Tuesday, August 31, 2010

TAMALE PREPARES TO HOST NAFAC (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 13, AUGUST 26, 2010)

THE Northern Regional capital, Tamale, would host the 2010 edition of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), which would be staged in November.
The NAFAC is used to showcase the rich diverse cultural resource of the country, as well as reenergise the country’s arts and cultural sector to contribute its quota towards national development.
The theme for this year’s event is “Promoting unity, technology and wealth creation for a better Ghana: the role of the youth in nation building.”
The Northern Region would utilise the event to showcase its investment opportunities, tourism potentials and innovative products.
As part of preparations for the event, district and regional festivals have been scheduled to take place so as to bring the festival closer to the people at the grassroots and also facilitate the selection of participants for the national event.
The zonal festival for Bole, Central Gonja, West Gonja and Sawla/Tuna/Kalba was held recently in Damongo, during which the participants performed various traditional dances, songs, poetry recitals and drum language.
There was also exhibition of farm implements, furniture, indigenous culinary, paintings, textiles, tourist sites and other locally manufactured products.
The administrative officer of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Mr Abubakari Iddrisu Saeed mentioned that the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture was placing more emphasis on job creation for the youth.
He said the ministry was finalising proposals on job opportunities within the cultural sector, adding that the cultural sector would actively involve the youth in building a better Ghana by empowering them to realise their potentials.
Mr Saeed commended the district assemblies for facilitating the smooth organisation of the zonal festivals, adding these festivals were being used to choose a regional representation for the national event.
He entreated the assemblies, groups and individuals to use the platform created by NAFAC to exhibit their products and ideas.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Gonja, Mr Adam Mutawakilu said the Northern Region was endowed with several tourism potentials, some of which are located in the Gonja area.
He mentioned the Mole National Park, the Mystic Stone and Ancient Mosque at Larabanga, the Kulmasa Crocodile pond and the Ndewura Jakpa Grave at old Buipe.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

EAST MAMPRUSI TEACHERS CALL FOR PROBE (PAGE 11, AUGUST 27, 2010)

FORTY-THREE teachers in the East Mamprusi District of the Northern Region have petitioned the Serious Fraud Office and the Bureau of National Investigations to investigate the illegal deductions of a total of GH¢10,320 from their salaries.
In a four-page petition signed by 37 of the teachers and made available to the Daily Graphic, they alleged that a company, known as Ranaf Associates Limited, had made various deductions from their salaries through the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
The teachers said the withdrawals were made under the cloak of supplying them with some goods, even though they claimed they had not signed any agreement with the company for the supply of any consumer items.
The alleged deductions took place between September 2008 and March 2009, during which period various sums of money, ranging from GH¢25 to GH¢65, were deducted from each teacher’s salary.
While some of them had their money deducted for up to five months, others had their deductions lasting for six months.
The teachers alleged that the deductions were made through the support of a colleague teacher, identified only as Mr Ayikambe.
“We cannot understand why we should suffer this severe indictment since we never bought anything from the company,” the petition stated.
The teachers said they had made efforts to contact the staff of the company and an alleged accomplice, but that had yielded little results.
They said the nature of the deductions had given them reasons to suspect that the culprits had planned a grand conspiracy to dupe them.
The teachers said the regional secretariat of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) had informed them that the owner of the company had agreed to pay back 50 per cent of the total amount deducted and to defray the remaining balance in the subsequent month.
They said, however, that they were yet to receive the money even though information they received had indicated that the money had been paid.
The teachers further alleged that the document that sanctioned the deductions was signed by the East Mamprusi District Director of Education.
They said the director seemed not to have interest in knowing how and who signed the documents when contacted, adding that this was a clear demonstration of diabolism, lose administration, abuse of power and incompetence.
They again noted that due to the lackadaisical attitude of the district director of education and the GNAT secretariat, they were uncertain whether their money would be repaid.
The teachers, therefore, entreated the SFO to get the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to produce “vivid and comprehensive copies of the documents that were forwarded to them to effect the deductions.”
They said this would enable them ascertain who authorised the deductions and for what purpose, adding that all those found culpable should be dealt with, whilst the money were refunded.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

EXPERTS MONITOR GEMPS IN NR (PAGE 42, AUGUST 25, 2010)

A TEAM of experts has been dispatched to various communities in the Northern Region to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP).
The team will visit selected communities that are piloting the project to ascertain how well the various activities pencilled under the project have been executed.
The activities include the formation and operation of Environmental Management Committees (EMCs) both at the district and community levels.
The GEMP is a five-year project being implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with funding from the government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
It focuses specifically on strengthening the capacity of public institutions and rural communities to enable them to take action to reverse land degradation and desertification in the three regions of the north.
At a meeting of the Northern Regional Environmental Management Committee, the Northern Regional Director of the EPA, Mr Iddrisu Abu, said significant progress had been made since the implementation of GEMP in 2009.
“We have so far facilitated the establishment of 20 EMCs in all the districts, whilst over 100 of such committees have been established at the community levels,” he stated.
“In addition, we have formed 20 new environmental clubs in various basic and second cycle schools in the regions whilst 10 of such clubs, which were defunct, have also been reactivated,” Mr Abu added.
All these activities, Mr Abu said, were expected to strengthen the beneficiary communities to be able to address issues of the environment in a co-ordinated and sustained manner.
He said very soon, those communities would be assisted to establish their own nurseries and subsequently, create large plantations.
Members of the committee singled out bush burning as a major threat to current efforts being made towards reforesting parts of northern Ghana.
According to them, the establishment of woodlots has become crucial following the spate of land degradation and imminent threat of desertification in the northern Savannah.
They, however, stated that the indiscriminate burning of bushes had resulted in the razing down of major plantations that had been established over the years.
The committee members, therefore, recommended that any new effort made towards establishing woodlots and nurseries must first consider ways of controlling bush fires or risk achieving little results.

