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Workshop

Tamale: Reducing Poverty in Northern Ghana Through Holistic Development

Think Tank Forum

TEPPCON - KAS Think Tank Forum on the strategies for developing the North

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Details

Over the last hundred years, the Catholic Church in Northern Ghana has remained firmly committed to the people of the three Northern Regions, not only through preaching the Good News, but also through collaborating with government, local authorities and NGOs, in the strive for the holistic development of the people.

The presence of the Catholic Church in the communities through the socio-economic empowerment projects, educational, health care, provision of potable water and peace-building interventions has made the Church synonymous with development in Northern Ghana.

However, considering the socio-economic development of the country, Northern Ghana still has the highest incidence of poverty in the country. To reverse this trend and redress the imbalance, it was imperative that all concerned citizens of the North come together to engage in dialogue and solicit the co-operation of Government Members of Parliament (MPs), Regional and District Administrations, Traditional and Religious Authorities were invited in 2007 to explore the potentials, opportunities and strategies for rapid socio-economic transformation of Northern Ghana.

It is in furtherance of this agenda, that the Bishops of the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) and our partners are again inviting selected persons of different talents and developmental capabilities to form a Think Tank to take up the strategic developmental issues of Northern Ghana. The three day forum slated as the TEPPCON-KAS Think Tank forum on the development of the northern Ghana is under the theme: Reducing Poverty in Northern Ghana Through Holistic Development.

The forum is being organised by TEPPCON with the financial support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), a German political foundation (NGO) and the Catholic Diocese of Muenster.

The General Aims of the Forum are:

  • To reflect on the historical development of the North and the contribution of the Church.
  • To draw attention to the development challenges and potentials in Northern Ghana vis-à-vis disparity with the rest of the country.
  • To acquaint government authorities and Development partners with TEPPCON’S past and current development efforts in the North.
  • To garner the commitment of the political and traditional leaders for renewed efforts to embrace the new challenges, in order to reduce poverty and address the obstacles to growth in Northern Ghana in line with the vision (2015) and aspirations of the rest of the country.

Specific Objective of the Forum are:

  1. Inauguration of the Northern Think Tank/Executive or Steering Committee.
  2. Discuss an action plan with clear follow up activities and bench marks for the development of the North.
  3. The assess role of government and in the promotion of the development of the North.
  4. The assess role of the educated elites in the development of Northern Ghana (all inclusive role).
  5. The presentation of the 5 year Strategic Plan for TEPPCON-KAS Civic Education Programme and how it fits into the general Development Plan of the Northern Think Tank.
The over all objective is the possible breach of the development gap between the south and the north.

It is worth to place on record that in addition to the existing Diocesan Development Offices (DDOs), TEPPCON in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Muenster, Germany, have set up an NGO to redouble development efforts in the three northern Regions. This NGO is called the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Partnership in Action (TEPPIA), and was duly launched at the last forum.

“It is hoped that this exercise will advance the call for a new development paradigm, renewed development effort and a special development plan for the North. A Marshall Development Plan for the North” (Most Rev. Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya).

The arrangements are as follows:

Date: 22nd to 27th February 2009

Venue: Catholic Guest House

Contacts:

TEPPCON:

Agnes Gandaa

Partnership Coordinator

Tel: 07125229 or 0244592143

KAS:

Isaac Owusu-Mensah

Snr. Programme Officer

021-768629/0244329047

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Venue

Tamale

Speakers

  • Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON)
    Contact

    Klaus D. Loetzer

    Head of the KAS office in Tunisia

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