Northern Development Forum Executive Meeting
AgroVet Offices, Kanda
6/05/08
Present
1. Dr Hakeem Wemah
2. Dr Adam Hafez Tahir
3. Al-hassan Adam
Invitee
1. Dr Sintim Tobiga (A.P.B.C)
Chair informed the meeting that “Africa Peace Building Club (A.P.B.C)” invited him to chair a meeting they are organising to discuss developmental issues pertaining to the north. But he felt it prudent to invite a representative of the group to NDF executive meeting to brief the executive on their purpose and intensions to enable NDF to arrive at an inform decision.
Dr. Sintim Tobiga patron of APBC briefed the meeting on their up coming meeting scheduled for 17th May 2008, at Teachers Hall, Accra. Theme for the meeting is “SHIFTING FROM THE PERSUASIVE METHOD OF ATTAINING PEACE TO THE CULTIVATION OF PEACE FROM THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL FOR ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT”. He further outlined the objectives of the meeting as follows:
1. To grow peace internally and extending it to external conditions or people
2. To get the traditional rulers and other interested parties to include the youth in search for sustainable peace in conflict areas
3. To harmonise the youth and the general public on the need to live in peace and harmony with people in and outside their families, communities and regions.
He further mentioned that there shall be presentations base on the objectives with other presentations focusing on the “Northern Development Fund” and a proposal for the three Northern Regions to endorse one political party. He explained that endorsing one political party would give the north a bargaining chip to negotiate for development. He sited the defunct Northern Peoples Party (NPP) led by Dombo and co as an example.
Comments from members:
NDF Chair briefed him of the activities NDF has undertaken so far and the aims and visions of NDF. Members were of the view that the focus of APBC was similar to that of NDF and it would be prudent for us to collaborate than to be seen as competitors. But members disagreed on the proposal for endorsing one political party for the three northern regions. NDF cautioned that if APBC should raise this issue at their meeting, it might result to people distancing themselves from them. And this would make it difficult to mobilise them in future.
The meeting agreed that NDF Chair would only chair the 17th May meeting on condition that APBC drop the proposal for endorsing one political party for the three northern regions.
Dr. Sintim Tobiga accepted the terms and promised to convey the message to his colleagues and get back to NDF.
The meeting also discussed the Bawku conflict and decided on the following action:
1. NDF issue a press release
2. Members should contribute to writing this release through the chair
3. Call a meeting with MPs to push them to intervene in the conflict
FYI:
• Sir Ben Assorow was not able to make it because he was involved in an accident on his way to the meeting
• Mr. Adam Sule was caught up in a Board meeting
• Dr. Sule Gariba was in Tamale and could not make it
Compiled by Al-hassan Adam