MOTORISTS ENDANGERING CHILDREN'S LIVES (PAGE 23, AUGUST 25, 2010)

TAMALE, the Northern Regional capital, could otherwise be described as the motor city of Ghana.
It is a city, where a lot of people, particularly those in the middle-income earning group, use motorbikes as their means of transport.
However, one of the nasty sides of motorcycling in Tamale is the practice of having more than one pillion rider – two, three, four and even five.
What is of more concern is the involvement of children in this dangerous practice.
Some motorists in the metropolis pick up to five children on a single motorbike, mostly to school or prayer centres.
It is surprising that parents, who are expected to be extremely protective of their children, are themselves involved in this act. And in some cases, even a child can be seen carrying two of his colleagues (as is shown in the picture).
Worst of all, the children are not made to wear any protective gear. In most cases, even the driver does not wear a helmet, how much more the pillion riders.
One wonders what would make an adult, of sane mind, to carry three or more children, along with him or her, on a single motorbike.
Most people, who were interviewed over this matter, explained that when a person had to pick more than one child from one place to another and, yet, had not got a car and could not afford to hire a taxi, he or she was tempted to opt for the use of a motorbike.
Asked why the person could not pick the children in turns, they explained that it was costly and time-consuming to move the children in badges.
However, it is difficult to accept these excuses, because how can one compromise the safety of his or her children under the excuse of poverty.
Others also claim that they are forced into this practice, as Mohammed Abdullah, a resident narrated:
“One day, I was picking my two children to school and one of our neighbours begged me to take his child along and drop him on the way.
“Since then, he expects that each day I pick my two children, I should pick his child along and I cannot refuse, because if I do, I will be portrayed as a selfish individual.”
Indeed, picking more than a single pillion rider is a crime under the Road Traffic Law (Act 761, 2008).
According to the law, a person who carries another person on a motorcycle, which is not constructed or adapted for the carriage of more than one person, is liable to a fine of not exceeding 10 penalty units or a term of imprisonment not exceeding for months or both.
What, therefore, is the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU) doing to nip this canker in the bud? the Daily Graphic asked the Northern Regional Commander of the MTTU, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Godwin Cashman Blewushie.
“We are aware of this disturbing phenomenon,” he responded, adding that the police had on many occasions arrested persons who were riding motorcycles and carrying more than the required number of pillion riders.
DSP Blewushie, however, admitted that it was a difficult task trying to stop people from engaging in this practice due to the socio-cultural environment.
“You see, the people in the north have adapted to the use of motorbikes and this is largely due to some economic reasons,” he explained, adding that the motorbike is, therefore, used for different things that should have been done by the use of a vehicle.
He said the MTTU would, nonetheless, continue to do its best to stop overloading on motorcycles, whether it involved children or not.
The MTTU Commander further noted that, the police were not only on the streets checking drivers of vehicles, but were also dealing accordingly with motor-riders who disobeyed road traffic or safety regulations.
He said several people had been arrested and charged for offences that include failure to wear protective helmets, driving unregistered motorcycles and using unapproved routes.
One can only pray and hope that something drastic is done to stop this practice so as to avoid any tragedy in the near future.

Monday, August 23, 2010

TAMAIKO NURSERY SUPPORTS GREENING GHANA (PAGE 43, AUGUST 23, 2010)

THE Taimako nursery in Savelugu in the Northern Region has raised thousands of tree seedlings to support the greening Ghana project.
The nursery, which is located about 4 kilometres off the Tamale Airport road junction, is one of the major nurseries in the country, which supplies government and private institutions with seedlings to undertake national projects.
It is currently the largest supplier of mango seedlings to the Northern Ghana Mango Project, which is spearheaded by the Export Development and Investment Fund (EDIF).
The owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the nursery, Hajia Dr Salamatu Taimako, told the Daily Graphic during a visit to the nursery that her outfit had raised many platelets of various tree species in anticipation of demand for the seedlings.
The species include mahogany, lucenia, albezia, cashew, shea trees and local and grafted mango plants.
Dr Taimako said the seedlings were ready for planting and that various institutions implementing forest plantation projects had expressed interest in them.
“We know that many more institutions are yet to come on board so we are nurturing more seedlings. There is growing awareness of the importance of trees and this must be encouraged,” she stressed.
Dr Taimako, who was honoured with a doctorate degree by the University for Development Studies (UDS) for her promotion of medicinal plants, said tree growing was a passion she had nurtured over the years.
“I have grown to cherish tree planting, especially, trees that promote human health,” she stated, adding that several years of experience in that work had enabled her to identify various trees and their medicinal values.
Aside raising trees, Dr Taimako also engages in philanthropic activities as part of her social responsibility to the communities in which she works.
Each year, she sponsors two graduates of junior high schools in her operational communities to senior high schools.
“I want to go beyond tree planting to impact positively on the lives of children in our rural communities since many of them are disadvantaged,” she stated.
Dr Taimako said the establishment of the nursery had also created employment avenues for a number of young men and women, who otherwise could have been unemployed.
She, therefore, commended various partners who have been doing business with her nursery over the years, stressing “their invaluable partnership has resulted in the continuous survival of this nursery.”

