LARGE quantities of yams have been locked up in communities located in the Eastern corridor of the Northern Region because the farmers are unable to transport them to Accra, Kumasi, Hohoe and Tamale due to the poor nature of the Yendi-Bimbilla-Hohoe road.
According to the farmers, the truck drivers have refused to ply the route, which is the shortest to the south, because on countless occasions, they had been compelled to offload the goods on the way and abandon the journey when their vehicles got stuck on the way.
The road, which was already in a state of disrepair, was worsened by the recent rains that led to the flooding of most portions of the road and, consequently, cutting off some of the communities located along the highway.
Vehicular movement on this route has since then been gravely hindered as gaping potholes and rocks have covered a large part of the road.
“We would not be able to sell our yams if the government does not do something about this road,” a farmer, Alhaji Abdul-Razak told the Daily Graphic in Bimbilla.
He said failure to sell the yams would lead to heavy losses and further aggravate their poverty situation.
Over the weekend, the farmers, together with other inhabitants of communities located along the Yendi-Bimbilla portion of the highway, staged a public protest to state their displeasure over the bad shape of the road, which is an important economic route for the nation.
With some of the placards reading “No roads, no vote” and “We too deserve good roads,” the residents threatened to boycott the 2012 general elections if the current government failed to rehabilitate the road.
In their petition to the president, which was signed by the Secretary of the Nanumba North district Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) Network, Mr Seidu Shani Mohammed, the residents said the poor nature of the road impacted negatively on their livelihoods, particularly in the transport of agricultural goods to market centres in the south.
“It is through this road that our hardworking farmers get their farm products transported to Accra through Hohoe, to Kumasi through Yeji and to Tamale and Bolgatanga through Yendi,” the petition read.
The inhabitants lamented over the failure of past governments to rehabilitate this road although they had promised to do so and urged the current administration to fulfil its pledge to repair the road.
In September this year, the President, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, on his return from Japan, announced that the Japanese government had pledged support for the construction of the Eastern corridor highway to link Hohoe in the Volta Region to Kulungugu in the Upper East region.
By this announcement, the farmers said their hopes had been raised and therefore used the protest to remind the government not to dash these renewed hopes as had been done in the past.
The Deputy Co-ordinating Director for the Nanumba North district assembly, Mr Seidu Abdul-Aziz, who received the petition, however assured the people of the government’s commitment to rehabilitate the road because it had been given a high priority.
He said information available indicated that efforts were underway to commence work on the project any time soon and therefore appealed to the inhabitants to exercise more patience.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
TIME FOR INTROSPECTION - VETERAN LAWYER URGES POLITICIANS (PAGE 12, NOV 29, 2010)
A FORMER presidential campaigner in the late 1970s and a veteran lawyer, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has called on the country’s politicians to sit back and go through an introspection to determine if their contribution to national discourse was making any impact on the nation’s development.
According to him, due to the urge to win political points, most politicians have tended to give much attention to minor issues that were acrimonious, whiles relegating broader issues that were of immense importance to the welfare of the nation.
He also described the adversary posture adopted by some members of the various political parties when debating national issues as needless and unproductive, adding that such postures rob them of the serenity to make prudent and sound arguments.
Mr Mahama, who is also the author of the book – “Murder of an African King: Ya-Na Yakubu II” – and other publications, made these remarks in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Tamale.
He noted, for instance, that the debate generated by politicians of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the ‘Amina saga’ was totally unnecessary and a diversion.
“If somebody tells an alarming story, there are institutional and legal procedures to crosscheck such a story and take appropriate actions depending on the veracity or otherwise of the story,” he stated.
Mr Mahama noted that there were certain issues that should not take the chunk of our time when discussing national issues and yet most of our politicians felt enthused to focus on these matters due to the acrimony they were likely to generate.
“It is time they took a second look at the type of discourse they engage in so as to realign themselves to important national issues that would advance the welfare of the majority of the people,” he recommended.
The veteran lawyer also condemned the antagonistic approach exhibited by politicians during discussions on issues of national concern.
“When many of our politicians are debating national issues, you would notice on most occasions that they are virtually at each other’s throats as if they were in a boxing ring,” he observed.
The veteran politician said all sides to a debate could make their point without heckling each other, adding that heckling and being rancorous would not compel the listening public to agree with the discussants.
“We need to have sober discussions so as to enable the listening public appreciate our points and develop their own positions on such matters,” he explained.
Mr Mahama mentioned that there were several important national issues that needed to be discussed thoroughly and a national consensus regarding the way forward reached on such matters.
He mentioned agricultural production, oil exploration and its revenue utilisation, desertification, development of science and technology and a decent pay policy for workers as some of the crucial matters that needed much attention.
Lawyer Mahama further expressed his objection to the over reliance on newspaper headlines as the determinants of national discourse.
According to him, a lot of the newspapers were replete with sensational headlines and reports that tended to deviate from the important issues due to their desire to make profits.
He said “limiting national discussions to these sensational reports would therefore deprive the very important issues of adequate attention.”
According to him, due to the urge to win political points, most politicians have tended to give much attention to minor issues that were acrimonious, whiles relegating broader issues that were of immense importance to the welfare of the nation.
He also described the adversary posture adopted by some members of the various political parties when debating national issues as needless and unproductive, adding that such postures rob them of the serenity to make prudent and sound arguments.
Mr Mahama, who is also the author of the book – “Murder of an African King: Ya-Na Yakubu II” – and other publications, made these remarks in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Tamale.
He noted, for instance, that the debate generated by politicians of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the ‘Amina saga’ was totally unnecessary and a diversion.
“If somebody tells an alarming story, there are institutional and legal procedures to crosscheck such a story and take appropriate actions depending on the veracity or otherwise of the story,” he stated.
Mr Mahama noted that there were certain issues that should not take the chunk of our time when discussing national issues and yet most of our politicians felt enthused to focus on these matters due to the acrimony they were likely to generate.
“It is time they took a second look at the type of discourse they engage in so as to realign themselves to important national issues that would advance the welfare of the majority of the people,” he recommended.
The veteran lawyer also condemned the antagonistic approach exhibited by politicians during discussions on issues of national concern.
“When many of our politicians are debating national issues, you would notice on most occasions that they are virtually at each other’s throats as if they were in a boxing ring,” he observed.
The veteran politician said all sides to a debate could make their point without heckling each other, adding that heckling and being rancorous would not compel the listening public to agree with the discussants.
“We need to have sober discussions so as to enable the listening public appreciate our points and develop their own positions on such matters,” he explained.
Mr Mahama mentioned that there were several important national issues that needed to be discussed thoroughly and a national consensus regarding the way forward reached on such matters.
He mentioned agricultural production, oil exploration and its revenue utilisation, desertification, development of science and technology and a decent pay policy for workers as some of the crucial matters that needed much attention.
Lawyer Mahama further expressed his objection to the over reliance on newspaper headlines as the determinants of national discourse.
According to him, a lot of the newspapers were replete with sensational headlines and reports that tended to deviate from the important issues due to their desire to make profits.
He said “limiting national discussions to these sensational reports would therefore deprive the very important issues of adequate attention.”
FLOOD VICTIMS ADVISED TO RELOCATE TO SAFER GROUNDS (BACK PAGE, NOV 27, 2010)
THE Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama has implored persons who were displaced by floods in parts of the three northern regions to take advantage of the provision of building materials to rebuild their homes on higher grounds.
According to him, the predicament that befell the people this year could repeat itself in worse forms in subsequent years if they continued to live closer to the banks of the Volta Rivers and their tributaries.
Mr Mahama made these remarks in Kikale, a community in the Central Gonja district of the Northern Region, when he led a delegation of government officials and officers from the United Nations allied bodies to set in motion the distribution of food items to victims of the recent floods in the north.
The food items, which comprised maize, beans, vegetable oil and salt, have been provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of a short-term response to mitigate the suffering of the people.
The relief operation is targeting about 25,000 people in various parts of the country who are in urgent need of assistance and it is valued at US$300,000.
Each household is expected to receive a daily ration that consists of 63kg of maize, 9kg of beans, 3.7kg of vegetable oil and 0.75kg of iodised salt for a period of 30 days.
The Vice President, who flew to Kikale in a helicopter after kick-starting a similar distribution exercise in Janga in the West Mamprusi district, commended the WFP for its swift response to the flood disaster.
He cautioned the people not to repeat the same mistakes that they had made in the past, which had increased their vulnerability to floods.
“It is time you resettled on safer grounds so as to protect yourselves from any future disasters that may destabilise your lives once more,” he stated.
Mr Mahama said the provision of the relief items followed an earlier assessment conducted by the government and its donor partners on the magnitude of the destruction caused by the floods and the nature of emergency response needed.
“After meeting with our partners, we pulled our resources together and it amounted to a total of US$5m, which we would use for both emergency response and reconstruction purposes,” he explained.
The Country Director of the WFP, Mr Ismail Omer said the relief operation was meant to address the short-term needs of those affected by floods and that the WFP will double its efforts to support the government’s long-term rehabilitation programmes.
“These programmes will focus on rebuilding the livers of those who have lost all of their property, including farms and food stocks,” he mentioned.
Mr Omer also revealed that the WFP will continue to work towards its longer-term goals of mitigating the effects of climate change and perennial flooding in the country.
“This will include collaboration with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and other partners on food-for-work activities, which provide food rations in exchange for work done with the aim of slowing soil erosion and land degradation in flood-affected areas,” he stated.
According to him, the predicament that befell the people this year could repeat itself in worse forms in subsequent years if they continued to live closer to the banks of the Volta Rivers and their tributaries.
Mr Mahama made these remarks in Kikale, a community in the Central Gonja district of the Northern Region, when he led a delegation of government officials and officers from the United Nations allied bodies to set in motion the distribution of food items to victims of the recent floods in the north.
The food items, which comprised maize, beans, vegetable oil and salt, have been provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of a short-term response to mitigate the suffering of the people.
The relief operation is targeting about 25,000 people in various parts of the country who are in urgent need of assistance and it is valued at US$300,000.
Each household is expected to receive a daily ration that consists of 63kg of maize, 9kg of beans, 3.7kg of vegetable oil and 0.75kg of iodised salt for a period of 30 days.
The Vice President, who flew to Kikale in a helicopter after kick-starting a similar distribution exercise in Janga in the West Mamprusi district, commended the WFP for its swift response to the flood disaster.
He cautioned the people not to repeat the same mistakes that they had made in the past, which had increased their vulnerability to floods.
“It is time you resettled on safer grounds so as to protect yourselves from any future disasters that may destabilise your lives once more,” he stated.
Mr Mahama said the provision of the relief items followed an earlier assessment conducted by the government and its donor partners on the magnitude of the destruction caused by the floods and the nature of emergency response needed.
“After meeting with our partners, we pulled our resources together and it amounted to a total of US$5m, which we would use for both emergency response and reconstruction purposes,” he explained.
The Country Director of the WFP, Mr Ismail Omer said the relief operation was meant to address the short-term needs of those affected by floods and that the WFP will double its efforts to support the government’s long-term rehabilitation programmes.
“These programmes will focus on rebuilding the livers of those who have lost all of their property, including farms and food stocks,” he mentioned.
Mr Omer also revealed that the WFP will continue to work towards its longer-term goals of mitigating the effects of climate change and perennial flooding in the country.
“This will include collaboration with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and other partners on food-for-work activities, which provide food rations in exchange for work done with the aim of slowing soil erosion and land degradation in flood-affected areas,” he stated.
UNICEF CHAMPIONS CHILD PROTECTION IN THREE NRs (PAGE 11, NOV 27, 2010)
THE United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is facilitating the establishment of child protection networks in the three northern regions to champion the affairs of children in those areas during emergency situations.
This is to ensure that the needs of children during emergencies, such as access to healthcare, food, shelter and security, are adequately addressed so as to promote their wellbeing.
Already, the UNICEF has supported the formation of ten child protection networks in the northern region, as well as regional networks in the three regions.
To further realise this goal, the UNICEF organised a three-day training programme to equip the members of these networks with the requisite knowledge, skills and best practices that are applied to address the needs of children in emergency situations.
The workshop, which took place in Tamale, also sought to build the capacity of the participants to design mechanisms that would prevent, respond and minimize the risks that children face during and after emergencies in their respective communities.
Topics treated included: an overview of what an emergency is, the impact of emergencies on children, resource mobilization for child protection during emergencies and the approaches and issues involved in child protection.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the Chief of Child Protection Programme at UNICEF in Ghana, Ms Sheema Sen Gupta explained that protecting children during emergency situations was very relevant to the welfare of the children, since it shielded them from violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse.
She said during emergencies, such as in disaster situations or conflicts, children were more vulnerable because they lacked the capacity to take care of themselves.
Ms Gupta noted that child protection cuts across various sectors and these include social welfare, justice delivery and community development.
She therefore stressed the need for increased co-ordination among various institutions so as to enable each body play its part in the addressing children’s needs during emergencies.
