{"id":16797,"date":"2014-05-06T12:16:16","date_gmt":"2014-05-06T12:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=16797"},"modified":"2014-05-06T12:16:16","modified_gmt":"2014-05-06T12:16:16","slug":"a-commentary-on-sada-ibrahim-tanko-amidu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/05\/a-commentary-on-sada-ibrahim-tanko-amidu\/","title":{"rendered":"A commentary on SADA – Ibrahim Tanko Amidu"},"content":{"rendered":"
In between the end of my ‘A’ level exams and taking up residence in Vandal city I worked for about 3 months with the Upper Regional Agricultural Development programme (URADEP). Even in those days, I was struck by the huge investment in the administrative infrastructure and wondered how this was going to be sustained by the government after the end of the programme. I have not seen an impact evaluation of URADEP, but I do know that agric in the catchment has not been transformed, give or take a few improvements.<\/p>\n
For my post-degree national service, I worked with the Upper regional development corporation, one of a number set up by the Acheampong regime to facilitate regional development. These corporations were into everything, and for the one I worked it their projects included bakeries, cattle ranches, rest houses and running of \u2018consumable\u2019 and hardware stores. Apart from the Central regional one which morphed into CEDECOM, none of these corporations still exists and their impact on development in the regions doubtful.<\/p>\n
In between these agencies and SADA, the 3 regions of northern Ghana have seen NORRIP, UWADEP and others. Sadly, from what we are hearing about SADA’s travails, not much has been learnt from these previous programmes. A nation that refuses to learn the lessons from its past is condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past and to watch its development stagnate.\u00a0Some of the key lessons which should have informed the design and implementation include:<\/p>\n
1) Strategic role of the entity: For such programmes to succeed, they need to be pitched at the level of facilitating the actions of relevant actors, private sector and public. Some of SADA\u2019s actions have been at the level of direct implementation of projects a la the development corporations;<\/p>\n
2) Relationship with agencies: Do not attempt to duplicate the efforts of state agencies or compete with them for funding; you will antagonise them and not have access to their resources and capacities. Why should SADA be planting trees when there is a Forestry Commission? Or go into butterscotch production or guinea fowls when MoFA exists? The list is endless.<\/p>\n