Sunday, August 22, 2010

FOREST PLANTATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSES IN NR (PAGE 54, AUGUST 23, 2010)

THE implementation of the National Forest Plantation Development programme, which the President launched early this year, is progressing steadily in the Northern Region.
More than 4,300 young people employed under the programme are on the field engaged in various plantation activities, including seedling production, survey and demarcation, site preparation, peg cutting, weeding and planting.
They are undertaking the activities under the supervision of technical officers from the Forestry Services Department.
The Northern Regional Director of the Forestry Services Division, Mr Ebenezer Djaney Djagbletey, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that a total of 4,352 hectares of land had already been demarcated for the programme.
“Whilst 850 hectares are located in forest reserves, the remaining hectares are in areas considered off-reserve, mainly farmlands,” he stated.
The regional director said 3900 hectares out of the total area demarcated had been cleared whilst planting had taken place on some of the lands.
He said those lands were located in 151 communities selected from the 20 districts in the region.
Mr Djagbletey, however, stated that the Forestry Commission was facing some challenges in the implementation of the programme.
“Our staff strength is not enough to handle such a major exercise. We need more range supervisors and forest guards,” he stated.
Mr Djagbletey added that the lack of logistics, particularly, vehicles and motorbikes was hindering the smooth implementation of the programme.
“We also encounter delays in the supply of equipment for field operations, such as hoes, cutlasses, Wellington boots, hoses, raincoats and water cans,” he stated.
The regional director said aside those challenges, the programme encountered some difficulties in the acquisition of suitable lands for the plantations, especially, in areas such as Sambu and Gbungbalga in the Yendi Municipality and Zakayili in the Tamale Metropolis.

NORTHERN, UPPER EAST MAY FACE FLOODS (BACK PAGE, AUGUST 21, 2010)

THE Northern and Upper East regions face imminent floods, following the opening of the Bagre Dam by the authorities in Burkina Faso at 10:00 a.m. yesterday.
The opening of the dam follows heavy rains in Burkina Faso, which has led to the dam reaching its maximum capacity.
Already, the water volume in the Volta Basin has increased significantly due to heavy rains in Ghana and is, therefore, expected to overflow its banks when water from the Bagre Dam reaches Ghana by late Sunday.
The Northern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Abdulai Mahama Silimboma, who disclosed this said; “We expect that the floods will reach Ghana from Sunday onwards.”
Alhaji Silimboma noted that as part of the pre-flood activities, residents of communities located along the Volta River and its tributaries have been put on high alert.
“We have told them to move to higher grounds when they begin to see the water volumes increasing and the colour of the water changing,” he pointed out.
He also indicated that farmers whose farmlands were located close to the river banks had been asked not to visit their farms when the floods begin.
Alhaji Silimboma further pointed out that the expected damage from the floods could be minimal if the authorities undertook a controlled spillage.
“If the dam is opened gradually and in a controlled manner, the Black Volta can be less affected,” he added.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of NADMO says it has developed contingency plans to contain the after effects of the expected spillage, reports Seth J. Bokpe.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NADMO, Major (retd) Nicholas Mensah, said an agreement has been reached with the Burkinabe authorities to control the spillage from their end so that “we can also control the flooding that come with it in the three northern regions.”
He said the Ghana Ambassador to Burkina Faso and some Volta River Authority (VRA) staff were working with their Burkinabe counterparts to ensure that the agreement was implemented to the letter.
A similar exercise in 2007 led to heavy flooding that caused an extensive damage in some parts of the three northern regions.
Major Mensah said the organisation had also put in place monitoring systems in all the catchment areas to monitor the levels of the run-off water and advised the residents on the appropriate action to be taken.
He said to ensure rapid response to distress calls for rescue or search for victims, if there would be any, the Rapid Response team of the NADMO and the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces had been moved to the Upper East Region.
He said the organisation had also undertaken an extensive public education and sensitisation exercises in the three northern regions to ensure that the inhabitants do not become victims of the floods that come with the spillage.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

YOUTH LEADERS COMMEND GOVT'S YOUTH POLICY (PAGE 23, AUGUST 19, 2010)

LEADERS of some youth organisations in the country have commended the government for coming out with a national youth policy.
According to them, that gesture would set the tone for various youth development programmes that would tap the potential of Ghanaian youth to enable them to contribute effectively to national development.
These leaders made the commendation at the launching of a tool kit developed to guide the youth to participate effectively in issues of national development.
The tool kit, which has been christened, “Keeping the promise”, empowers the youth to assess national programmes in setting youth development priorities contained in the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY), of which Ghana is a signatory.
It was published by the Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES) on behalf of the Tackling Poverty Together (TPT) Ghana team and with assistance from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
A member of the TPT team, Mr Kwesi Anderson Nketsia, said meaningful youth participation in national development was very crucial for achieving sustainable development and peace.
He said Ghana was undoubtedly a youthful nation, with over 70 per cent of the population falling below the 35-year bracket, as noted by the Ghana 2000 Population and Housing Census.
“We can, therefore, not ignore the youth because ultimately most development programmes will have an impact on them, either positively or negatively,” he explained, adding that that was why a youth policy was crucial.
Mr Nketsia said the world was faced with many crises, ranging from environmental degradation to security, and that investing in and partnering the youth in the development process had been identified as a key way to deal with those challenges.
He indicated that the TPT team was initiated to convince stakeholders of the importance of working with the youth in the area of poverty reduction, adding that the significance of the youth had been acknowledged by the international community and that led the UN to declare August 12, 2010 to August 11, 2011 as the International Year of Youth.
“This period will be used to place more emphasis on integrating youth-related issues into global, regional and national development agenda,” he said.
The Executive Director of the United Force for Development (UFFD), which is a member of the TPT team, Mr Yussif Abdul-Mumin, also noted that the existence of a youth policy would provide guidelines for youth-led initiatives.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

FOOD SUPPORT FOR 3 NORTHERN REGIONS (BACK PAGE, AUGUST 17, 2010)