Ms Gupta also mentioned that the UNICEF considered the establishment and effective functioning of child protection networks as a priority and was therefore willing to organise more training programmes for child protectors.
She entreated the various networks to design effective action plans to guide their activities so as to attain high results.
The Chief of UNICEF’s field office in Tamale, Ms Shaya Ibrahim Asindua said her office was working with the various networks in the three regions, particularly in addressing child trafficking and migration in the north.
She said UNICEF was hopeful that child protection in Ghana would be achievable because the country had shown promise in securing the welfare of its children, which is evidenced in the fact that Ghana was the first to ratify the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Ms Asindua noted that, aside child protection, the UNICEF office in Ghana was also working towards promoting gender parity in education and supporting immunization exercises and guinea worm eradication, water and sanitation provision.
This is to ensure that the needs of children during emergencies, such as access to healthcare, food, shelter and security, are adequately addressed so as to promote their wellbeing.
Already, the UNICEF has supported the formation of ten child protection networks in the northern region, as well as regional networks in the three regions.
To further realise this goal, the UNICEF organised a three-day training programme to equip the members of these networks with the requisite knowledge, skills and best practices that are applied to address the needs of children in emergency situations.
The workshop, which took place in Tamale, also sought to build the capacity of the participants to design mechanisms that would prevent, respond and minimize the risks that children face during and after emergencies in their respective communities.
Topics treated included: an overview of what an emergency is, the impact of emergencies on children, resource mobilization for child protection during emergencies and the approaches and issues involved in child protection.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the Chief of Child Protection Programme at UNICEF in Ghana, Ms Sheema Sen Gupta explained that protecting children during emergency situations was very relevant to the welfare of the children, since it shielded them from violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse.
She said during emergencies, such as in disaster situations or conflicts, children were more vulnerable because they lacked the capacity to take care of themselves.
Ms Gupta noted that child protection cuts across various sectors and these include social welfare, justice delivery and community development.
She therefore stressed the need for increased co-ordination among various institutions so as to enable each body play its part in the addressing children’s needs during emergencies.
Ms Gupta also mentioned that the UNICEF considered the establishment and effective functioning of child protection networks as a priority and was therefore willing to organise more training programmes for child protectors.
She entreated the various networks to design effective action plans to guide their activities so as to attain high results.
The Chief of UNICEF’s field office in Tamale, Ms Shaya Ibrahim Asindua said her office was working with the various networks in the three regions, particularly in addressing child trafficking and migration in the north.
She said UNICEF was hopeful that child protection in Ghana would be achievable because the country had shown promise in securing the welfare of its children, which is evidenced in the fact that Ghana was the first to ratify the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Ms Asindua noted that, aside child protection, the UNICEF office in Ghana was also working towards promoting gender parity in education and supporting immunization exercises and guinea worm eradication, water and sanitation provision.
DAGBON PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED BY DAGOMBAS - ALIU (PAGE 12, NOV 26, 2010)
THE former Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama has observed that efforts being made by the government and other bodies to resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis would not yield any positive results, except the people of Dagbon were willing to put behind them their disagreements and embrace reconciliation.
According to him, no “outsider” can bring peace to Dagbon if the people themselves are not prepared to share the olive branch, adding that “nobody can solve the Dagbon crisis except Dagombas themselves.”
Alhaji Mahama made these statements when he addressed a press conference at his Kalpohin residence in Tamale, after he made what a return back home to fraternize with his people.
He said he was devastated by the level of rivalry between the two feuding sides, the Abudu and Andani gates, and asked “how can we be so annoyed with ourselves such that we do not even see the need to unite,” he stated.
“We would be lying to ourselves if we think that somebody is coming to solve our problem for us. Dagombas have to sit up because Ghana cannot wait for us,” he further stated.
Alhaji Mahama noted that there were traditional dispute resolution mechanisms in Dagbon that could be implored to solve the dispute instead of “allowing outsiders to continue to use us for their political gains.”
He however refused any comment on the current court case, except to entreat the people of Dagbon to wait for the outcome of the case, adding that “perhaps, after the ruling, we will learn our lessons.”
The former Veep said during his visit to the various Muslim prayer sites, he challenged the clerics to use the pulpit to sober the hearts of Dagombas to enable them reconcile.
He said he was shocked that there were religious leaders in Tamale and yet people who worshipped with them had so many misgivings about each other.
He also entreated Dagombas to come together and shun people who sought to divide, instead of unite, them.
“When people come to you to talk of prosperity, receive them with open hands, but if they talk of Abudu and Andani, hoot at them,” he suggested.
Alhaji Mahama debunked reports that the Kufour government was behind the bloody events that happened in Yendi in 2002, which led to the unfortunate murder of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II and many others.
He said the government was “shaken” by the incident and that it did everything possible to resolve the matter, such as the formation of the Wuako Commission and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs.
Aside the Dagbon crisis, the former number two statesman spoke on a number of issues including attempts being made to accelerate the development of the Savannah.
He said due to the agrarian nature of the northern economy, much efforts needed to be made in increasing farmer’s access to loans to enable them acquire inputs to increase production.
Alhaji Mahama also stressed the need for more roads to be upgraded to facilitate the movement of both agricultural produce to market centres.
“Government needs to create an enabling environment for the private sector to set up factories in the north, so as to provide employment to our people,” he further recommended.
According to him, no “outsider” can bring peace to Dagbon if the people themselves are not prepared to share the olive branch, adding that “nobody can solve the Dagbon crisis except Dagombas themselves.”
Alhaji Mahama made these statements when he addressed a press conference at his Kalpohin residence in Tamale, after he made what a return back home to fraternize with his people.
He said he was devastated by the level of rivalry between the two feuding sides, the Abudu and Andani gates, and asked “how can we be so annoyed with ourselves such that we do not even see the need to unite,” he stated.
“We would be lying to ourselves if we think that somebody is coming to solve our problem for us. Dagombas have to sit up because Ghana cannot wait for us,” he further stated.
Alhaji Mahama noted that there were traditional dispute resolution mechanisms in Dagbon that could be implored to solve the dispute instead of “allowing outsiders to continue to use us for their political gains.”
He however refused any comment on the current court case, except to entreat the people of Dagbon to wait for the outcome of the case, adding that “perhaps, after the ruling, we will learn our lessons.”
The former Veep said during his visit to the various Muslim prayer sites, he challenged the clerics to use the pulpit to sober the hearts of Dagombas to enable them reconcile.
He said he was shocked that there were religious leaders in Tamale and yet people who worshipped with them had so many misgivings about each other.
He also entreated Dagombas to come together and shun people who sought to divide, instead of unite, them.
“When people come to you to talk of prosperity, receive them with open hands, but if they talk of Abudu and Andani, hoot at them,” he suggested.
Alhaji Mahama debunked reports that the Kufour government was behind the bloody events that happened in Yendi in 2002, which led to the unfortunate murder of the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II and many others.
He said the government was “shaken” by the incident and that it did everything possible to resolve the matter, such as the formation of the Wuako Commission and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs.
Aside the Dagbon crisis, the former number two statesman spoke on a number of issues including attempts being made to accelerate the development of the Savannah.
He said due to the agrarian nature of the northern economy, much efforts needed to be made in increasing farmer’s access to loans to enable them acquire inputs to increase production.
Alhaji Mahama also stressed the need for more roads to be upgraded to facilitate the movement of both agricultural produce to market centres.
“Government needs to create an enabling environment for the private sector to set up factories in the north, so as to provide employment to our people,” he further recommended.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A NAFAC EVENING OF MUSIC, DANCE, THEATRE (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 15, NOV 25, 2010)
By Nurudeen Salifu
A very engaging atmosphere took charge of the Tamale Jubilee Park last Monday night when performers from the National Theatre resident groups thrilled fans to a heart-throbbing performance in dance, drama and music.
It was a night that Tamale had never witnessed and owed its gratitude to the organisers of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), 2010, who put together the show as part of activities for the week-long event that got off to a smooth start last Saturday.
The National Symphony Orchestra opened the show with some insightful songs that sought to throw light on the current societal trends and the adulteration of Ghanaian culture.
The National Drama Company, with its assemblage of experienced actors, was the next to perform as it set the stage for an evening of humorous and educative drama appropriate for an occasion like NAFAC.
The actors performed a play entitled “Short arms and the Baobab,” written and directed by Dzifa Glikpoe, who is currently the Acting Artistic Director of the National Theatre.
The Baobab in the play, as explained by Madam Glikpoe, stood for motherhood and that the play talks about the responsibilities that come along with being a teenage mother.
“In fact, the message that this play seeks to convey to young people is that it is not easy being a parent and that they should take their time and take up such responsibilities when they are matured and well prepared,” she stated.
As expected, the actors gave off their best in communicating this message as a young man and woman got caught up in a teenage relationship that ended them in a quagmire of troubles.
With a baby, who finally passed away due to lack of care and the teenage father who shirked his responsibilities and escaped to the city, only to meet his death, the message was succinctly delivered for the youth to appreciate.
At about 9:30pm, the Ghana Dance Ensemble then took the stage with a highly energetic rhythmic performance, which depicted life at Bukom. It was this performance that revived the apparently tired and sleepy crowd as they watched the performers mime and dance, while the backing drummers and singers produced sounds to match the actions.
The main thrust of their performance was to educate the youth on the effects of juvenile delinquency and how single parenting could impact negatively on children’s growth.
After such an exhilarating artistic display, it was now the turn of the cultural group at the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Tamale, called ‘Tiyumba’, which performed a drama piece titled: “When the king is dead.”
The import of the play, written and directed by Antoinette Kotoko and delivered in the Dagbani language, was to throw more light on the chieftaincy institution of the Dagombas, with particular focus on the funeral and succession activities that take place when the chief dies.
It also sought to show avenues for peace-building in times of crisis during the search for a new king. With the appropriate traditional regalia, movements, dance and speech, the actors beautifully rendered the play to bring an exciting evening to a close.
For some people, who witnessed the show, it was such a wonderful performance that needed to be sustained and given more support to thrive.
“For me, these performances were not just about music and dance, but the role that theatre arts could play in national development, such as communicating for positive social change,” the Director of the Centre for National Culture in the Upper East region, Mr Kombat Fuzzy told Graphic Showbiz.
He described the programme as fantastic and well-co-ordinated, adding that “we have been able to entertain, educate, inform and transform at the same time.”
A very engaging atmosphere took charge of the Tamale Jubilee Park last Monday night when performers from the National Theatre resident groups thrilled fans to a heart-throbbing performance in dance, drama and music.
It was a night that Tamale had never witnessed and owed its gratitude to the organisers of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFAC), 2010, who put together the show as part of activities for the week-long event that got off to a smooth start last Saturday.
The National Symphony Orchestra opened the show with some insightful songs that sought to throw light on the current societal trends and the adulteration of Ghanaian culture.
The National Drama Company, with its assemblage of experienced actors, was the next to perform as it set the stage for an evening of humorous and educative drama appropriate for an occasion like NAFAC.
The actors performed a play entitled “Short arms and the Baobab,” written and directed by Dzifa Glikpoe, who is currently the Acting Artistic Director of the National Theatre.
The Baobab in the play, as explained by Madam Glikpoe, stood for motherhood and that the play talks about the responsibilities that come along with being a teenage mother.
“In fact, the message that this play seeks to convey to young people is that it is not easy being a parent and that they should take their time and take up such responsibilities when they are matured and well prepared,” she stated.
As expected, the actors gave off their best in communicating this message as a young man and woman got caught up in a teenage relationship that ended them in a quagmire of troubles.
With a baby, who finally passed away due to lack of care and the teenage father who shirked his responsibilities and escaped to the city, only to meet his death, the message was succinctly delivered for the youth to appreciate.
At about 9:30pm, the Ghana Dance Ensemble then took the stage with a highly energetic rhythmic performance, which depicted life at Bukom. It was this performance that revived the apparently tired and sleepy crowd as they watched the performers mime and dance, while the backing drummers and singers produced sounds to match the actions.
The main thrust of their performance was to educate the youth on the effects of juvenile delinquency and how single parenting could impact negatively on children’s growth.
After such an exhilarating artistic display, it was now the turn of the cultural group at the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Tamale, called ‘Tiyumba’, which performed a drama piece titled: “When the king is dead.”
The import of the play, written and directed by Antoinette Kotoko and delivered in the Dagbani language, was to throw more light on the chieftaincy institution of the Dagombas, with particular focus on the funeral and succession activities that take place when the chief dies.
It also sought to show avenues for peace-building in times of crisis during the search for a new king. With the appropriate traditional regalia, movements, dance and speech, the actors beautifully rendered the play to bring an exciting evening to a close.
For some people, who witnessed the show, it was such a wonderful performance that needed to be sustained and given more support to thrive.
“For me, these performances were not just about music and dance, but the role that theatre arts could play in national development, such as communicating for positive social change,” the Director of the Centre for National Culture in the Upper East region, Mr Kombat Fuzzy told Graphic Showbiz.
