Dr Sulley Gariba, Development Policy Advisor has observed that the three Northern Regions of Ghana were yet to achieve a middle-income status in spite of the country's attainment of the position.
Poverty levels in the three northern regions, he argued, were still high - averaging 62 percent, while the national average was 18 percent.
"There is still a wide disparity of national development against the three regions of the North".
Dr Gariba was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tamale on Wednesday during a public sensitization forum on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) organised by SEND-Ghana, an NGO.
It was on the theme: "Making SADA work for all". It brought together several civil society organizations from the three regions to brainstorm on the SADA.
Dr Gariba, however, acknowledged the fact that poverty levels of the regions were improving so there was the need to work harder to achieve the desired spectrum of development to raise the poverty levels.
The Policy Advisor said SADA would in 20 years time reduce the poverty levels of the North from 62 per cent to 20 per cent, which currently is the national development average.
Dr Gariba said the SADA was seeking funding from various sources including the World Bank and DFID, adding that there were several financial funding sources aside the government that could propel the area from abject poverty.
He expressed concern that government was yet to vote the GH�250 million seed capital to the SADA to enable it to start work effectively since the legality of its establishment had been finalized.
Dr Hakeem Wemah of the Northern Development Forum (NDF), urged people from the North particularly the youth to take strategic steps by educating themselves to be able to fill positions in the country's oil sector.
He cautioned them not to blame anybody, but themselves if they failed to participate in the oil sector, adding that youth from the Northern sector did not expressed interest in a recent training in the oil sector.
Dr Wemah also cautioned the government to ensure that SADA was not politicized, adding that "If you employ somebody through political means, another political party would kicked him out".
He also expressed concern about the continued cutting down of shea trees for charcoal, saying such practices affect the production of shea nut.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba said SADA had moved from a political promise to an Act of law, which would soon make the target areas and people feel it in their lives.
He said the government had challenged itself to bridge the gap between the Savannah regions of Northern Ghana and the rest of the country in
pursuance of the directive principles of state policy.
Mr Mabengba said there was the need for intensive sensitization of the public about the goals of SADA and what it held in stock for the people, adding that "When they are armed with such information, they can put themselves in readiness to participate in the implementation projects".
He commended SEND-Ghana and the NDF for their continual sensitization efforts on SADA, adding that government would support such initiatives in the implementation process of the policy.