TWENTY-EIGHT thousand metric tonnes of food, estimated at US$22m, is to be distributed to vulnerable households in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions over the next two years.
This is a support package initiated by the World Food Programme (WFP) to assist in alleviating poverty in the three regions and help in the recovery of families affected by past floods.
The project, which has been christened the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), is expected to bring relief to over 400,000 vulnerable people, who will have access to nutritious food on a food-for-work or training basis.
Launching the programme, the Head of Programme of the WFP, Mr Nguyen Duc Hoang, explained that the project sought to support the government’s efforts at mitigating the impact of natural disasters, high food prices and the global economic crisis.
He said a 2009 survey conducted on food security in the country revealed that the three northern regions remained the most food insecure areas in Ghana.
Mr Hoang also noted that the malnutrition rate in the three regions had been estimated at 13 per cent, which was considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as very serious.
“The surveys also recommended that efforts are stepped up to help those who have been severely affected by droughts, floods and food price increases,” he stated.
He said it was for those reasons that the PRRO was formulated to reverse those trends, in line with other initiatives such as the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
He pointed out that under the food-for-work programme, vulnerable households would undertake activities such as tree-planting, rainwater harvesting, dam rehabilitation and water soil conservation in return for food, while the scheme would require beneficiaries to make themselves available for training sessions in income-generating activities, agricultural extension, cereal fortification and micro-business establishment.
The WFP head again said more attention would be paid to the elderly, the sick, malnourished children and nursing mothers.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, noted that the north had been constrained by both natural and man-made factors, such as limited resources, fewer mineral deposits, poor soil fertility and short and erratic rainfall seasons, which resulted in short farming seasons and low yields.
“These factors have contributed to high poverty levels in northern Ghana,” he stated, adding that climate change was also bringing in its wake extreme weather conditions that had dire consequences.
Mr Mabengba, therefore, commended the WFP for coming up with the PRRO and said he was particularly happy with the food-for-work and food-for-training activities.
He said the WFP had a long tradition of supporting supplementary feeding for households, school feeding programmes, girls’ education and activities of women’s groups.
“Recently, the WFP bought local rice estimated at nearly US$1m from companies that work in the Savelugu-Nanton, Tolon-Kumbungu, West Mamprusi, Karaga, Nasia and Kardo areas,” the minister said, adding that that intervention by the WFP was assisting farmers in the three regions greatly.
Mr Mabengba urged the WFP and other humanitarian agencies working in northern Ghana to align their programmes along the objectives of the SADA “so that, together, we can develop northern Ghana in a more holistic and concerted manner”.

POLICE CHECK INDISCRIMATE FIRING AT YENDI (PAGE 22, AUGUST 17, 2010)

THE Police in the Yendi municipality of the Northern Region have instituted measures to check the indiscriminate firing of muskets in the area.
This is to avoid the situation where people abuse the use of muskets under the guise of performing funerals.
It is the tradition of the people of Dagbon to announce the death or burial of an elderly person by the discharge of gunpowder.
However, the police in Yendi are worried that some people could abuse the tradition to cause fear or harm others.
The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, told the Daily Graphic in Yendi that the Yendi Divisional Police Command had succeeded in implementing a directive that ensures that all persons who desired to fire muskets, should notify the district police command.
“The command came to this agreement in consultation with the key stakeholders in the district, including chiefs, opinion leaders and assembly members,” he stated.
The PRO said the decision was crucial considering the current uneasy calm in the area, which could deteriorate at any time if the security situation was not stabilised.
He said the elders and youth of Yendi were very concerned about the maintenance of security in the area and were, therefore prepared to partner the police to implement any measure in that direction.
Chief Inspector Tetteh stated that since the decision was implemented, the citizens of Yendi had respected the decision and that had contributed greatly to the maintenance of peace in the area.
He said the police were particularly worried about the firing that took place in the night.
“We understand the cultural context under which this firing takes place, but anytime gunshots are heard, people panic and this poses a challenge to peace and security,” the PRO stressed.
Chief Inspector Tetteh again stated that at the meeting with the stakeholders, the police reminded the people to follow the Public Order Act (Act 491), which provides directions regarding demonstrations and other public events.
“We do not want a situation where people would ignore this order and engage in activities that could threaten the peace, which Yendi is currently enjoying,” he stated.
A resident of Yendi, Alhaji Issahaku Lawyer, commended the police for the decision and said it was proper that measures were taken to safeguard peace in the area.
He encouraged the police to organise more forums to discuss pertinent issues affecting the municipality, especially those relating to security.
 

FOMWAG ACKNOWLEDGES ESSENCE OF CENSUS (PAGE 11, AUGUST 17, 2010)

THE Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Ghana (FOMWAG) has acknowledged the importance of the forthcoming national census to the development of women and children.
The association said, the census would produce reliable data on the current status of women and children in the country and enable policy makers and implementers to plan effectively to improve their living conditions.
The National President of FOMWAG, Dr Rabiatu Ammah made this view known to the Daily Graphic during the association’s 16th Biennial Conference, which took place in Tamale over the weekend.
The three-day conference, which was held on the theme “Iqraa: its implications for the Muslim family,” brought together Muslim women from all parts of the country to deliberate on how to advance their course.
Apart from receiving various Islamic teachings, the participants were also sensitised to some health conditions, notably cervical cancer and obstetric fistula.
“As women, we appreciate the importance of the census, especially at this stage when we are exploring various means of improving the lives of women and children who are disadvantaged,” Dr Ammah stated.
She said adequate data was needed to design development programmes that would address the challenges facing women and children, such as maternal and child mortality, HIV and AIDS, poverty, lack of credit and poor representation and governance.
Dr Ammah again noted that the current data available was outdated because the population of the country had increased significantly since that data was produced.
She said FOMWAG would use its available platforms to educate its members and other Muslim women to fully support the census by co-operating with census officials when the exercise starts .
The president further noted that Islam was in total support of all efforts made to empower women to contribute efficiently to the social, economic and spiritual wellbeing of their communities.
She however noted that women would not make the desired impact on their communities if they were not educated and given the requisite skills.
Dr Ammah entreated her Muslim women colleagues to show interest in local governance and national politics, noting that “as Muslim women we can only impact positively on our communities when we get involved at the decision making levels.
“But, first of all, we must get ourselves well informed, schooled, disciplined and ready to sacrifice for our community and nation.”
On issues regarding the association, the president revealed that the association had plans to build an Islamic school complex that would cater for the education of their children.
According to her, a piece of land situated at Ashiaman had been earmarked for the project, and what was needed was the funding to undertake the project.
Speaking on behalf of the Northern Regional Minister, the Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Haruna Friday explained that the times when women were downplayed were over.
“Today, we are in a world where the role of women in the development process is increasingly being acknowledged and this therefore calls for more attention to women empowerment,” he stated.
Alhaji Friday implored the women to take full advantage of various development packages, particularly those from the northern sector, like the Savannah Accelerated Development Initiative.
He advised them not to let politics divide their ranks, noting that “when we leave behind our partisan colours, we are capable of pushing forward the development agenda in a more concerted way.”