He described the programme as fantastic and well-co-ordinated, adding that “we have been able to entertain, educate, inform and transform at the same time.”
NORTHERN GHANA FARMERS TO FEED BIG INDUSTRIES (PAGE 54, NOV 22, 2010)
FARMERS in northern Ghana are producing sorghum and soya beans in large quantities to feed big processing industries such as Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, Ghana Nuts Company and Golden Web.
The grains are being produced through the auspices of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) which is building the capacity of the farmers to grow standard exportable crop varieties that meet the standards demanded by the big industries.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Tamale, the National Co-ordinator of the NRGP, Mr Roy Ayariga, stated that one of the key components of the programme was to link all the players in the value chain, that is, from production to consumption.
He said in that regard, farmers in its beneficiary areas had been linked to major produce buyers, such as the Savannah Farmers Marketing Company and the National Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO).
Mr Ayariga explained that the buyers resold the produce to the major processing and other companies in the value chain which utilised farmers’ produce.
He said, for instance, that while sorghum was to be sold to Guinness Ghana, soya beans were in demand by companies such as Ghana Nuts, 3 K&A and Golden Web.
He said the NRGP had some form of assistance for the marketing companies which purchased the produce, such as providing them with haulage trucks to transport the produce.
“We have also identified higher production areas such as Tumu, Damongo and Garu where we are planning to construct warehouses to store the produce after harvest,” he further stated.
Mr Ayariga said to enable the farmers along the value chain to produce enough to feed the industries, the NRGP was helping them obtain loans from financial institutions to invest in commercial farming.
He said the loans would help the farmers to undertake production activities, including land preparation and planting, and the purchase of inputs, which included certified seeds, agro-chemicals and fertiliser.
He observed that aside the problems regarding hoe and cutlass farming, the bane of northern farmers was their inability to make profits from their produce.
He said the NRGP was, therefore, working to ensure that the farmers had fair prices for their produce by facilitating a negotiation process between the farmers and the buyers during harvest.
The NRGP is an agricultural initiative that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction in northern Ghana through commodity chain development, rural infrastructure development and improved access to financial services by all stakeholders in the commodity value chain.
It is co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the government.
The grains are being produced through the auspices of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) which is building the capacity of the farmers to grow standard exportable crop varieties that meet the standards demanded by the big industries.
Briefing the Daily Graphic in Tamale, the National Co-ordinator of the NRGP, Mr Roy Ayariga, stated that one of the key components of the programme was to link all the players in the value chain, that is, from production to consumption.
He said in that regard, farmers in its beneficiary areas had been linked to major produce buyers, such as the Savannah Farmers Marketing Company and the National Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO).
Mr Ayariga explained that the buyers resold the produce to the major processing and other companies in the value chain which utilised farmers’ produce.
He said, for instance, that while sorghum was to be sold to Guinness Ghana, soya beans were in demand by companies such as Ghana Nuts, 3 K&A and Golden Web.
He said the NRGP had some form of assistance for the marketing companies which purchased the produce, such as providing them with haulage trucks to transport the produce.
“We have also identified higher production areas such as Tumu, Damongo and Garu where we are planning to construct warehouses to store the produce after harvest,” he further stated.
Mr Ayariga said to enable the farmers along the value chain to produce enough to feed the industries, the NRGP was helping them obtain loans from financial institutions to invest in commercial farming.
He said the loans would help the farmers to undertake production activities, including land preparation and planting, and the purchase of inputs, which included certified seeds, agro-chemicals and fertiliser.
He observed that aside the problems regarding hoe and cutlass farming, the bane of northern farmers was their inability to make profits from their produce.
He said the NRGP was, therefore, working to ensure that the farmers had fair prices for their produce by facilitating a negotiation process between the farmers and the buyers during harvest.
The NRGP is an agricultural initiative that seeks to contribute to poverty reduction in northern Ghana through commodity chain development, rural infrastructure development and improved access to financial services by all stakeholders in the commodity value chain.
It is co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the government.
GOVT TO PROTECT LANDS FROM ENCROACHERS (PAGE 3, NOV 22, 2010)
VICE-President John Dramani Mahama has expressed the government’s displeasure at the level of encroachment on school lands which has dire consequences for discipline among students.
He said people living near various second-cycle schools in the country had gradually moved closer to settle on portions of the school lands, thereby making it difficult to separate the schools from neighbouring communities.
The Vice-President made these remarks last Saturday when he addressed the speech and prize-giving ceremony at the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale which was held as part of activities to climax the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Over 30 students received awards for excelling in various subjects, while some staff members, individuals and corporate bodies were also honoured for their various contributions towards the progress of the school.
The event, held on the theme: “Secondary Education in Northern Ghana: The role of GHANASCO at 50”, was graced by a number of important personalities, including ministers of state, educationists and heads of institutions, some of whom are past students.
The event, characterised by intermittent cultural performances by the students, generated an atmosphere of nostalgia as old students of the school, including the Vice-President, had the opportunity to meet again and share memories of their days in GHANASCO.
Mr Mahama said the government would provide the resources to construct fence walls round all second-cycle schools as a measure to prevent further encroachment.
He cited works on fence walls for GHANASCO and other senior high schools in the region as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to that goal.
He said the government had an elaborate plan to accelerate the construction of more dormitory and classroom blocks in all second-cycle schools to ease the suffering among students but called on parents and the private sector to offer some assistance in that regard.
Mr Mahama praised Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the north and the south in the area of education, a gap that resulted from the late start of formal education in the north.
Speaking on the theme for the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Prof Haruna Yakubu, said the achievements of GHANASCO served as a catalyst for the establishment of other schools in the north.
He said GHANASCO was one of the schools established under the Ghana Education Trust programme introduced by the Nkrumah administration and that till date, GHANASCO remained the second largest secondary school in the Northern Region.
Prof Yakubu noted that the Nkrumah administration supported education in the north as a strategy to bridge the human resource gap between the south and the north.
He commended the government for sustaining the payment of subsidies to northern schools but stressed the need for those grants to be released on time so that the purpose for which they were being provided would not be defeated.
The Headmistress of GHANASCO, Madam Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah, appealed to the government, alumni of the school and corporate bodies to support the school to overcome its numerous challenges, such as the poor state of accommodation facilities for both staff and students and the lack of a spacious assembly hall.
He said people living near various second-cycle schools in the country had gradually moved closer to settle on portions of the school lands, thereby making it difficult to separate the schools from neighbouring communities.
The Vice-President made these remarks last Saturday when he addressed the speech and prize-giving ceremony at the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale which was held as part of activities to climax the school’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Over 30 students received awards for excelling in various subjects, while some staff members, individuals and corporate bodies were also honoured for their various contributions towards the progress of the school.
The event, held on the theme: “Secondary Education in Northern Ghana: The role of GHANASCO at 50”, was graced by a number of important personalities, including ministers of state, educationists and heads of institutions, some of whom are past students.
The event, characterised by intermittent cultural performances by the students, generated an atmosphere of nostalgia as old students of the school, including the Vice-President, had the opportunity to meet again and share memories of their days in GHANASCO.
Mr Mahama said the government would provide the resources to construct fence walls round all second-cycle schools as a measure to prevent further encroachment.
He cited works on fence walls for GHANASCO and other senior high schools in the region as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to that goal.
He said the government had an elaborate plan to accelerate the construction of more dormitory and classroom blocks in all second-cycle schools to ease the suffering among students but called on parents and the private sector to offer some assistance in that regard.
Mr Mahama praised Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the north and the south in the area of education, a gap that resulted from the late start of formal education in the north.
Speaking on the theme for the occasion, the Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Prof Haruna Yakubu, said the achievements of GHANASCO served as a catalyst for the establishment of other schools in the north.
He said GHANASCO was one of the schools established under the Ghana Education Trust programme introduced by the Nkrumah administration and that till date, GHANASCO remained the second largest secondary school in the Northern Region.
Prof Yakubu noted that the Nkrumah administration supported education in the north as a strategy to bridge the human resource gap between the south and the north.
He commended the government for sustaining the payment of subsidies to northern schools but stressed the need for those grants to be released on time so that the purpose for which they were being provided would not be defeated.
The Headmistress of GHANASCO, Madam Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah, appealed to the government, alumni of the school and corporate bodies to support the school to overcome its numerous challenges, such as the poor state of accommodation facilities for both staff and students and the lack of a spacious assembly hall.
SECOND NORTHERN BUSINESS FAIR OPENS IN TAMALE (BACK PAGE, NOV 20, 2010)
THE second edition of the Northern Business and Investment Fair has opened in Tamale with a call on investors to take advantage of the investment opportunities in the north.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, who made the call in a speech read on her behalf, said the north abounded in various investment opportunities yet to be fully tapped.
She noted that the government was seeking strategic investors to exploit those areas as part of measures to ensure the accelerated development of the north.
She mentioned some of the areas earmarked for investments as the cotton industry, sugar production, quarry and mining, Boankra Inland Port Project, mechanised farming and the revamping of neglected industries.
Ms Tetteh also hinted of the establishment of a leather industry and a modern technology and innovation centre for the manufacture of capital goods.
The four-day fair, which is taking place at the Tamale Sports Stadium, is being organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) newspaper, with sponsorship from StarLife Assurance Company, Zenith Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).
Over 65 exhibitors are participating in the fair. They include food and beverage providers, manufacturing companies, handicraft dealers, heavy machinery companies, dealers in clothing, construction companies and service providers such as banks, insurance companies and management training consultants.
She described the fair as an important event in the socio-economic life of the people of the north as it opened up the area to new investments.
Ms Tetteh said in order to promote investments in every part of the country, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) was expanding its operations to all parts of the country, adding that an office had been established in Tamale to cater for the three northern regions.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Bukari Moses Mabengba, noted that even though trade and investment activities were low in the north, the area could compete favourably if given enough support.
He identified opportunities in the hospitality, tourism, transport, agriculture, education, mining and construction areas in the three northern regions.
The General Manager of the B&FT, Mr Abdulai Salifu, lauded the level of collaboration between the B&FT and other institutions, including the Trade Ministry, GIPC, Association of Ghana Industries and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He also commended the government for its drive to accelerate the development of the north and called for more efforts towards job creation so as to curb the rural-urban drift.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, who made the call in a speech read on her behalf, said the north abounded in various investment opportunities yet to be fully tapped.
She noted that the government was seeking strategic investors to exploit those areas as part of measures to ensure the accelerated development of the north.
She mentioned some of the areas earmarked for investments as the cotton industry, sugar production, quarry and mining, Boankra Inland Port Project, mechanised farming and the revamping of neglected industries.
Ms Tetteh also hinted of the establishment of a leather industry and a modern technology and innovation centre for the manufacture of capital goods.
The four-day fair, which is taking place at the Tamale Sports Stadium, is being organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) newspaper, with sponsorship from StarLife Assurance Company, Zenith Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).
Over 65 exhibitors are participating in the fair. They include food and beverage providers, manufacturing companies, handicraft dealers, heavy machinery companies, dealers in clothing, construction companies and service providers such as banks, insurance companies and management training consultants.
She described the fair as an important event in the socio-economic life of the people of the north as it opened up the area to new investments.
Ms Tetteh said in order to promote investments in every part of the country, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) was expanding its operations to all parts of the country, adding that an office had been established in Tamale to cater for the three northern regions.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Bukari Moses Mabengba, noted that even though trade and investment activities were low in the north, the area could compete favourably if given enough support.
He identified opportunities in the hospitality, tourism, transport, agriculture, education, mining and construction areas in the three northern regions.
The General Manager of the B&FT, Mr Abdulai Salifu, lauded the level of collaboration between the B&FT and other institutions, including the Trade Ministry, GIPC, Association of Ghana Industries and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
He also commended the government for its drive to accelerate the development of the north and called for more efforts towards job creation so as to curb the rural-urban drift.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Declining fortunes of RTU...OLD PLAYERS CALL FOR SHAKE UP (GRAPHIC SPORTS, NOV 19, 2010, PAGE 11)
THE woes of the pride of the north, Real Tamale United (RTU), are likely to deepen if efforts are not made to revamp its management, the club’s Old Players Association (ROPA) has warned.
According to the association, the club has been struggling to escape relegation for the past few years and this season has seen the worst of its performances in the league.
“So far, the team has won one match, drawn two and lost seven. It has scored four goals and conceded 10. It is currently glued at the bottom of the league table,” the Chairman of ROPA, Mr Abdallah Kassim stated at a press conference in Tamale.
He expressed the association’s disappointment with the dismal performance of the club and warned of darker days ahead if calls for the restructuring of the club’s management were ignored.
“ROPA has had cause to complain about the way the club is being run in the last three years. We had, hitherto, diagnosed the club’s problems and offered solutions, but our intervention either fell on deaf ears or was treated with contempt,” Mr Kassim stated.
“The association had suggested that the club be overhauled because the board, as it is presently constituted, was not suitable for the governance of the club”, he added.
