The Development Policy Advisor at the Office of the Vice-President, Dr Sule Gariba, has intimated that the success of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to facilitate the development of the North will much depend on the attitude of the people from the area. He said there was the need for people from the north to rethink their development philosophy by moving away from the usual mantra of the 'north is poorest' for sympathy and harness all the available energy to support the SADA initiatives. Dr Gariba was delivering a paper on the theme, "Change for Sustainable Development", at the sixth Tamale Learning Festival (TLF). The TLF is an annual forum for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private business institutions and district assemblies to discuss and find solutions to identified developmental challenges facing the north and also share best practices. It was initiated by The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV). Some stakeholders are Action Aid, Ibis, the SEND Foundation, Savannah Fruits Company, Trade Aid, SEKAF, IDDISAL-YARA and the Christian Children Fund for Canada. Issues discussed were how attitudinal change could help bring improved services in health. Dr Gariba reminded the participants that SADA was not an implementation agency that was going to take responsibility of statutory institutions such as health and education but a strategic body that was to co-ordinate and facilitate the development process of the north through a number of interventions. He, however, intimated that continuous success of SADA would depend on how people from the north were able to bury their differences and change their attitude to developmental challenges while adopting the "can-do" spirit in order to influence public policy. In a speech read on his behalf, the Northern Regional Minister, Moses Mabengba, said the best way to enhance change for development in the north was to eschew violent conflicts and discrimination and give way to patience, understanding and unity of purpose. He said change in every aspect of life was inevitable and it was essential that people from the area liberated themselves from the perceived shackles of hopelessness and take advantage of the enormous opportunities that were available to overcome their challenges. The Country Director of SNV, Mr Keita Amagoin, said civil society organisations had a role in the promotion and development of the north through SADA. He said SNV would continue to create the necessary platforms for such discourse to promote development. A member of the Council of State, Kpan-Naa Mohammedd Baba Bawah, in his speech to officially open the forum, said investors could be attracted to the region only if there was an improved attitude to ensure peace to assure them that their investments would be safe. Source: Daily Graphic