Monday, August 16, 2010

NORTHERN JOURNALISTS ATTEND WORKSHOP ON PEACE REPORTING (PAGE 43, AUGUST 16, 2010)

FIFTEEN selected print and broadcast journalists from the three Northern Regions have undergone training in conflict-sensitive reporting to enable them play a positive role in peace-building in the north.
The training enhanced the capacity of the participants to report on conflicts in a manner that would promote harmony among disputing groups, instead of creating further division.
It was organised by the Rural Media Network (RUMNET), a grassroots media and rights-based advocacy organisation, with funding from the Sustainable Peace Initiative (SPL).
Peace-building practitioners and veteran journalists, who took the trainees though various topics, noted that the north had become notorious for violent conflicts partly because of the negative reportage carried by the media.
According to them, both the reportage in newspapers and those aired on radio, including discussions, had sometimes tended to incite groups against one other and deepen the hatred among various ethnic groups.
“Such reportage creates panic and paints a picture of a people incessantly killing each other,” stated Mr Abdullah Kassim, an executive of RUMNET.
They also explained that in some situations the reports of journalists have tended to exaggerate events, show prejudice and bias against sides and over generalise actions.
These types of reports, Mr Kassim explained, only lead to the aggravation of the conflict as it tends to create more anger and hatred.
Conflict-sensitive journalism, according to him, “injects context, an appreciation for root causes and a new capacity to seek and analyze possible solutions,” which, he noted, was preferable to the otherwise daily repetition of violent incidents as news.
Mr Alhassan Imoro, a veteran journalist and partner executive of RUMNET, said in reporting, journalists must aim to bring about healing and restoration of relationships that have been destroyed by protracted conflicts.
“Some journalists say it is not their business to take responsibility for what happens when they report the news, but this is directly opposite to conflict-sensitive reporting,” he stated.
Mr Imoro said in cases where reporting the facts could be harmful, the journalists should use his gumption to judge which option to take and if necessary avoid the reportage.
“If the journalist insists on reporting the news, he or she must remain fair, balanced and accurate and also avoid stating facts that may incite more violence, such as disclosing the identities of victims,” he further explained.
The National Network Co-ordinator of the Ghana Network for Peace-building (GHANEP), Mr Justin Bayor noted that the basic idea in conflict-sensitive reporting was that “the report must not cause any harm.”
Instead, the report, he said “should stress on ways of resolution, the common agreeing points between the factions and also hit on the plight of the ordinary people, since they are mostly the victims.”
Mr Bayor again remarked that the media does positive peace-building only when it tackles the attitudinal and behavioural aspects of conflicts, prior to their escalation.
“If conflict reports can seek to build cultural bridges and break down structural barriers that seem to foster conflict, then journalists can be seen to be promoting peace,” he added.
At the end of the workshop, the journalists were of the opinion that they could do much to minimise the confrontations in Bawku, Buipe, Yendi, Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo, Bimbilla and other areas in the north if they adhered to this form of journalism.
“I have realised that even a word used in a report can inflame passions and further wreck the damage that we were already trying to repair,” Mr Mohammed Lukman of Radio Justice said in an interview.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

EFFORTS AT IMPROVING EDUCATION DELIVERY (PAGE 11, AUGUST 11, 2010)

THE Northern Region is spending over GH¢26 million on project expansion to improve the delivery of education in its senior high schools.
The project involves the provision of dormitories, kitchens and dining halls, classrooms, staff accommodation and other facilities for the various second-cycle schools.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, disclosed this when he addressed the maiden meeting of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) in Tamale.
The meeting, which was attended by heads of institutions, members of the security services, local government authorities and traditional authorities, was convened by the RCC to discuss the state of development in the region.
The minister said under phase one of the SHS infrastructure project, twenty 6-unit classroom blocks were being constructed for 20 schools at an average cost of GH¢270,500 per project.
When phase two takes off, similar classroom blocks will also be constructed in 12 other SHSs, he added.
Mr Mabengba again mentioned that fences were to be constructed to provide security for the Tamale Girls and Ghana Senior High Schools, with an additional provision of security lighting for the former.
He said a new senior technical high school was being established at Yagaba in the West Mamprusi District, “which would involve the construction of an administration block, library, workshops, classrooms, staff accommodation, kitchen and dining”.
The minister said education was one of the critical pillars the RCC was building to drive the development of the region by lifting the people out of poverty.
“We believe that through education, we can empower our people to work and earn realistic incomes and contribute positively to the development of the region,” he stated.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza, noted that though some progress was being made, a lot more needed to be done to improve the quality of education in the region.
She said the lack of teachers continued to pose a challenge to the delivery of education and hinted that a number of voluntary teachers had been enrolled to undertake professional teachers training course to upgrade their skills.
The director entreated the district assemblies to devote more resources towards sponsoring the training of teachers who would serve their areas upon completion.
She observed that districts that were in dire need of teachers were rather those that were adamant to sponsor the training of teachers.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