“If you have a board whose membership has been reduced to three who take decisions based on their personal interests, you cannot have a winning team.
“The club has no visible operational organisational structure and the board has no clearly spelt out roles and responsibilities. Financial prudence and accountability are zero,” the chairman lamented.
He said in addition to all these, the technical team was divided and recruitment of players was based on individual interests and not on comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
“We think it has come to a point where decisive action has to be taken to salvage the club from slipping further into the doldrums,” Mr Kassim noted, adding that there was an urgent need for the board and management committee to be reconstituted.
He also recommended the need to reconsider the appointment offered head coach Tellat Uzum and give him a period to deliver good results or face dismissal.
According to the association, the club has been struggling to escape relegation for the past few years and this season has seen the worst of its performances in the league.
“So far, the team has won one match, drawn two and lost seven. It has scored four goals and conceded 10. It is currently glued at the bottom of the league table,” the Chairman of ROPA, Mr Abdallah Kassim stated at a press conference in Tamale.
He expressed the association’s disappointment with the dismal performance of the club and warned of darker days ahead if calls for the restructuring of the club’s management were ignored.
“ROPA has had cause to complain about the way the club is being run in the last three years. We had, hitherto, diagnosed the club’s problems and offered solutions, but our intervention either fell on deaf ears or was treated with contempt,” Mr Kassim stated.
“The association had suggested that the club be overhauled because the board, as it is presently constituted, was not suitable for the governance of the club”, he added.
“If you have a board whose membership has been reduced to three who take decisions based on their personal interests, you cannot have a winning team.
“The club has no visible operational organisational structure and the board has no clearly spelt out roles and responsibilities. Financial prudence and accountability are zero,” the chairman lamented.
He said in addition to all these, the technical team was divided and recruitment of players was based on individual interests and not on comprehensive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
“We think it has come to a point where decisive action has to be taken to salvage the club from slipping further into the doldrums,” Mr Kassim noted, adding that there was an urgent need for the board and management committee to be reconstituted.
He also recommended the need to reconsider the appointment offered head coach Tellat Uzum and give him a period to deliver good results or face dismissal.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
MOBILE LIBRARY SERVICE STARTS IN NR (PAGE 35, NOV 17, 2010)
THE Ghana Library Board has commenced the piloting of a mobile library service, which involves taking library facilities that include books and computers to children in deprived communities to access within stipulated periods.
The concept is being championed as a temporal measure to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots in relation to children’s access to reading materials and tools for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).
The library board is implementing the programme with support from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), particularly, in the supply of computers and internet connectivity.
The Northern Region kick-started the programme last week in seven Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the Savelugu/Nanton district, where over 300 students had the opportunity to utilise the facilities in the mobile library van for two days.
The student’s focused much of their attention on accessing the computers, thereby putting much pressure on the five computers that were contained in the van.
They told the Daily Graphic that the absence of computers was hindering the study of ICT and therefore appealed to the government to provide them with computers and other interactive learning tools.
The Northern Regional Librarian, Mr Aaron Kuwornu said the programme was being tested to see how effective it would be in helping children in deprived communities to have an opportunity to read story books and learn ICT as well.
“We know that this system is not the ultimate solution, but a stopgap measure that would operate, whiles efforts are made to provide libraries in all communities in the country,” he explained.
The librarian said the system could also help students in deprived communities to familiarise with the computer, as most of them had not had the opportunity to use any computer, even though they write examinations in ICT.
He expressed satisfaction about the first test run of the mobile library in Savelugu and noted that the system would also be tested in Chereponi and Gushegu when adequate funds are available.
Mr Kuwornu revealed that GIFEC had also stocked the Tamale library with a number of computers for patrons to utilise, adding that the computers had been connected to the internet so as to allow library users to undertake online research and other forms of online study.
“For now, the internet centre is offering free services, but with time, we would institute an affordable payment regime and its proceeds would be used to sustain the centre,” he further explained.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Savelugu-Nanton, Mr Askia Mohammed hailed the system and pledged to see to the rehabilitation of the Savelugu library.
The concept is being championed as a temporal measure to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots in relation to children’s access to reading materials and tools for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).
The library board is implementing the programme with support from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), particularly, in the supply of computers and internet connectivity.
The Northern Region kick-started the programme last week in seven Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the Savelugu/Nanton district, where over 300 students had the opportunity to utilise the facilities in the mobile library van for two days.
The student’s focused much of their attention on accessing the computers, thereby putting much pressure on the five computers that were contained in the van.
They told the Daily Graphic that the absence of computers was hindering the study of ICT and therefore appealed to the government to provide them with computers and other interactive learning tools.
The Northern Regional Librarian, Mr Aaron Kuwornu said the programme was being tested to see how effective it would be in helping children in deprived communities to have an opportunity to read story books and learn ICT as well.
“We know that this system is not the ultimate solution, but a stopgap measure that would operate, whiles efforts are made to provide libraries in all communities in the country,” he explained.
The librarian said the system could also help students in deprived communities to familiarise with the computer, as most of them had not had the opportunity to use any computer, even though they write examinations in ICT.
He expressed satisfaction about the first test run of the mobile library in Savelugu and noted that the system would also be tested in Chereponi and Gushegu when adequate funds are available.
Mr Kuwornu revealed that GIFEC had also stocked the Tamale library with a number of computers for patrons to utilise, adding that the computers had been connected to the internet so as to allow library users to undertake online research and other forms of online study.
“For now, the internet centre is offering free services, but with time, we would institute an affordable payment regime and its proceeds would be used to sustain the centre,” he further explained.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Savelugu-Nanton, Mr Askia Mohammed hailed the system and pledged to see to the rehabilitation of the Savelugu library.
UDS MEDICAL SCHOOL BREAKS NEW GROUNDS (PAGE 23, NOV 18, 2010)
SINCE its establishment in 1992, the University for Development Studies (UDS) has resolved to make a difference in the training of graduates in various fields of endeavour.
The main vision of the university is to train professionals who have both academic and practical community skills.
In line with this, the UDS introduced very unique learning techniques, one of which is the Third Trimester Field Programme (TTFP), which is an intensive engagement and interactive process between students and communities during a period in each semester.
It enables the students to identify the developmental problems facing those communities and work together with the indigenes to formulate specific interventions to address them.
Twelve years after its establishment, the university has attained yet another milestone by introducing a medical training programme. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is currently situated on the Tamale campus.
Initially, the university took its medical students through the basics of Medical Science, which entitled them to a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology. Upon completion of the basics, the university then negotiated and transferred the students to the University of Ghana (UG) or the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for them to undertake clinical training at either the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital or the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Three years ago, the UDS went into collaboration with the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which was in the process of being transformed into a fully-fledged tertiary facility, to offer clinical training to its medical students.
However, the university’s goal was not just to train doctors but also train doctors with a difference.
To realise that dream, the medical school introduced the problem-based learning (PBL) technique which ensured that health solutions were tailored in accordance with prevailing socio-economic challenges.
With the support of the Dutch government and other partners, the UDS successfully implemented that technique.
The first batch of 82 medical students using the PBL method of training was inducted to commence clinical training at the TTH some few weeks ago.
The induction ceremony was graced by a wide array of important personalities, including Naa Prof John Nabila, the President of the National House of Chiefs, who is also Chair of the SMHS Governing Board, and Dr Abdulai Salifu, the Chairman for both the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the UDS Governing Council.
The Dean of the SMHS, Sir Dr Edward Gyader, described the induction as significant, since “it marked the process to produce a new crop of doctors who will stand tall in the international community of medical practitioners.”
He said the first batch of medical students who commenced their clinicals at the TTH were in their senior clerkship and expressed hope that soon the university would produce its locally trained doctors.
“We had to learn, painfully, how to train students in the clinical setting with meagre human and material resources. This group of medical students enter into clinical training with a better prepared faculty and hospital,” he added.
Dr Gyader acknowledged the support of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council since it commenced and noted that the school was still faced with some teething problems, notably inadequate human resource.
He mentioned, for instance, that the medical school needed some paediatricians and appealed to tutors in senior medical schools to accept to teach at the UDS, promising them great careers ahead.
The Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, Prof Yakubu Haruna, described the PBL methodology as “a student-centred, interdisciplinary and community-oriented approach to learning”.
He commended the governments of Ghana and The Netherlands for their support in kickstarting the PBL methodology at the UDS, noting in particular the NUFFIC project, which contributed to the requisite human resource and equipment for the programme to set off.
Prof Haruna said the medical programme was very dear to the university and mentioned that efforts were being made to tackle the challenges facing it.
He mentioned, for instance, the construction of three lecture halls on the premises of the TTH to facilitate the training process.
The VC also commended the government for initiating the refurbishment of the TTH, noting that the speedy completion of the project would facilitate clinical training and provide efficient health care for the country, particularly the people of the north.
With the enthusiasm being shown by the UDS towards promoting excellence in medical training, one can only hope that the university’s management sustains its efforts to enable it to break new grounds in medical practice.
The main vision of the university is to train professionals who have both academic and practical community skills.
In line with this, the UDS introduced very unique learning techniques, one of which is the Third Trimester Field Programme (TTFP), which is an intensive engagement and interactive process between students and communities during a period in each semester.
It enables the students to identify the developmental problems facing those communities and work together with the indigenes to formulate specific interventions to address them.
Twelve years after its establishment, the university has attained yet another milestone by introducing a medical training programme. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is currently situated on the Tamale campus.
Initially, the university took its medical students through the basics of Medical Science, which entitled them to a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology. Upon completion of the basics, the university then negotiated and transferred the students to the University of Ghana (UG) or the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for them to undertake clinical training at either the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital or the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Three years ago, the UDS went into collaboration with the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which was in the process of being transformed into a fully-fledged tertiary facility, to offer clinical training to its medical students.
However, the university’s goal was not just to train doctors but also train doctors with a difference.
To realise that dream, the medical school introduced the problem-based learning (PBL) technique which ensured that health solutions were tailored in accordance with prevailing socio-economic challenges.
With the support of the Dutch government and other partners, the UDS successfully implemented that technique.
The first batch of 82 medical students using the PBL method of training was inducted to commence clinical training at the TTH some few weeks ago.
The induction ceremony was graced by a wide array of important personalities, including Naa Prof John Nabila, the President of the National House of Chiefs, who is also Chair of the SMHS Governing Board, and Dr Abdulai Salifu, the Chairman for both the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the UDS Governing Council.
The Dean of the SMHS, Sir Dr Edward Gyader, described the induction as significant, since “it marked the process to produce a new crop of doctors who will stand tall in the international community of medical practitioners.”
He said the first batch of medical students who commenced their clinicals at the TTH were in their senior clerkship and expressed hope that soon the university would produce its locally trained doctors.
“We had to learn, painfully, how to train students in the clinical setting with meagre human and material resources. This group of medical students enter into clinical training with a better prepared faculty and hospital,” he added.
Dr Gyader acknowledged the support of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council since it commenced and noted that the school was still faced with some teething problems, notably inadequate human resource.
He mentioned, for instance, that the medical school needed some paediatricians and appealed to tutors in senior medical schools to accept to teach at the UDS, promising them great careers ahead.
The Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, Prof Yakubu Haruna, described the PBL methodology as “a student-centred, interdisciplinary and community-oriented approach to learning”.
He commended the governments of Ghana and The Netherlands for their support in kickstarting the PBL methodology at the UDS, noting in particular the NUFFIC project, which contributed to the requisite human resource and equipment for the programme to set off.
Prof Haruna said the medical programme was very dear to the university and mentioned that efforts were being made to tackle the challenges facing it.
He mentioned, for instance, the construction of three lecture halls on the premises of the TTH to facilitate the training process.
The VC also commended the government for initiating the refurbishment of the TTH, noting that the speedy completion of the project would facilitate clinical training and provide efficient health care for the country, particularly the people of the north.
With the enthusiasm being shown by the UDS towards promoting excellence in medical training, one can only hope that the university’s management sustains its efforts to enable it to break new grounds in medical practice.
OLD STUDENT DONATES TO GHANASCO (PAGE 29 NOV 17, 2010)
A NIGERIAN, who is a member of the 1970 class of students of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale, Mr Owolabi Ganiyu, an engineer, has presented a set of computer accessories to his alma mater.
The accessories, which included a monitor, a CPU, a printer, a UPS and other components, will support both academic and administrative work in the school.
Mr Ganiyu noted that the donation was his contribution towards the successful celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the school.
The anniversary, which was launched earlier in the year, will be climaxed with a speech and prize-giving ceremony on November 20, this year.
The engineer expressed some unhappiness about the current state of the school which, he noted, had trained many professionals who were currently serving not only in Ghana but also other countries, including Nigeria.
He entreated the old students to forge a greater partnership towards seeking solutions to the challenges facing the school, such as the lack of a spacious assembly hall and the poor state of some staff bungalows and dormitories.
