The award was conferred on GDCA at the Northern Ghana Business Merit Awards, to celebrate the immense contributions of various organisations to the development of the northern parts of the country.

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, the Executive Director of GDCA, in an interview with the press after the award, described the feat as a recognition of the Association's work over the years.

For 40 years now, GDCA had been committed to building resilient communities and working in partnership with other NGOs, government and the private sector in Ghana and globally, to influence inclusive development.

Alhaji Abdel-Rahman said, "Our philosophy is that every community, every person, every group is capable of changing their own situation if they have the opportunity and knowledge about what problems exist and how they can work around to engage and ensure that these issues are addressed".

He said that based on that philosophy, the Association had been working for the past 40 years to see how they could bring about change in communities where they worked, especially community groupings such as women, youth and other vulnerable groups.

Alhaji Abdel-Rahman said although it was not the first time GDCA had won an award, "This year's is particularly special and timely, as the Association prepares to celebrate our 40th Anniversary to recount our achievements and reflect on the way forward.

He expressed GDCA's gratitude to all its donors, partners, supporters, and communities for their support over the years in assuring that the organisation kept pushing for lasting change in communities.

Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, commended the awardees for complementing the government's efforts in transforming lives and communities in the region.