TAMALE HOSPITAL STAFF TRAINED IN EMERGENCY CARE DELIVERY (PAGE 23, AUGUST 9, 2010)

MEDICAL doctors and nurses of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) have undergone a three-day training course to equip them with practical skills to manage resuscitation and other emergency cases effectively.
The training, known as the Paediatric Advanced Life Support Course, was provided by a six-member team of medical professionals from the Louisville School of Medicine, led by Professor Jania Condurache, an Assistant Professor of Paediatrics.
Some of the techniques imparted to the trainees included Endotrachea Intubation, a technique by which a tube is used to get access to the lungs to pump air into a patient whose breathing space or airways are blocked; Cadiac Desrabrillation, using electricity or electrical energy to stimulate the heart to work; and Interoesseus Access, using cannula, a needle used to access the bone to put fluid into the body.
Medical students of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) of the University for Development Studies (UDS) also took part in the training.
The Chief Executive Officer of the TTH, Dr. Ken Sagoe commended the team for imparting, what he called “very critical skills” to the staff of the hospital.
He was particularly excited about the extensive training given to one of the doctors whose duty it would be to provide similar train to medical personnel in other health facilities in the three northern regions.
The CEO also mentioned that the resuscitation and other emergency equipment that had been donated to the TTH by the Louisville team would improve the delivery of medical care at the hospital.
“These equipments would help us deliver quality service, which is in line with our vision to become a first class healthcare delivery and learning centre,” he stated.
A House Officer at the TTH, Dr. Bukari Issah, expressed delight at the depth of knowledge and skills that had been acquired through the training, “particularly during the demonstration sessions of the course.”
He said the course had given him practical experience, which he would apply throughout his medical practice to help save lives.
Dr. Bukari therefore recommended that the course be sustained so as to enable other medical personnel to benefit and also sharpen the skills of others who had already been trained.
One of the medical students, Mr. Wewoli Bentil Awe, said he and his colleagues were full of joy for having received practical training in Paediatric Advanced Life Support whilst still in school.
“It would help us a great deal and so we thank the hospital and the trainers for this opportunity,” he stated.
Professor George Rogers of the International Paediatric Centre at the Louisville School of Medicine later signed a memorandum of understanding to forge greater partnership and cooperation between his school and the TTH and also the UDS Medical School.

CCFC SUPPORTS EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (PAGE 11, AUGUST 10, 2010)

THE Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), an international development organisation, has introduced a new initiative to support Early Childhood Development (ECD) in parts of the Northern Region.
Under the programme, funds will be allocated to improve teaching and learning at various ECD centres in its programme areas, with much emphasis on Learning Through Play (LTP).
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has provided an amount of GH¢34, 000 to support the implementation of the project.
The Country Director of the CCFC, Mrs Sanatu Nantogma announced this at the closing ```or various facilitators and partner organisations of the LTP project.
A total of 32 participants were trained to design and implement LTP programmes in their respective programme areas.
She mentioned that the LTP project would seek to build the intellectual capacity of children aged up to six years, through play activities that facilitated learning as well.
Mrs Nantogma explained that in the past, the CCFC had concentrated on the primary and junior high school levels, until it realised that the input provided at the ECD level had a correspondence with the output of the pupils when they progressed to primary and JHS.
She said her organisation had realised that children in its operational areas were performing below average in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and a study conducted had revealed that the children were performing poorly partly because they were not well groomed during the foundation level.
“Hence, our decision to refocus much of our attention on the formative stages and devote resources to encourage learning through play,” Mrs Nantogma stated.
“This model of LTP would improve children’s performance at the BECE and help build their self- esteem, understanding, communication and relationship with others,” she added.
The country director mentioned that the programme` would be implemented in the communities by the Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS) and pledged her organisation’s readiness to monitor the implementation to ensure success.

Monday, August 9, 2010

TAMALE POLYTECHNIC PROMOTES ENGINEERING STUDIES (PAGE 11, AUGUST 9, 2010)

THE Tamale Polytechnic (T-Poly) has embarked on an outreach programme to encourage more young people to pursue engineering studies after the completion of their Senior High School Education.
According to the Dean of the Engineering School of T-poly, Mr Yakubu Ibrahim Seini, getting more young people to become engineers was necessary for transforming the country into an industrialised nation.
“We need to get more of our youth to acquire skills that would enable them to produce and operate the machines and equipment that we need to run our industries so as to reduce our dependency on importation,” he stated.
After addressing students of the Bole Senior High School, Mr Seini told the Daily Graphic that polytechnic education offered the youth useful skills that could help them to be self-employed or gaining employment in various firms.
He said the engineering courses, in particular, enabled students to learn the art and skills involved in the production of machinery, housing, electronics and automobiles, adding that these skills were sought after by various companies on regular basis.
The engineer noted that the Engineering School at T-Poly had realised that a lot of students who came to the polytechnic applied to offer business courses like accounting, management and marketing, while ignoring the engineering courses.
He said one of the reasons that accounted for this situation was that the students knew very little about the engineering courses and the job opportunities offered in the field.
“A lot of SHS graduates have little knowledge about the courses offered at the polytechnic. All they hear about is accounting and marketing, and so when they end up applying for these courses even though they may be qualified and suited for engineering,” Mr Seini explained.
He said it was for this reason that his outfit had decided to embark on the outreach programme to enlighten the students about the type of courses offered at the polytechnic and to place more emphasis on the Engineering courses.
“We wanted them to know the various courses offered at the Engineering School, requirements for admission, job prospects after completion and the options available for academic progression,” he further pointed out.
Mr Seini mentioned that the Engineering School offers a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechnical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Industrial and Commercial Arts, Building Technology and Agricultural Engineering.
“Very soon, we would commence the Bachelor in Technology (B-Tech) programme, when issues of accreditation are done with,” he noted.
The engineer entreated students to seek enough information about the courses they intended to offer at the tertiary level in order not to make the mistake of finding themselves at the wrong place.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

