 Dec. 07