The SADA Master plan

Located in the West Africa Region, Ghana is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean to the south, Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. The Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ) covers approximately 54% of the country’s total
land area in Northern Ghana and has an existing population of 5.3 million. An existing analysis of region, national and NSEZ context concludes the
development issues and opportunities to guide the preparation of the Concept Plan. The key issues facing the NSEZ include an agriculture
dependant economy; unemployment and low productivity; low literacy and low levels of social facilities; lack of a developed and integrated transport and infrastructure; as well as the threat of environmental degradation. However, the NSEZ possesses significant comparative advantages and has tremendous untapped potential. A socio-economic modelling was conducted which estimates that the NSEZ will house a total of 12 million population and create over 7.8 million jobs by 2040 with a projected high growth scenario. This hence, forms the primary basis of the planning process. Accordingly, a strategic direction for positioning and structuring of the NSEZ is proposed to meet the demands of the future outlook of the zone.