CHILD TRAFFICKERS EXPLORE NEW TRICKS (PAGE 11, AUGUST 5, 2010)

FolLowing police interception of several bus, loads of children allegedly being trafficked to parts of the country, some children have adopted new tricks to outwit the police.
The latest method, according to the Northern Regional police command, is that the children have now chosen to move from town to town, rather than make the trip to their intended destinations in a day, in order not to create any suspicion.
“And unlike previously, where such children moved in groups, they have now chosen to move in smaller groups so as not to attract attention,” the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, told the Daily Graphic.
He said in spite of these new tricks, the police succeeded in stopping 11 more children, who were all girls aged between eight and 15, from travelling from the north to the south.
The children, he said, were in a Benz bus with registration number GW 978 V, which was intercepted at the Tamale Airport Junction, after it had set off from Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on the early hours of Monday, August 2.
“Whilst seven of the girls joined the bus at Wulugu in the West Mamprusi District, the remaining four got on board when the bus got to Nasia,” he said.
The PRO said a plain-clothed police officer, who was also travelling on the bus, helped in saving the girls.
He said efforts were being made to transfer the children to the Human Trafficking Unit in the Upper East Region, which is working on similar cases, adding “The unit is working hard to expose the people behind these movements and to come out with a more efficient way of stopping this practice.”
Chief Inspector. Tetteh further mentioned that the children, when questioned, gave various reasons to why they were travelling to the south, and explained that “while some claimed they were going to visit their parents, others said they were going to engage in menial jobs to earn some income and return when school reopens.”
In a related development, challenging Heights, a child-related non-governmental organisation, has expressed concern about what it termed “child trafficking crisis in Ghana”.
It said the organisation was worried that within the last one week, four different suspected cases of child trafficking had been reported, and the number of children involved had been over 400.
In a statement, the organisation recalled that on July 30, 2010, 118 children travelling in three buses were intercepted by the police at Moree Barrier near Cape Coast, adding that a couple of days earlier, two suspects were arrested for trafficking 50 children from the Upper East Region to the southern part of Ghana.
It said another case, that could be described as the biggest single case of suspected child trafficking, involved over 240 children loaded in three different buses which were intercepted in the Greater Accra Region on Sunday, August 1, 2010.
“As a country, we cannot take these recurrences for granted, especially as there seem to be a pattern in all these cases. We believe that there is a business syndicate behind these trafficking cases. What is worrying is the fact that the phenomena is across the entire country, from Bolga to Cape Coast, with more unreported cases”. it said
The statement congratulated the police for their effort in apprehending some of the suspected perpetrators, and called for serious investigation to be conducted to unravel the network behind these crimes. It also called on the government to put the police on a high alert to deal with the trafficking syndicate.
It noted that lack of resources and the absence of shelters to house trafficked victims, were hindering efforts by the police to crack down on child traffickers, and as a result, the police have simply released the suspects and handed over the children to their parents.
It, therefore, called for the provision of resources and facilities for the police in addition to the construction of shelters to house abused and trafficked children.
“The Human Trafficking Act requires the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs to set up shelters for victims of child trafficking but this requirement has not been fulfilled. In the face of all these difficulties, we still have a lot of confidence in the police to conduct thorough investigations,” It said.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

ISLAMIC SHS GETS NEW STAFF BUNGALOW (PAGE 38, AUGUST 2, 2010)

THE Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the Tamale Islamic Senior High School (TISSEC) has constructed a new staff bungalow to help ease the accommodation problem facing staff of the school.
The new bungalow, which is semi-detached, can house two or more staff and adds up to the existing three bungalows to make four.
Inaugurating the building, the Chairman of the PTA, Mr Stephen Haruna, said the PTA spent GH¢21,500 to complete the project.
“We began the construction of this bungalow about six years ago, but could not finish early enough due to the lack of funds,” he stated.
Mr Haruna said that the PTA had also assisted the school in many areas such as in the provision of tanks to store water, establishment of a computer laboratory, expansion of the dining hall and the rehabilitation of some dormitory blocks.
“We also put together some resources to purchase television and radio sets and also a refrigerator for the staff common room,” he said.
The Headmaster of TISSEC, Mr Issah Yahaya, commended the PTA for its support and said with such consistent support, teaching and learning would be enhanced.
He said in many schools in the south, the PTA contributed very significantly to the provision of infrastructure and other facilities, which helped ease the pressure on school authorities.
Speaking later in an interview, the headmaster said the school was still in need of more facilities such as a school bus, dormitories and a laboratory for the study of home economics.
“We also need additional staff bungalows since we currently have only four as against a teaching population of 46,” he pointed out.