The Assistant Headmistress in charge of academics, Ms Evelyn Akulmasa, who received the items on behalf of the school, commended Mr Ganiyu for endeavouring to support the school that contributed partly to his success in life.
She said other old students had also made similar presentations and expressed the hope that many others would follow suit.
The accessories, which included a monitor, a CPU, a printer, a UPS and other components, will support both academic and administrative work in the school.
Mr Ganiyu noted that the donation was his contribution towards the successful celebration of the Golden Jubilee of the school.
The anniversary, which was launched earlier in the year, will be climaxed with a speech and prize-giving ceremony on November 20, this year.
The engineer expressed some unhappiness about the current state of the school which, he noted, had trained many professionals who were currently serving not only in Ghana but also other countries, including Nigeria.
He entreated the old students to forge a greater partnership towards seeking solutions to the challenges facing the school, such as the lack of a spacious assembly hall and the poor state of some staff bungalows and dormitories.
The Assistant Headmistress in charge of academics, Ms Evelyn Akulmasa, who received the items on behalf of the school, commended Mr Ganiyu for endeavouring to support the school that contributed partly to his success in life.
She said other old students had also made similar presentations and expressed the hope that many others would follow suit.
HELP BRING CHANGE TO TAMALE — MABENGBA (PAGE 29, NOV 17, 2010)
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Bukari Moses Mabengba, has stated that it is the responsibility of all leaders and influential people, including community leaders in Tamale to lead in bringing positive change to the metropolis.
According to him, any influential person who interfered with law enforcement in Tamale was doing harm to the city because he or she was nurturing a society where law and order would eventually succumb to chaos and impunity.
Mr Mabengba was reacting to an article published on page 18 in the November 5, 2010 issue of the Daily Graphic which sought to blame influential people for promoting impunity in Tamale by aiding law breakers to go unpunished.
The article made mention of indiscipline on the roads of Tamale, noting specifically the impunity with which some motorists disobeyed road traffic and safety regulations with the hope of being freed by some ‘big men’ when accosted by the police.
The minister expressed regret over that development, describing it as an impediment to development, since no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of lawlessness.
He said on many occasions, people had come to him to help them avoid punishment when those people had been arrested by the police “but I vehemently refuse to do so”.
Mr Mabengba disclosed that to show leadership, the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) had taken some measures to aid the police to enforce road safety regulations in Tamale.
He said, for instance, that motorbike riders without helmets were not allowed to ride into and within the premises of the RCC and the Residency.
“We want to ensure that people do not extend their indiscipline to the RCC. We also want to make life uncomfortable for people who fail to adhere to safety regulations,” he explained.
The minister noted that Tamale, which is considered the third largest city in the country, was fast growing into a vibrant city and that its residents needed to be law-abiding citizens to facilitate city life.
He, therefore, entreated leaders and people with power to lead in bringing positive change to Tamale by living exemplary lives and chastising their followers who acted unlawfully.
Mr Mabengba commended the Daily Graphic for bringing to light the growing indiscipline in Tamale and urged the media to expose politicians and so-called ‘big men’ who are aiding law breakers to escape punishment to bring them to shame.
“When we fail to identify the culprits, all leaders in the region become suspects and this is not fair to those who work towards promoting discipline,” he noted.
According to him, any influential person who interfered with law enforcement in Tamale was doing harm to the city because he or she was nurturing a society where law and order would eventually succumb to chaos and impunity.
Mr Mabengba was reacting to an article published on page 18 in the November 5, 2010 issue of the Daily Graphic which sought to blame influential people for promoting impunity in Tamale by aiding law breakers to go unpunished.
The article made mention of indiscipline on the roads of Tamale, noting specifically the impunity with which some motorists disobeyed road traffic and safety regulations with the hope of being freed by some ‘big men’ when accosted by the police.
The minister expressed regret over that development, describing it as an impediment to development, since no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of lawlessness.
He said on many occasions, people had come to him to help them avoid punishment when those people had been arrested by the police “but I vehemently refuse to do so”.
Mr Mabengba disclosed that to show leadership, the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) had taken some measures to aid the police to enforce road safety regulations in Tamale.
He said, for instance, that motorbike riders without helmets were not allowed to ride into and within the premises of the RCC and the Residency.
“We want to ensure that people do not extend their indiscipline to the RCC. We also want to make life uncomfortable for people who fail to adhere to safety regulations,” he explained.
The minister noted that Tamale, which is considered the third largest city in the country, was fast growing into a vibrant city and that its residents needed to be law-abiding citizens to facilitate city life.
He, therefore, entreated leaders and people with power to lead in bringing positive change to Tamale by living exemplary lives and chastising their followers who acted unlawfully.
Mr Mabengba commended the Daily Graphic for bringing to light the growing indiscipline in Tamale and urged the media to expose politicians and so-called ‘big men’ who are aiding law breakers to escape punishment to bring them to shame.
“When we fail to identify the culprits, all leaders in the region become suspects and this is not fair to those who work towards promoting discipline,” he noted.
NORTHERN CHIEFS COMMEND AWUNI, WELCOME AMUNI (PAGE 13, NOV 17, 20100
PROMINENT chiefs in the Northern Region have praised the outgoing Regional Police Commander, ACP Angwubutoge Awuni for what they described as a high level of professionalism exhibited during his term.
They also welcomed the new Commander, DCOP Roy Ayinibisa Amuni and expressed optimism about his ability to sustain the quality of policing in the region.
The chiefs made these remarks when Mr Awuni and Mr Amuni paid courtesy calls on them to enable the former bid farewell and formally introduce the new commander to them.
They include the Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Sulemana Jakpa I, of the Gonja Traditional Area Nayiri Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai, of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Kampakuya-Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani regent of Dagbon, and Damongowura Tutumba II chief of Damongo.
The rest are the regent of Gulkpegu, Naa Abdulai Ziblim and the Dakpema, Naa Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni.
ACP Awuni was praised for his style of policing, which the chiefs believe had contributed significantly to the peace and stability that prevailed in the region during his 13-month tenure.
According to the chiefs, he had implemented a dialogue-based approach towards combating crime, which brought on board various important stakeholders, including chiefs.
They said Mr Awuni gave them due recognition and made them a critical component of law enforcement and peace-building in the region and this enabled them to feel part of the system.
The chiefs also acknowledged the firmness that Mr Awuni exhibited towards ensuring that law breakers were duly punished and also commended him for being proactive in dealing with the several unrests that threatened to mar his administration.
They mentioned particularly Mr Awuni’s role in the Chereponi by-election which was nearly marred by people who intended to disrupt the peace.
Some of the chiefs revealed their intentions to honour Mr Awuni in due time to show their appreciation for his contribution towards law enforcement in their respective communities.
For his part, ACP Awuni expressed gratitude to the chiefs for the overwhelming support they gave him during his term, stressing that “I would not have been able to steer the boat without the firm support you gave me”.
Mr Awuni again lauded the chiefs for not interfering, unduly, in the work of the police, such as giving protection to criminal elements.
The new commander, Mr Ayinibisa Amuni, pledged to continue at where his predecessor left off, adding that he was committed towards deepening the cordial relationship that existed between the chiefs and the police.
Meanwhile, a send-off party was held at the weekend for Mr Awuni, during which he expressed his appreciation to all police personnel, media and political leaders in the region for the support they gave him during his period of service.
It was an emotional occasion that saw various police personnel giving testimonies of Mr Awuni’s leadership, as well as wish him luck in his new role at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra.
They also welcomed the new Commander, DCOP Roy Ayinibisa Amuni and expressed optimism about his ability to sustain the quality of policing in the region.
The chiefs made these remarks when Mr Awuni and Mr Amuni paid courtesy calls on them to enable the former bid farewell and formally introduce the new commander to them.
They include the Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Sulemana Jakpa I, of the Gonja Traditional Area Nayiri Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai, of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, Kampakuya-Naa Abdulai Yakubu Andani regent of Dagbon, and Damongowura Tutumba II chief of Damongo.
The rest are the regent of Gulkpegu, Naa Abdulai Ziblim and the Dakpema, Naa Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni.
ACP Awuni was praised for his style of policing, which the chiefs believe had contributed significantly to the peace and stability that prevailed in the region during his 13-month tenure.
According to the chiefs, he had implemented a dialogue-based approach towards combating crime, which brought on board various important stakeholders, including chiefs.
They said Mr Awuni gave them due recognition and made them a critical component of law enforcement and peace-building in the region and this enabled them to feel part of the system.
The chiefs also acknowledged the firmness that Mr Awuni exhibited towards ensuring that law breakers were duly punished and also commended him for being proactive in dealing with the several unrests that threatened to mar his administration.
They mentioned particularly Mr Awuni’s role in the Chereponi by-election which was nearly marred by people who intended to disrupt the peace.
Some of the chiefs revealed their intentions to honour Mr Awuni in due time to show their appreciation for his contribution towards law enforcement in their respective communities.
For his part, ACP Awuni expressed gratitude to the chiefs for the overwhelming support they gave him during his term, stressing that “I would not have been able to steer the boat without the firm support you gave me”.
Mr Awuni again lauded the chiefs for not interfering, unduly, in the work of the police, such as giving protection to criminal elements.
The new commander, Mr Ayinibisa Amuni, pledged to continue at where his predecessor left off, adding that he was committed towards deepening the cordial relationship that existed between the chiefs and the police.
Meanwhile, a send-off party was held at the weekend for Mr Awuni, during which he expressed his appreciation to all police personnel, media and political leaders in the region for the support they gave him during his period of service.
It was an emotional occasion that saw various police personnel giving testimonies of Mr Awuni’s leadership, as well as wish him luck in his new role at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra.
Monday, November 15, 2010
PBC GIVES TO CENTRAL GONJA FLOOD VICTIMS (BACK PAGE, NOV 11, 2010)
THE Produce Buying Company (PBC) has presented relief items worth GH¢25,000 to the Central Gonja district of the Northern Region to support persons affected by floods due to the overflow of the White and Black Voltas.
The items comprised 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of maize, 50 bags of sugar, 60 cartons of cooking oil, 50 mosquito nets and 25 bails of clothing.
The items were presented by the Deputy Managing Director of Operations at the PBC, Mr George Kwadwo Boateng to the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi and the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Salisu Be-Awuribe in Tamale.
Mr Boateng noted that the PBC got alarmed when it heard reports of the damaged caused by flooding in Buipe and other communities in the district and that the company began to strategise on how to support the displaced persons to enable them cope.
“We therefore thought it wise to put together this package to help alleviate their suffering and also show the company’s concern for their welfare,” he stated.
Mr Boateng noted that the PBC was in the process of setting up the shea nut processing factory in Buipe, adding that the processing plant would be completed by end of the year.
“The plant would be processing 40,000 tonnes of shea nut into 15,000 tonnes of shea butter,” he mentioned.
Mr Asabigi commended the PBC for endeavouring to support flood victims in the Central Gonja district and noted that the gesture demonstrated how prepared the company was to undertake responsible business in the region.
“You have not started operations yet, but you have demonstrated your willingness to honour your corporate social responsibilities to the communities,” he said.
The Central Gonja DCE gave the assurance that the items would be distributed to the affected persons in a fair manner, adding that the assembly had set up two committees to see to various issues regarding the flood disaster.
He explained that whiles one of the committees was responsible for overseeing relief operations and reconstruction, the other committee was taking a look at health, education and environment in relation to the disaster.
The DCE said the district would support the operations of the PBC, when the shea nut processing plant kick-starts in Buipe, adding that all bottlenecks would be addressed with urgency.
The Central Gonja district is one of the areas in the country worst affected by the floods. Two persons died due to the floods and over 25, 000 people were displaced. The number of houses that were submerged was also estimated to be around 3000.
The items comprised 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of maize, 50 bags of sugar, 60 cartons of cooking oil, 50 mosquito nets and 25 bails of clothing.
The items were presented by the Deputy Managing Director of Operations at the PBC, Mr George Kwadwo Boateng to the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi and the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Salisu Be-Awuribe in Tamale.
Mr Boateng noted that the PBC got alarmed when it heard reports of the damaged caused by flooding in Buipe and other communities in the district and that the company began to strategise on how to support the displaced persons to enable them cope.
“We therefore thought it wise to put together this package to help alleviate their suffering and also show the company’s concern for their welfare,” he stated.
Mr Boateng noted that the PBC was in the process of setting up the shea nut processing factory in Buipe, adding that the processing plant would be completed by end of the year.
“The plant would be processing 40,000 tonnes of shea nut into 15,000 tonnes of shea butter,” he mentioned.
Mr Asabigi commended the PBC for endeavouring to support flood victims in the Central Gonja district and noted that the gesture demonstrated how prepared the company was to undertake responsible business in the region.
“You have not started operations yet, but you have demonstrated your willingness to honour your corporate social responsibilities to the communities,” he said.
The Central Gonja DCE gave the assurance that the items would be distributed to the affected persons in a fair manner, adding that the assembly had set up two committees to see to various issues regarding the flood disaster.
