Peace key to unlocking Northern Ghana’s economic potential – NDPC chief

The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Audrey Smock Amoah, has called for sustained peace in Northern Ghana, saying it is necessary to turn the region’s natural and economic resources into jobs, higher incomes and improved living conditions.

She said recurring conflicts undermined economic activity and weakened the delivery of essential services, making it harder for communities to overcome poverty and achieve their development goals.

Addressing the Northern Ghana Peace Conference in Tamale on October 26, 2026, Dr Amoah said the region had considerable potential that should not be overshadowed by its development challenges.

“This part of Ghana must not be defined by deprivation when it possesses so much capacity to create prosperity,” she said.

She pointed to agriculture and livestock production as key areas that could support economic growth, alongside value-added activities involving shea butter, groundnuts and cereals.

According to Dr Amoah, investment in processing, storage and market access would help farmers and other producers earn more from their output while creating employment opportunities across the region.

She also cited Ghana Statistical Service data showing that multidimensional poverty rates in the North East and Savannah regions were above 50 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, illustrating the scale of the challenges confronting vulnerable communities.

Dr Amoah stressed that conflict affected more than security, disrupting farming, education, trade and public services while deepening existing inequalities. She said lasting peace would give communities the stability and confidence needed to pursue their livelihoods and development aspirations.

Her message at the conference was that peacebuilding and economic development must go hand in hand if Northern Ghana is to realise its potential and improve the welfare of its people.