Groups again petition Gov't to adequately resource SADA


The Coalition of SADA Zone, Civil Society Organizations is once again calling on government to adequately resource SADA from the 2016 Supplementary Budget to be presented on Monday to enable the Authority vigorously and effectively embark on its Agricultural-led transformational Agenda in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

From broad based and high level consultations, SADA has come up with a road map to unlock the huge development potentials of the Northern Savanna areas of Ghana through an Agricultural led transformation.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by its Executive Secretary, Bismark Adongo Ayorogo and copied to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, (GBC).

The statement said development of the SADA Zone is a national imperative for macroeconomic stability, growth, food security, jobs and poverty reduction. 

"It must therefore be emphasized that despite the challenges that SADA faced in its early days, it still remains the only viable development vehicle to move Ghana speedily into achieving the Sustainable Development Goals." the statement said.

Adding that, SADA Zone known in many development circles as an economic reservoir and Ghana’s sleeping giant needs increased investment to wake it up and tap into it for the total transformation of the Ghanaian economy.

It further stated that, it is regrettably that after restructuring and reshaping SADA, the authority continuous to be neglected and denied national resource allocation, saying, this is not only making citizens raise critical questions on government’s commitment to supporting SADA transform the northern Savannah ecological zone into a place of opportunity and free from poverty but also seriously contravenes section 18 of the SADA Act 805 of 2010 which enjoins government to finance SADA through annual budgetary allocation.

It said the continuous neglect of SADA in the national budget has over the period not gone well with many Ghanaians particularly those from the northern Savannah areas.

This the statement noted, was why the Coalition in the first quarter of 2016, petitioned the Minister of State in charge of Development Authorities, Leadership of Parliament and all the Regional Ministers from the operational regions of SADA on the need for government to make reasonable allocation of resources from the 2016 Supplementary Budget to SADA.
 
“It is for this reason that the Coalition is renewing its call on government not to disappoint Ghanaians again particularly those from the northern savannah ecological zone by resourcing SADA from the 2016 Supplementary Budget. “ the statement concluded.


GBC