He explained that whiles one of the committees was responsible for overseeing relief operations and reconstruction, the other committee was taking a look at health, education and environment in relation to the disaster.
The DCE said the district would support the operations of the PBC, when the shea nut processing plant kick-starts in Buipe, adding that all bottlenecks would be addressed with urgency.
The Central Gonja district is one of the areas in the country worst affected by the floods. Two persons died due to the floods and over 25, 000 people were displaced. The number of houses that were submerged was also estimated to be around 3000.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
INCREASING COST OF GUINEA FOWL WORRIES RESIDENTS (PAGE 18, NOV 12, 2010)
MANY lovers of guinea fowl in Tamale are worried that soon they will not be able to afford this nutritious delicacy as the price of the product has tripled within a short time.
Most food vendors are selling a little piece of guinea fowl, such as the thigh or shoulder, for not less than GH¢1.50 and this is a disincentive to average income earners, who form the majority of the population.
Just some few months ago, one could purchase this same piece of meat at 50Gp. A full grilled guinea fowl now sells at GH¢10 and above.
“I have stopped buying guinea fowl because it is becoming expensive. When I buy it, the cost of my food goes above GH¢2, which is unsustainable for an average income earner like me,” Mr Francis Npong, a media practitioner, told the Daily Graphic.
“The fault is not ours,” a food vendor, Hajia Ayisha, stated, noting that the price of the meat is determined by the market price for the full fowl, which she said was currently hovering between GH¢8 and GH¢12.
Vendors of guinea fowl attribute the increasing cost of the white-spotted black-feathered bird to the overwhelming increase in its demand, which has not been met with a corresponding increase in supply.
The increase in demand is largely due to more awareness of the good taste and nutritious nature of the guinea fowl among the public. The flesh is dark and dry and has a pleasant flavour.
Nutrition experts note that the flesh of the guinea fowl is rich in various nutrients, including protein, vitamins and fatty acids. It is also said to be low in cholesterol and, therefore, less dangerous to human health.
As a result of these advantages, service providers in the food and hospitality industry now serve guinea fowl as a regular meal, which was not the case some few years ago.
In view of this, many are of the opinion that the government needs to take a critical look at boosting guinea fowl production because, apart from its nutritional qualities, guinea fowl rearing also has the propensity to improve incomes of small rural farming households.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gees Fresh Meat Products and Packaging Company in Tamale, Mr Kofi Gyamfi, the demand for guinea fowl by southerners and others who visited the north was very high.
He noted that if attention was given to that industry, many Ghanaians would patronise guinea fowl products and that would increase the incomes of livestock farmers who raise the bird.
The Co-ordinator of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Mr Roy Ayariga, also shares a similar view.
He said with the appropriate technology, farmers could make huge incomes from the production and sale of guinea fowl products.
Mr Ayariga said the NRGP, which is a $104m agricultural support project, had a component that sought to improve livestock rearing, with guinea fowls being one of the important birds being considered.
“We want to help guinea fowl farmers to use effective methods to increase production, such as the use of hatcheries,” he stated, adding, “Those engaged in the processing and sale of the flesh are also to be supported to improve the storage and packaging aspects.”
Most food vendors are selling a little piece of guinea fowl, such as the thigh or shoulder, for not less than GH¢1.50 and this is a disincentive to average income earners, who form the majority of the population.
Just some few months ago, one could purchase this same piece of meat at 50Gp. A full grilled guinea fowl now sells at GH¢10 and above.
“I have stopped buying guinea fowl because it is becoming expensive. When I buy it, the cost of my food goes above GH¢2, which is unsustainable for an average income earner like me,” Mr Francis Npong, a media practitioner, told the Daily Graphic.
“The fault is not ours,” a food vendor, Hajia Ayisha, stated, noting that the price of the meat is determined by the market price for the full fowl, which she said was currently hovering between GH¢8 and GH¢12.
Vendors of guinea fowl attribute the increasing cost of the white-spotted black-feathered bird to the overwhelming increase in its demand, which has not been met with a corresponding increase in supply.
The increase in demand is largely due to more awareness of the good taste and nutritious nature of the guinea fowl among the public. The flesh is dark and dry and has a pleasant flavour.
Nutrition experts note that the flesh of the guinea fowl is rich in various nutrients, including protein, vitamins and fatty acids. It is also said to be low in cholesterol and, therefore, less dangerous to human health.
As a result of these advantages, service providers in the food and hospitality industry now serve guinea fowl as a regular meal, which was not the case some few years ago.
In view of this, many are of the opinion that the government needs to take a critical look at boosting guinea fowl production because, apart from its nutritional qualities, guinea fowl rearing also has the propensity to improve incomes of small rural farming households.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gees Fresh Meat Products and Packaging Company in Tamale, Mr Kofi Gyamfi, the demand for guinea fowl by southerners and others who visited the north was very high.
He noted that if attention was given to that industry, many Ghanaians would patronise guinea fowl products and that would increase the incomes of livestock farmers who raise the bird.
The Co-ordinator of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Mr Roy Ayariga, also shares a similar view.
He said with the appropriate technology, farmers could make huge incomes from the production and sale of guinea fowl products.
Mr Ayariga said the NRGP, which is a $104m agricultural support project, had a component that sought to improve livestock rearing, with guinea fowls being one of the important birds being considered.
“We want to help guinea fowl farmers to use effective methods to increase production, such as the use of hatcheries,” he stated, adding, “Those engaged in the processing and sale of the flesh are also to be supported to improve the storage and packaging aspects.”
BARCLAYS STAFF REFURBISH TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 18, NOV 12, 2010)
THE Emergency Theatre at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), which was in a very deplorable state, has been refurbished.
The theatre was given a new look over the weekend when the staff of Barclays Bank in Tamale undertook renovation works there to mark the Barclays Make A Difference (MAD) Day — an annual event that allows staff of the bank to undertake philanthropic work for communities and institutions.
With the support of skilled artisans, the Barclays staff fixed broken doors and windows, changed the ceiling and repainted the walls of the theatre. They also cleaned various sections of the theatre.
Initially, the theatre, known as the Casualty Theatre, had been in a shabby state. Its ceiling was badly damaged, as a result of which it leaked when it rained, while the paint on the walls had been washed off, with the doors and windows developing cracks.
The surgeon in charge of the theatre, Dr Stephen Tabiri, commended the staff of Barclays Bank for their kind gesture, describing it as very significant for the effective operation of the hospital.
He said the Emergency Theatre was the first point of entry for emergency cases, noting that some life-threatening cases were treated there.
“If this theatre is in good shape, it will help save many lives because the time spent in transporting a patient to the main theatre on the third floor could be so critical to the person’s survival,” he stated.
Dr Tabiri noted that the refurbishment of the theatre was timely, following the commencement of a major rehabilitation of other parts of the hospital by the government.
He said the theatre was still in need of other facilities, including a surgical lamp, an anaesthetics machine, a suction machine and a cupboard for storing drugs, sutures and other items, and appealed to other corporate bodies to come to the aid of the hospital.
The leader of the workers, Mr Robert Pusababuap, explained that the Barclays MAD Day was a unique strategy adopted by the bank to ensure that it honours its corporate social responsibility, through its staff, to the communities in which it operated.
He said the staff had chosen to support the TTH Emergency Theatre because of its importance to the health of inhabitants of Tamale, adding that the TTH was the only tertiary health facility in the north and it served as the main referral centre for the three regions in the north.
In a related development, the staff of the Prestige Centre of Barclays Bank in Tamale also undertook some renovation work at the Little Flower Basic School as part of the MAD Day celebration.
Mr Kwame Twum-Barimah Ampofo, the Manager of the Prestige Centre, described this year’s MAD Day events as very successful.
“We have been able to make a difference at two important institutions and we hope to improve upon this next year,” he said.
The theatre was given a new look over the weekend when the staff of Barclays Bank in Tamale undertook renovation works there to mark the Barclays Make A Difference (MAD) Day — an annual event that allows staff of the bank to undertake philanthropic work for communities and institutions.
With the support of skilled artisans, the Barclays staff fixed broken doors and windows, changed the ceiling and repainted the walls of the theatre. They also cleaned various sections of the theatre.
Initially, the theatre, known as the Casualty Theatre, had been in a shabby state. Its ceiling was badly damaged, as a result of which it leaked when it rained, while the paint on the walls had been washed off, with the doors and windows developing cracks.
The surgeon in charge of the theatre, Dr Stephen Tabiri, commended the staff of Barclays Bank for their kind gesture, describing it as very significant for the effective operation of the hospital.
He said the Emergency Theatre was the first point of entry for emergency cases, noting that some life-threatening cases were treated there.
“If this theatre is in good shape, it will help save many lives because the time spent in transporting a patient to the main theatre on the third floor could be so critical to the person’s survival,” he stated.
Dr Tabiri noted that the refurbishment of the theatre was timely, following the commencement of a major rehabilitation of other parts of the hospital by the government.
He said the theatre was still in need of other facilities, including a surgical lamp, an anaesthetics machine, a suction machine and a cupboard for storing drugs, sutures and other items, and appealed to other corporate bodies to come to the aid of the hospital.
The leader of the workers, Mr Robert Pusababuap, explained that the Barclays MAD Day was a unique strategy adopted by the bank to ensure that it honours its corporate social responsibility, through its staff, to the communities in which it operated.
He said the staff had chosen to support the TTH Emergency Theatre because of its importance to the health of inhabitants of Tamale, adding that the TTH was the only tertiary health facility in the north and it served as the main referral centre for the three regions in the north.
In a related development, the staff of the Prestige Centre of Barclays Bank in Tamale also undertook some renovation work at the Little Flower Basic School as part of the MAD Day celebration.
Mr Kwame Twum-Barimah Ampofo, the Manager of the Prestige Centre, described this year’s MAD Day events as very successful.
“We have been able to make a difference at two important institutions and we hope to improve upon this next year,” he said.
MAKE LAND ACCESSIBLE TO WOMEN IN AGRIC (PAGE 11, NOV 9, 2010)
CHIEFS in the Northern Region have been called upon to enhance women’s participation in agriculture by making fertile lands available to them .
A gender specialist with the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Ms Amina Alhassan Salih, who made the call, explained that women were either denied land for farming or given lands that were infertile and located far from their communities, thereby impeding their drive to engage meaningfully in Agriculture.
She was speaking at Sakpegu, a community in the Yendi municipality, during a gender awareness durbar aimed at sensitising inhabitants to the need for women to have equal opportunities in Agriculture.
The durbar was organised by the NRGP in line with its efforts to mainstream gender concerns into the implementation of the programme.
The NRGP is a $104 million agric support project aimed at transforming agric in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region and it is co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana.
Ms Salih noted that apart from difficulties in land ownership, women farmers were also discriminated against when it comes to access to finance, access to markets, access to inputs and access to information.
She said rural women farmers had also been pushed to the labour-intensive and less lucrative areas of Agriculture which had contributed to their slow rise.
Ms Salih told the chiefs and the family heads that it would be an added advantage to their homes if their wives, who were engaged in farming, were adequately supported.
“The women are those who cater for the homes and, therefore, if they have the capability to bring home extra incomes, it would reduce the burden on you the men and improve your livelihoods,” she stated.
She therefore entreated the men to allow their women to join farmer-based organisations to facilitate their access to finance, inputs and relevant extension services.
The gender specialist mentioned that the NRGP had a gender component that would give equal opportunities to all players in the agric sector, irrespective of their gender, and eschew any form of gender discrimination in the implementation process.
She said in order to support women in Agric, the NRGP would give adequate attention to the aspects of the commodity value-chain dominated by women, such as the production, processing and marketing of crops that included shea-nut , moringa, paddy rice and sesame.
In a speech read on his behalf, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Yendi, Mr Issah Zakaria, noted that to address gender discrimination in agric, efforts must be made towards erasing the stereotyping of women as only fit for the home.
He also stressed the need for capacity-building of women in the commodity value-chain to enable them to assert themselves and make the desired impact.
Mr Zakaria further noted that improving the situation of women farmers could help the country meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on gender equity and poverty reduction.
He said as women gained more leverage in the agriculture sector, it increased their incomes, thereby shoring up household incomes as women spent most of their resources on their families.
A gender specialist with the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Ms Amina Alhassan Salih, who made the call, explained that women were either denied land for farming or given lands that were infertile and located far from their communities, thereby impeding their drive to engage meaningfully in Agriculture.
She was speaking at Sakpegu, a community in the Yendi municipality, during a gender awareness durbar aimed at sensitising inhabitants to the need for women to have equal opportunities in Agriculture.
The durbar was organised by the NRGP in line with its efforts to mainstream gender concerns into the implementation of the programme.
The NRGP is a $104 million agric support project aimed at transforming agric in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region and it is co-funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana.
Ms Salih noted that apart from difficulties in land ownership, women farmers were also discriminated against when it comes to access to finance, access to markets, access to inputs and access to information.
