Young people in the five regions of the North have registered their dissatisfaction with the activities of the Northern Development Authority (NDA), a body established to accelerate the development of the Northern regions.
This collective view was expressed when the Northern Youth Network, through YEFL-GHANA, organized a youth forum to demand some answers from the Northern Development Authority on their activities.
The Northern Development Authority formerly Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, was established during the time of the NDC to fast-track developmental activities of the Northern belt of Ghana.
The need to understand the work of the NDA, their budgetary allocations, challenges and opportunities for collaboration lead to this forum. The Northern Regional Youth Networks used this platform to engage the NDA specifically, on issues of Youth involvement and development.
Present during the engagement was the deputy CEO of NDA, Iddi Zakaria who explained many of the developmental projects being executed by the authority.
The youth groups were however unsatisfied with the explanation given by the authority.
Abdul Latif Issahaku, the Northern Regional Coordinator for Activista said it is unreasonable for the NDA to say they are implementing government policies like; the One Village One Dam, One Constituency One Warehouse using the one million dollars per constituency promised Ghanaians by the ruling NPP.
On his part, Haruna Zininta, President of the Upper West Regional Youth Federation says there’s nothing special about the authority but just one of the many political offices where transparency and accountability are rare.
In conclusion, the Technical Adviser at YEFL-GHANA, Abdul Ganiu Alhassan says the lack of proper funding for the authority is a clear sign that it was established to fail.
By: Alhassan D Baba | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
