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SADA law not funding friendly – CEO

Dr Charles Abugre (CA), a trained economist, has taken over the reigns of leadership at the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), an autonomous body tasked with the development of the mostly poor savanna zone of the country.

Maxwell Akalaare Adombila of the “Graphic Business” interacted with him on the way forward for an institution recovering from allegations of misappropriation of funds. He first asked him what Ghanaians should expect from him.

CA: You can expect a totally dedicated professionals who are focused on delivering on the mandate of SADA and are passionate about it, who believe that transformation is possible and set out to develop the appropriate big vision and picture of what is possible and work with that team to make it achieve it.

I also think that you should expect that we will work in a non-partisan, non-ethnic way and we will work, not only in the interest of the SADA zone but in the interest of the nation. It is for the people of Ghana. When the economy opens and picks up, when good schools emerge, when first class hospitals are established, when tourism potentials are up and going and when the Mole Park becomes the best of parks in West Africa, all Ghanaians will enjoy. It will not just be for the people of that zone and so you will see us focused on this assignment as a national one that has the potential to benefit all Ghanaians.

GB: What are you doing to translate your vision into tangible results that will benefit the people as you are saying?

CA: First and foremost I have to get the people to believe in their vision and in themselves to bring about that transformation. Change can only be brought about by the people who live and work there generally. So, that’s the first thing to do; bring the people along on the vision that strategic transformational change is possible in a generation.

The second is to build a team that believes in that vision that develops the ethos of public service, they work because they are part of the mission to bring about change. So, the passion cannot just be from the CEO, it is the collective thing of all the staff and I have to build that commitment.

The third is to create space for ideas to blossom, be open to new ideas, bring around people who have something to offer, no matter where they come from. For instance, we are already benefiting from the ideas of seasoned Ghanaians in our effort to create a development bank.

These are my tasks. Of course, there are also practical solutions on how to raise funds, plan and organise the place and create strategic relationships in and outside the country to make these things work. These are the key tasks of a CEO, and which I am ready to execute.

GB: How are you dealing with the social and political pressure on you to deliver?

CA: The pressure to deliver also contributed to the problems of SADA but we look at it from two parts; most of the delivery is actually making existing public sector work and identifying the investment gaps in the sector.

So, in the health sector, National Insurance has to work. The sector must identify its key gaps so we can plan together and see how we can package investment interventions, where necessary to help resolve them. It’s the same with social protection. We have been pushing for the rapid expansion of the social protection schemes to see how social protection schemes such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and others can work.

In the case of small-scale agriculture, we are working, partly through Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), but directly through a number of development partners, in ways by which they can deplore their existing money.

The European Union has over US$90 million to deplore into small-scale agriculture and social protection. The World Bank is looking for new modules to do small-scale agriculture support. The Department for International Development (DFID), the USAID, and others have so much money to invest in agriculture through the Feed the Future Programme.

So, sometimes, it is not just the money, it is creating a platform to connect the dots. SADA creates that platform to connect the dots.

The other part is incubating new investments. As we speak, we are incubating a number of irrigation investments.

One of them is a 10,000-hectare irrigation scheme in the Nasia-Nabogu area. I am told we will find the finances and deplore Queiroz Galvao that is executing the Tamale Airport construction project to just finish and go there and do the irrigation.

The other one is the Pwalugu Irrigation Scheme, which we have been working on for some time now.

GB: What, to you, is the biggest challenge facing SADA?

CA: I think the biggest challenge is the uncertainty of the law in many respects. It gives various flexibilities but those flexibilities are very dependent on the Minister of Finance and Parliament, almost to the point it has no flexibility. So, you are constantly negotiating with the existing government. Because of that, even if you want to be autonomous in order to leverage resources in a good way, we will not be able to do that unless the law is changed.

Secondly, that law says that the major source of financing the institution has to be a non-petroleum levy and independent flow of resources significant enough to create a pool that leverages investments. This hasn’t been implemented. It is unlikely that it will be implemented in the near future, yet you have to find a source of financing that matches the expectations of the people contained in the law. So, there is a mismatch between the financing mechanism and the aspirations of the people that leaves the institution and those of us who in it in a bind. You are supposed to be delivering these but you actually do not have means of funds to do that.

You are supposed to be leading transformation and doing private public partnerships yet you do not have resources to do any of those.

SADA’s source of funds, the non-petroleum levy, has never been implemented and in fact, may never be implemented. This is dangerous and that is my biggest problem.

We have to solve this mismatch or resources and aspirations and I think the SADA reputation problems made it easier for this to be swept under the carpet.
GB: For now, how are you surviving financially?

CA: We are surviving through what remains of the seed-fund (GH¢100 million), proceeds from our vehicles and from support from our development partners.

GB: Who is Dr Abugre?

CA: From the professional point of view, I am a trained economist but I also spent the whole of my life doing anti-poverty jobs.

I set up the Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) and Third World Network (TWN) but moved outside only to be recalled to head SADA in June 2014.

I have worked in many countries, including Uganda, Kenya, USA, UK and South Africa. I am married and a Christian.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

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