She said rural women farmers had also been pushed to the labour-intensive and less lucrative areas of Agriculture which had contributed to their slow rise.
Ms Salih told the chiefs and the family heads that it would be an added advantage to their homes if their wives, who were engaged in farming, were adequately supported.
“The women are those who cater for the homes and, therefore, if they have the capability to bring home extra incomes, it would reduce the burden on you the men and improve your livelihoods,” she stated.
She therefore entreated the men to allow their women to join farmer-based organisations to facilitate their access to finance, inputs and relevant extension services.
The gender specialist mentioned that the NRGP had a gender component that would give equal opportunities to all players in the agric sector, irrespective of their gender, and eschew any form of gender discrimination in the implementation process.
She said in order to support women in Agric, the NRGP would give adequate attention to the aspects of the commodity value-chain dominated by women, such as the production, processing and marketing of crops that included shea-nut , moringa, paddy rice and sesame.
In a speech read on his behalf, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Yendi, Mr Issah Zakaria, noted that to address gender discrimination in agric, efforts must be made towards erasing the stereotyping of women as only fit for the home.
He also stressed the need for capacity-building of women in the commodity value-chain to enable them to assert themselves and make the desired impact.
Mr Zakaria further noted that improving the situation of women farmers could help the country meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on gender equity and poverty reduction.
He said as women gained more leverage in the agriculture sector, it increased their incomes, thereby shoring up household incomes as women spent most of their resources on their families.
Friday, November 12, 2010
VRA OFFERS SUPPORT FOR FLOOD VICTIMS (BACK PAGE, NOV 6, 2010)
THE Volta River Authority (VRA) has provided ¢20,000 to support flood victims in the three regions affected by the floods, namely Northern, Upper East and Upper West.
As part of the support package, the VRA has presented food items worth GH¢10,000 to the flood victims.
The items comprised 300 bags of maize and 155 bags of local rice.
The Director of General Services at the VRA, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, presented the Northern Region’s share of the food items to the Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, at a short ceremony in Tamale. The region received 145 bags of maize and 65 bags of rice.
Ms Fiadjoe noted that the items would help ease the suffering of the displaced persons, adding that the VRA had always supported victims of disasters as part of the company’s efforts to meet its corporate social responsibility.
Mr Mabengba commended the VRA for constantly showing concern in times of disaster and entreated other corporate bodies to emulate this example.
He, however, cautioned officials of NADMO against the misuse of relief items, noting that any person found culpable of diverting such items would be punished.
Mr Mabengba said the floods had worsened the poverty situation of people in the north as it had caused the destruction of farm produce and hindered economic activity.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso in August, this year, led to the overflow of the Black Volta and White Volta and the situation was worsened by heavy rains thereafter, inundating communities located along the banks of these rivers, stretching from the Upper East Region through the Upper West Region to the Northern Region.
As part of the support package, the VRA has presented food items worth GH¢10,000 to the flood victims.
The items comprised 300 bags of maize and 155 bags of local rice.
The Director of General Services at the VRA, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, presented the Northern Region’s share of the food items to the Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, at a short ceremony in Tamale. The region received 145 bags of maize and 65 bags of rice.
Ms Fiadjoe noted that the items would help ease the suffering of the displaced persons, adding that the VRA had always supported victims of disasters as part of the company’s efforts to meet its corporate social responsibility.
Mr Mabengba commended the VRA for constantly showing concern in times of disaster and entreated other corporate bodies to emulate this example.
He, however, cautioned officials of NADMO against the misuse of relief items, noting that any person found culpable of diverting such items would be punished.
Mr Mabengba said the floods had worsened the poverty situation of people in the north as it had caused the destruction of farm produce and hindered economic activity.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso in August, this year, led to the overflow of the Black Volta and White Volta and the situation was worsened by heavy rains thereafter, inundating communities located along the banks of these rivers, stretching from the Upper East Region through the Upper West Region to the Northern Region.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
GHANA SAYING GOODBYE TO GUINEA WORM ...From 180,000 to 8 cases (PAGE 19, NOV 3, 2010)
IT was a fight that begun in 1989 with little hope as to whether the country would succeed or not. Today, one would be apt to conclude that Ghana is winning the fight against guinea worm.
With the number of cases recorded annually reduced by over 99 per cent in 2010, Ghana is at the brink of being declared a guinea worm free country. One may wonder how the country achieved this feat and what is the way forward?
This feature takes a closer look at guinea worm and how far Ghana has come with the fight.
So, what is Guinea Worm?
Guinea Worm, known in medical language as Dracunculiasis is a parasitic infection, caused by the agent called Dracunculus medinensis. It is also called the Medina worm.
It gained the popular name “Guinea worm” in the 17th century, when Europeans first saw the disease on the Guinea coast of West Africa.
One acquires the disease when one drinks water contaminated by the larvae of the worm. The larva takes about a year to develop into an adult worm.
The male worm is much smaller than the female adult worm. The latter can grow up to two-three feet long and be as thick as a spaghetti noodle.
During the growth period, the worm roams through the body and, when fully matured, the female adult worm looks for an avenue to lay its eggs into water. It therefore migrates towards the surface of the body of its host and forms a blister waiting to burst. Immediately the person hosting this worm comes into contact with water, such as through swimming or stepping into a dam to fetch water, the blister ruptures and several larvae are released into the water.
In the water, are other hosts – water flea or Cyclops – that immediately ingests the eggs; the larvae continue to develop in this intermediate host and become infective within two weeks.
After then, anyone who drinks the water containing these infected hosts also gets infected and the cycle continues.
These intermediate hosts thrive in stagnant and polluted water bodies, such as ponds and dams, and this is why people in rural communities are more prone to guinea worm, because they rely on these contaminated water bodies for water.
Whiles some infected persons have been lucky with their worms protruding from the leg, others have had their worms appearing on the stomachs, backs and on and around the reproductive organs.
The Guinea worm infection season usually begins in November, with the onset of the dry season. It gains momentum in January, February and March, when most of the water bodies have broken into stagnant ponds and puddles because that is the period with a heavy density of the copepod intermediate host.
People, who have no access to potable water and rely heavily on such unsafe water sources, stand a higher risk of infection. After this period, the infection rate begins to subside as the rains set in and the water sources are flowing with few or no intermediate host.
The ‘fiery serpent’
Fortunately, guinea worm rarely kills. However, it can cause severe pain to its victim.In fact, the painful and burning sensation experienced by infected persons has led to the disease being called “the fiery serpent.”
Even though guinea worm does not kill directly, it kills indirectly. It inflicts so much pain on its host to the extent that it incapacitates the host for several months.
Poor management of the disease could also cause it to degenerate into other conditions, such as tetanus. Again, it prevents energetic people from engaging in their farming and other income-generating activities and this worsens rural poverty and also impacts negatively on food security.
Aside these, school children, who are infected with the disease, are also incapacitated and this affects school enrolment and endangers the future of the children.
Any cure?
In actual fact, there is no cure for guinea worm and no vaccine to prevent it, except that, when it appears, health professionals can pull it out over a period of time.
The best cure for guinea worm is prevention or early detention and treatment.
The Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP)
Before 1989, there was no consistent and co-ordinated effort towards tackling the guinea worm pandemic.
In 1989, however, the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) was introduced following a declaration by the World Health Assembly urging all guinea worm endemic countries to eradicate the disease.
At that time, the number of detected guinea worm cases in the country stood at 180,000, placing Ghana as the second most endemic country in the world.
The efforts of GWEP led to sharp reductions in the number of cases recorded for the first four to five years of the commencement of the programme.
In 1994, when the number of cases had reduced to 8,432, major conflicts in the northern sector destabilised the guinea worm eradication efforts and this lasted for sometime until 2000, when the programme was restructured and revamped.
By 2005, the GWEP had regained its momentum and the number of cases begun to reduce consistently.
The biggest success ever recorded since the commencement of the eradication programme was in 2008 when the number of cases reduced from 3,358 to 501, representing an 85.1 per cent reduction.
In spite of this success, Ghana emerged as the second most guinea worm prevalent country in the world that year, coming only after Sudan, which recorded 3591 cases. This meant that more needed to be done.
Measures Instituted
To ensure clearer understanding of the measures instituted to eradicate guinea worm in Ghana, it is prudent to segregate the measures into four categories.
They are: measures that prevent the contamination of water sources; measures that protect consumers of unsafe water sources; measures that bring relief to victims; and measures that improve water supply.
On measures that prevent the infection of water bodies, the GWEP has employed guards to police dams and ensure that people suspected to be infected with the disease do not come into contact with the water.
In cases where a particular water source is suspected to have been contaminated with the disease, safe chemicals (larvicide) are applied to treat the water by killing the infected hosts.
The GWEP has field personnel who move from house to house nosing for suspected cases, alongside educating the people on the disease.
The second group of measures, which protect people who source water from dams and ponds, involves the provision of water filters to community folk.
It also entails the sensitisation of community folk on how to treat contaminated water, such as filtering and boiling. Community sensitisation methods used by GWEP include durbars, drama, radio messages and group discussions.
The third category involves the containment and care for people infected with guinea worm. In order to promote proper and absolute containment, containment centres have been established in selected communities or health facilities, where both suspected and confirmed cases of guinea worm are admitted, properly managed and contained where applicable.
To encourage patients to stay until the worms are completely expelled, persons infected with guinea worm are sometimes put on a daily stipend, since the worm has incapacitated them from engaging in income-generating activities.
The last, and most important, is the measures undertaken to make potable water available to community folk. Indeed, Ghana would say goodbye to guinea worm if every community had potable water.
The GWEP has undertaken the construction of several boreholes and mechanised water systems in guinea worm endemic communities in collaboration with UNICEF and the European Union under the Integrated Water and Sanitation (I-WASH) project.
It has also worked with the Ghana Water Company Limited to ensure that pipe-borne water is extended to communities in urban areas, such as the peri-urban communities of Tamale.
Apart from the efforts of GWEP, rural water projects that have been undertaken by organisations and institutions, such as the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, World Vision, UNICEF and CIDA, have all contributed to the reduction in the guinea worm pandemic.
Funding
Funding remains the critical element in the drive to eradicate guinea worm. According to the National Programme Manager of GWEP, Dr Andrew Seidu Korkor, the annual budget for these interventions is about GH¢3 million, about half of this spent on water provision.
The GWEP is currently being supported by several partners, with the main funders being the Government of Ghana (GoG), The Carter Centre, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The World Health Organization (WHO) and Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Where are we today?
As at December 2009, the country recorded 242 cases, a 52 per cent reduction from the 2008 caseload.
In November 2009, Ghana recorded no case of guinea worm disease and this was the first time ever that no case had been reported in a particular month within the infection season.
Essentially, guinea worm has been limited to the Northern Region, since all the recent cases have been recorded in communities in the region, particularly in the Central Gonja district.
There is optimism that the year 2010 has better prospects for the eradication programme. At the close of October 2010, only 8 cases have been reported compared with 240 reported during the same period last year. No case has been reported since June this year!
The main challenge, in my opinion, to the guinea worm eradication programme is how to prevent re-infection. This is because, the risk of re-infection is always there until the last case has been detected and contained.
Even the containment of the last case is not a guarantee against further infection, due to the risk posed by migratory groups and travellers from Mali and Niger, which are still endemic. A cut in funding towards the GWEP could also derail progress.
Way Forward
Rural water provision needs to be boosted drastically if the fight against guinea worm is to succeed. The country must move beyond the current 57 per cent rural water supply penetration to about 85 to 100 per cent.
Also, the GWEP implementers, namely the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, need to strengthen their efforts, particularly surveillance monitoring, since the programme is in its most challenging time.
All Ghanaians must be alert and immediately report anything condition that they suspect to be guinea worm to the nearest volunteer, health worker or health facility for immediate investigation and containment.
In fact, the Ghana Health Service and the GWEP have announced a reward of GH¢50 to anybody who will help to identify a guinea worm patient.
There is the need for consistent and timely provision of funds to the GWEP secretariat to sustain its work.
More partnership needs to be forged between the various agencies, which are into water provision, health delivery, local and traditional governance, social welfare and other development sectors.
If all things work well, hopefully, Ghana could break the transmission of Dracunculiasis this year and prepare itself for certification of eradication in the next few years to come.
With the number of cases recorded annually reduced by over 99 per cent in 2010, Ghana is at the brink of being declared a guinea worm free country. One may wonder how the country achieved this feat and what is the way forward?
This feature takes a closer look at guinea worm and how far Ghana has come with the fight.
So, what is Guinea Worm?
Guinea Worm, known in medical language as Dracunculiasis is a parasitic infection, caused by the agent called Dracunculus medinensis. It is also called the Medina worm.
It gained the popular name “Guinea worm” in the 17th century, when Europeans first saw the disease on the Guinea coast of West Africa.
One acquires the disease when one drinks water contaminated by the larvae of the worm. The larva takes about a year to develop into an adult worm.
