This report is the principal output of an investigation into how northern Ghana can contribute to the growth experienced by much of the rest of the country. If northern Ghana had grown at the country’s average rate during the 1990s, it would have added substantially to Ghana’s average income and foreign exchange earnings, whilst continued lack of growth threatens to undermine national stability. The study asks whether there is growth potential in the north and if so, how to stimulate it. It also asks what the alternative is, and what is necessary to allow the poorest to participate in growth.