NORPRA urges government to enforce SADA Law

The Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), a civil society organisation, has urged the Government to enforce the law establishing the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).

That, it said, would ensure regular and reliable inflow of resources to the newly restructured SADA for sustainability.

A press release issued and signed by the Director of NORPRA, Ayorogo Adongo Bismark, and copied to the GNA in Bolgatanga on Thursday, said the enforcement of the law, particularly section 18 of Act 805 of 2010, would ensure regular and reliable inflow of resources to the newly restructured SADA to help ensure sustainability.

"The enforcement of the law, particularly section 18 of Act 805, 2010, will help ensure regular and reliable inflow of resources to the newly restructured, reshaped, refocused and rejuvenated SADA for sustainability," it said.

It said in 2010, the Government under late President Mills, in a very strong commitment to make SADA work as a pro-poor national development programme, gave legal backing to the authority by the enactment of Act 805 of 2010.

The statement said under Section 18 of the Act, government was enjoined to make annual budgetary allocations to SADA as well as raise funds from levies on non-petroleum imports as reliable source of funding for SADA and that regrettably, those aspects of the law remained unenforced hence starving the authority of the needed resources.

"What is more worrying is the fact that the 2013 and 2014 Budget Allocations to SADA have not been disbursed to the authority. This development is not only reducing citizens' trust and confidence in the government but also facilitating the perception of many Ghanaians that the Mahama-led Administration is running a governance of dishonesty," the statement said.

It, therefore, called on government to, as a matter of urgency, disburse all the 2013 and 2014 Budget Allocations to SADA as well as introduce levies on all non-petroleum imports to support the funding for SADA before the end of the second quarter of the year.

"Whilst trusting that government will respond positively to these demands within the specified period stated, we wish to state clearly that in the event that government fails to meet these demands, NORPRA as a CSO, will have no alternative than to take legal actions in the law courts against government to compel it to comply with the provisions of the Act and also engage in peaceful public protest across the SADA regions to press home our demand," the statement said.