PRAGMATIC MEASURES NEEDED...To bridge North-South divide (PAGE 15)

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Ghana, Dauda Toure, has underscored the need for pragmatic measures to be worked out to reduce the development disparities between the northern and southern parts of the country.
He also observed that development interventions in the north would not achieve the desired impact if people at the beneficiary communities were not actively involved in the planning and implementation of such programmes.
“It is always important to work with people at the communities to find out their priority areas before any intervention is carried out to address their problems,” Mr Dauda indicated.
The Resident Representative who was on a two-day working visit to the Northern Region was speaking during a courtesy call on the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Sumani Nayina in Tamale on Tuesday.
He said there were 40 UN agencies currently working in the country, and mentioned the various roles his outfit was playing to achieve lasting peace in the North which he noted was necessary in accelerating development in that part of the country.
On the way forward in the protracted conflicts in the area, Mr Dauda proposed a two-prong approach to the issue; creation of employment opportunities and continuous dialogue.
In these regard he said the UN agencies in the north were already working towards improving the lives of the people in that area and that his outfit had also engaged some prominent persons, including the National House of Chiefs and government on achieving sustainable peace in the region.
Touching on natural disasters such as floods, the Resident Representative noted that with the onset of this year’s rains, it was important to take precautionary measures to prevent and mitigate possible effects of floods in the area.
He recounted the 2007 floods in the north and its devastating effects and the subsequent interventions by the UN agencies and other collaborators in the reconstruction efforts.
“As we move into the rainy season, we look forward to working with the government and other stakeholders in order that life and property are not destroyed,” Mr Dauda stated.
He however emphasised that structural and long term measures must be fashioned out to mitigate the effects of such disasters on the vulnerable in future.
Mr Nayina, for his part, expressed appreciation to the UN agencies for their immense support to the people, particularly during the flood period.
He said even though agriculture was the mainstay of the people, the area also abound in natural resources such as mineral deposits.
The minister mentioned the lack of irrigation facilities, educational and employment opportunities as some of the difficulties facing the people.
Other challenges confronting the people, Mr Nayina said, were the long-drawn-out chieftaincy conflicts, and cited the Bimbilla, Gushiegu, Central Gonja and the Dagbon cases as some of the issues yet to be resolved.