Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pledged to bring peace to Northern Ghana which has been bedeviled with pockets of chieftaincy conflicts. He hopes to achieve this by the rapid transformation of the region. He was delivering a speech on the theme, ‘The Transformation of the North – An Agenda for Change’, at the University for Development Studies, on Friday, 25 July, 2008 at the Tamale Campus, as part of his tour of the Northern Region. “The disputes in so many of our communities that sometimes lead to outbreaks in violence, is one of the biggest obstacles to the development of the North,” Nana stated, adding that “The development that I seek will itself contribute to the peace that we need”. The conflicts in the North have diverted national attention and consumed a lot of resources expended in maintaining law and order. Nana Akufo-Addo said he believes that the transformation and modernisation of the North is a necessary precondition to the transformation and modernisation of Ghana. He therefore pledged to “build on the work of President Kufuor and others to promote peace especially with current mechanisms such as the Committee of Eminent Chiefs who are doing a yeoman’s job in bringing to an end the protracted Dagbon conflict”. The committee is made up of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei II, the Yagbon Wura and the Nayiri, and is tasked by government to find a lasting solution to the conflict of the Dagbon area. The presidential hopeful said that, “Modern societies require respect of their citizens for the laws of their country and the enforcement of the laws with firmness and fairness by government”. He continued, “I am determined that our nation, during my Presidency, will meet these tests”. “While peace is needed for development, development too, promotes peace,” Akufo-Addo declared. He admonished young men and women busly acquiring skills in schools, earning money, creating wealth, moving up in their professions and owning property, have little time or no tolerance for conflicts and violence. He urged all to, “Work together, to build the great country we seek and show the world that here in Africa, we can build a first world, first class country”. He continued, “Let the defining achievement of my Presidency be the restoration of lasting peace and the transformation of the North”! This lecture was put organised by the UDS to enable the various political parties outline their visions. Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP took their turn as the first team to outline their agenda for the development of Northern Ghana. Credit: Trunk News Agency