PRESIDENT COMMENDED FOR PROVIDING FREE SCHOOL UNIFORMS (PAGE 43, AUGUST 2, 2010)

PARENTS of schoolchildren in the Savelugu/Nanton District in the Northern Region have commended President John Evans Atta Mills for his initiative to provide free school uniforms and exercise books for their wards.
They said the guesture had relieved them of some financial expenses they would have made to provide those items.
The parents made the commendation when they witnessed the presentation of school uniforms and exercise books to their wards at various deprived schools in the district.
The exercise books were distributed to all the schoolchildren while 4,000 pupils were selected to receive the uniforms.
The parents maintained that the initiative would increase school enrolment as it would encourage them to send their wards to school at no cost to them.
“The government has taken over the payment of fees and it has also decided to take up the provision of uniforms. We, therefore, have no excuse to keep our children at home,” a trader, Mma Fatima stated.
She, however, appealed to the government to introduce more pro-poor initiatives to support women in micro-enterprise and farming.
“We women go through a lot of suffering to take care of our families, so we appeal to the government to provide us with more money to expand our trade to enable us increase our incomes,” Mma Fatima suggested.
Another parent, Afa Sule, urged the government to expand the school-feeding programme to cover more deprived schools because hunger was one of the things that kept the children out of school.
Presenting the items at the Tarikpaa Primary and Junior High Schools, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Savelugu/Nanton, Mr Prince Askia Mohammed, said the government was committed to improving education nation-wide.
“We want to achieve the objectives of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme, which seeks to ensure that every child of school age is in school,” he explained.
Mr Mohammed reminded the parents that education was the best way they could empower their children to improve their lot, adding “nobody from outside can come and change our lives unless we ourselves.”
He stressed the need for parents not to leave their female children behind, adding that when girls were educated, they would be more resourceful to their communities than boys.
 

DEGREES ARE AWARDED ON MERIT — UDS VC (PAGE 11, AUGUST 4, 2010)

THE Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Haruna Yakubu, has implored fresh postgraduate students of the university to work hard to earn their degrees because the university awards students with degrees based on merit.
According to him, some postgraduate students had delayed in completing their courses because they had failed to meet the requirements, which would qualify them to earn their degrees.
He, therefore, encouraged the fresh students to work hard to enable them graduate within the next two to four years, depending on the duration of their programmes.
Prof. Yakubu made these remarks at an orientation ceremony held for fresh postgraduate students of the UDS at its Graduate School in Tamale.
The university has admitted 286 fresh students to pursue various graduate programmes, on both sandwich and full-time basis.
This figure, according to Prof. Yakubu, is the biggest intake of postgraduate students ever since the graduate school commenced seven years ago.
“The introduction of career-oriented graduate programmes aimed at meeting the aspirations of people working in the field of development has contributed greatly to the increased number of students,” he explained.
He noted that the number of graduating students over the years was undesirable, adding that, this required concerted efforts to improve upon the situation.
“Although the university management has nurtured the policy of graduating students on time, the achievement of this goal depends largely on student efforts,” he remarked, and stressed the need for students to focus on their studies to achieve good results within the course periods.
The professor again cautioned the fresh students to shun any form of examination malpractice as that may cut short their academic pursuit.
“There are rules and regulations governing the conduct of examination in this university, which must be observed. Examination malpractices would not be accepted and anybody caught in such an act would be punished,” he stressed.
The Dean of the Graduate School, Dr Israel Dzomeku, asked the students to be mindful of the fact that the UDS was established to train professionals who would be practically oriented, without sacrificing academic excellence.
He said was also established to train development practitioners who can help find solutions to the development challenges facing communities, particularly those in the northern sector of the country.
The UDS has introduced a number of sandwich career-oriented programmes over the past few years and these include Master of Philosophy in Development Studies, Master of Arts in Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Management and Rural Development and also Master of Arts (MA) in Environmental Security and Livelihood Change.
Two additional programmes MA in Business Planning and Microfinance and MA in Leadership and Developmenthave been introduced this year.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

PROTECT WOMEN ACCUSED OF WITCHCRAFT — BISHOP BOI-NAI (PAGE 11, AUGUST 3, 2010)

THE Catholic Bishop of Yendi, Bishop Vincent Boi-Nai has entreated the government and civil society groups working on gender rights to initiate measures to address the abuse of the rights of women who are accused of witchcraft.
According to him, the women who were thrown out of their marital homes without any protection from the security or public agencies, were physically abused and suffered psychological assault.
He said these women were like all other citizens and therefore had the right to live normal lives and to prove their innocence when afforded the opportunity in a humane manner.
Bishop Boi-Nai made this plea at Sunson in the Yendi municipality when he addressed the closing ceremony of a five-day workshop aimed at building the capacity of women to contest the forthcoming Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly elections.
A total of 52 women drawn for the Yendi Municipality and the Zabzugu/Tatale, Saboba, Nanumba North, Nanumba South, Karaga, Gusheigu and Chereponi districts took part in the workshop, which was organised by the Christian Mothers Association in collaboration with Dialogue and Advocacy for Good Governance (DAGG).
The bishop noted that issues of witchcraft, widowhood rites, female genital mutilation and trokosi still deprived women from enjoying their rights which are enshrined in the constitution.
He said article 26 (2) of the 1992 Constitution prohibits “all customary practices which dehumanise or are injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person” and yet some of these practices still continue to occur.
Bishop Boi-Nai explained that the abuse of women had become common because the Ghanaian community had adapted to a patriarchal cultural system, which found meanings in traditional beliefs, norms, and values that degraded women.
He said women were considered to be biologically, intellectually and spiritually inferior to men contrary to what research studies indicate.
The bishop however commended the organisations that had laboured to improve women’s participation in governance, women’s access to micro-finance, grassroots mobilisation for joint activities to promote and women’s health.
He said these areas had contributed in some way to improve women’s lives, adding that what remained was to stop the violence against women.
The Executive Secretary of the Christian Mothers’ Association, Mrs Elizabeth Addai-Boateng noted that the number of women were more than men in Ghana and that it was therefore expected that more women than men would be seen participating in local governance.
She said it was therefore unfair for women to sit down and allow men to take decisions on their behalf, even though they (the women) were equally qualified to be decision makers.