The male worm is much smaller than the female adult worm. The latter can grow up to two-three feet long and be as thick as a spaghetti noodle.
During the growth period, the worm roams through the body and, when fully matured, the female adult worm looks for an avenue to lay its eggs into water. It therefore migrates towards the surface of the body of its host and forms a blister waiting to burst. Immediately the person hosting this worm comes into contact with water, such as through swimming or stepping into a dam to fetch water, the blister ruptures and several larvae are released into the water.
In the water, are other hosts – water flea or Cyclops – that immediately ingests the eggs; the larvae continue to develop in this intermediate host and become infective within two weeks.
After then, anyone who drinks the water containing these infected hosts also gets infected and the cycle continues.
These intermediate hosts thrive in stagnant and polluted water bodies, such as ponds and dams, and this is why people in rural communities are more prone to guinea worm, because they rely on these contaminated water bodies for water.
Whiles some infected persons have been lucky with their worms protruding from the leg, others have had their worms appearing on the stomachs, backs and on and around the reproductive organs.
The Guinea worm infection season usually begins in November, with the onset of the dry season. It gains momentum in January, February and March, when most of the water bodies have broken into stagnant ponds and puddles because that is the period with a heavy density of the copepod intermediate host.
People, who have no access to potable water and rely heavily on such unsafe water sources, stand a higher risk of infection. After this period, the infection rate begins to subside as the rains set in and the water sources are flowing with few or no intermediate host.
The ‘fiery serpent’
Fortunately, guinea worm rarely kills. However, it can cause severe pain to its victim.In fact, the painful and burning sensation experienced by infected persons has led to the disease being called “the fiery serpent.”
Even though guinea worm does not kill directly, it kills indirectly. It inflicts so much pain on its host to the extent that it incapacitates the host for several months.
Poor management of the disease could also cause it to degenerate into other conditions, such as tetanus. Again, it prevents energetic people from engaging in their farming and other income-generating activities and this worsens rural poverty and also impacts negatively on food security.
Aside these, school children, who are infected with the disease, are also incapacitated and this affects school enrolment and endangers the future of the children.
Any cure?
In actual fact, there is no cure for guinea worm and no vaccine to prevent it, except that, when it appears, health professionals can pull it out over a period of time.
The best cure for guinea worm is prevention or early detention and treatment.
The Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP)
Before 1989, there was no consistent and co-ordinated effort towards tackling the guinea worm pandemic.
In 1989, however, the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) was introduced following a declaration by the World Health Assembly urging all guinea worm endemic countries to eradicate the disease.
At that time, the number of detected guinea worm cases in the country stood at 180,000, placing Ghana as the second most endemic country in the world.
The efforts of GWEP led to sharp reductions in the number of cases recorded for the first four to five years of the commencement of the programme.
In 1994, when the number of cases had reduced to 8,432, major conflicts in the northern sector destabilised the guinea worm eradication efforts and this lasted for sometime until 2000, when the programme was restructured and revamped.
By 2005, the GWEP had regained its momentum and the number of cases begun to reduce consistently.
The biggest success ever recorded since the commencement of the eradication programme was in 2008 when the number of cases reduced from 3,358 to 501, representing an 85.1 per cent reduction.
In spite of this success, Ghana emerged as the second most guinea worm prevalent country in the world that year, coming only after Sudan, which recorded 3591 cases. This meant that more needed to be done.
Measures Instituted
To ensure clearer understanding of the measures instituted to eradicate guinea worm in Ghana, it is prudent to segregate the measures into four categories.
They are: measures that prevent the contamination of water sources; measures that protect consumers of unsafe water sources; measures that bring relief to victims; and measures that improve water supply.
On measures that prevent the infection of water bodies, the GWEP has employed guards to police dams and ensure that people suspected to be infected with the disease do not come into contact with the water.
In cases where a particular water source is suspected to have been contaminated with the disease, safe chemicals (larvicide) are applied to treat the water by killing the infected hosts.
The GWEP has field personnel who move from house to house nosing for suspected cases, alongside educating the people on the disease.
The second group of measures, which protect people who source water from dams and ponds, involves the provision of water filters to community folk.
It also entails the sensitisation of community folk on how to treat contaminated water, such as filtering and boiling. Community sensitisation methods used by GWEP include durbars, drama, radio messages and group discussions.
The third category involves the containment and care for people infected with guinea worm. In order to promote proper and absolute containment, containment centres have been established in selected communities or health facilities, where both suspected and confirmed cases of guinea worm are admitted, properly managed and contained where applicable.
To encourage patients to stay until the worms are completely expelled, persons infected with guinea worm are sometimes put on a daily stipend, since the worm has incapacitated them from engaging in income-generating activities.
The last, and most important, is the measures undertaken to make potable water available to community folk. Indeed, Ghana would say goodbye to guinea worm if every community had potable water.
The GWEP has undertaken the construction of several boreholes and mechanised water systems in guinea worm endemic communities in collaboration with UNICEF and the European Union under the Integrated Water and Sanitation (I-WASH) project.
It has also worked with the Ghana Water Company Limited to ensure that pipe-borne water is extended to communities in urban areas, such as the peri-urban communities of Tamale.
Apart from the efforts of GWEP, rural water projects that have been undertaken by organisations and institutions, such as the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, World Vision, UNICEF and CIDA, have all contributed to the reduction in the guinea worm pandemic.
Funding
Funding remains the critical element in the drive to eradicate guinea worm. According to the National Programme Manager of GWEP, Dr Andrew Seidu Korkor, the annual budget for these interventions is about GH¢3 million, about half of this spent on water provision.
The GWEP is currently being supported by several partners, with the main funders being the Government of Ghana (GoG), The Carter Centre, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The World Health Organization (WHO) and Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Where are we today?
As at December 2009, the country recorded 242 cases, a 52 per cent reduction from the 2008 caseload.
In November 2009, Ghana recorded no case of guinea worm disease and this was the first time ever that no case had been reported in a particular month within the infection season.
Essentially, guinea worm has been limited to the Northern Region, since all the recent cases have been recorded in communities in the region, particularly in the Central Gonja district.
There is optimism that the year 2010 has better prospects for the eradication programme. At the close of October 2010, only 8 cases have been reported compared with 240 reported during the same period last year. No case has been reported since June this year!
The main challenge, in my opinion, to the guinea worm eradication programme is how to prevent re-infection. This is because, the risk of re-infection is always there until the last case has been detected and contained.
Even the containment of the last case is not a guarantee against further infection, due to the risk posed by migratory groups and travellers from Mali and Niger, which are still endemic. A cut in funding towards the GWEP could also derail progress.
Way Forward
Rural water provision needs to be boosted drastically if the fight against guinea worm is to succeed. The country must move beyond the current 57 per cent rural water supply penetration to about 85 to 100 per cent.
Also, the GWEP implementers, namely the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, need to strengthen their efforts, particularly surveillance monitoring, since the programme is in its most challenging time.
All Ghanaians must be alert and immediately report anything condition that they suspect to be guinea worm to the nearest volunteer, health worker or health facility for immediate investigation and containment.
In fact, the Ghana Health Service and the GWEP have announced a reward of GH¢50 to anybody who will help to identify a guinea worm patient.
There is the need for consistent and timely provision of funds to the GWEP secretariat to sustain its work.
More partnership needs to be forged between the various agencies, which are into water provision, health delivery, local and traditional governance, social welfare and other development sectors.
If all things work well, hopefully, Ghana could break the transmission of Dracunculiasis this year and prepare itself for certification of eradication in the next few years to come.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
CULTURE OF IMPUNITY UNDERMINES DISCIPLINE (PAGE 18, NOV 5, 2010)
Many concerned citizens have raised eyebrows about the growing incidence of impunity in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
Some people flout the law and each time they are arrested for breaking the law, some “big men”, allegedly including some politicians from the area, lobby the corridors of power to secure their release.
One clear area in which the clandestine hands of these “big men” are being felt, destructively, is in the maintenance of discipline on the roads.
Many residents blatantly disregard road traffic and safety regulations in the metropolis and drive carelessly without respect to other road users.
Motor riders fail to wear crush helmets, they ride unregistered motorbikes and some of them use fake number plates. Also, some riders pick more than one pillion rider, sometimes three, including children who are exposed to danger and, as if that is not enough, they pay little attention to traffic lights directions.
For the vehicle drivers, many use expired licences whiles others do not even have any licence. Neither do they insure their vehicles, nor do they go for roadworthiness certificates. Some of the drivers park haphazardly without regard to road signs and the dangers such haphazard parking pose.
With all these going on, one may ask about the action being taken by the police to curb the indiscipline, but the answer is simple: Their efforts are thwarted by some “big men” and some politicians.
It appears that it is a waste of time to arrest road traffic offenders in Tamale, because the police may be compelled not to take any action against them, when instructions ‘come from above’.
Indeed the manner in which these interference occur is quite worrying. Some politicians always ensure that their cronies, supporters and family members are freed from the grips of the law and this phenomenon has several repercussions for the development of Tamale.
First of all, helping law breakers escape punishment encourages them to repeat and intensify their lawless acts with impunity.
Punishment, as explained by psychologists, is meant to psyche an individual to shun a particular attitude that is considered unacceptable, as it may be dangerous to the individual and to society.
So when an individual engages in such unacceptable conduct and is aided to go scot-free, it does not deter the fellow from repeating such act.
What it means is that even though Tamale is growing very fast, many of its inhabitants are becoming more emboldened to commit crime. When this happens, lawlessness becomes the order of the day.
So, some of our “big men”, who claim to be responsible, are gradually turning Tamale into a lawless society, just because they want to satisfy their personal interests.
Again, it must be stated that when “the big men” interfere with the justice system, they inflict an indelible injury on the reputation and moral dignity of the law enforcement personnel. No wonder, a police officer in Tamale told me recently that she was likely to become redundant if she remained in Tamale. This is a serious statement that must not be treated lightly.
If police officers feel their work is being impeded and that their presence is of no use, then it threatens security in the area.
In fact, this same officer, who feared she would be redundant, warned of dire consequences for Tamale, and the region as a whole, if some “big men” from the area continue to help the people defy the law.
“Soon, no police officer would want to work in Tamale, except those who are willing to be controlled and leave their professionalism to the dogs,” she stated.
How sad would it be for all the fine policemen and women to leave the Northern Region? Would that not affect security in the region, I hope our “big men” are thinking.
In fact, the “big men” from Tamale and the north in general could do their people a great service if they rather focused on encouraging them to change their ways.
Why can’t the politicians, who are supposed to show leadership by example, tell their supporters, who, for instance, had their motorbikes seized for not wearing helmets, to go and secure helmets before they facilitated their release. Wouldn’t that be the starting point to helping safeguard the safety of the people?
I hope by the time our “big men” realise the harm they are causing, it will not be too late.
Some people flout the law and each time they are arrested for breaking the law, some “big men”, allegedly including some politicians from the area, lobby the corridors of power to secure their release.
One clear area in which the clandestine hands of these “big men” are being felt, destructively, is in the maintenance of discipline on the roads.
Many residents blatantly disregard road traffic and safety regulations in the metropolis and drive carelessly without respect to other road users.
Motor riders fail to wear crush helmets, they ride unregistered motorbikes and some of them use fake number plates. Also, some riders pick more than one pillion rider, sometimes three, including children who are exposed to danger and, as if that is not enough, they pay little attention to traffic lights directions.
For the vehicle drivers, many use expired licences whiles others do not even have any licence. Neither do they insure their vehicles, nor do they go for roadworthiness certificates. Some of the drivers park haphazardly without regard to road signs and the dangers such haphazard parking pose.
With all these going on, one may ask about the action being taken by the police to curb the indiscipline, but the answer is simple: Their efforts are thwarted by some “big men” and some politicians.
It appears that it is a waste of time to arrest road traffic offenders in Tamale, because the police may be compelled not to take any action against them, when instructions ‘come from above’.
Indeed the manner in which these interference occur is quite worrying. Some politicians always ensure that their cronies, supporters and family members are freed from the grips of the law and this phenomenon has several repercussions for the development of Tamale.
First of all, helping law breakers escape punishment encourages them to repeat and intensify their lawless acts with impunity.
Punishment, as explained by psychologists, is meant to psyche an individual to shun a particular attitude that is considered unacceptable, as it may be dangerous to the individual and to society.
So when an individual engages in such unacceptable conduct and is aided to go scot-free, it does not deter the fellow from repeating such act.
What it means is that even though Tamale is growing very fast, many of its inhabitants are becoming more emboldened to commit crime. When this happens, lawlessness becomes the order of the day.
So, some of our “big men”, who claim to be responsible, are gradually turning Tamale into a lawless society, just because they want to satisfy their personal interests.
Again, it must be stated that when “the big men” interfere with the justice system, they inflict an indelible injury on the reputation and moral dignity of the law enforcement personnel. No wonder, a police officer in Tamale told me recently that she was likely to become redundant if she remained in Tamale. This is a serious statement that must not be treated lightly.
If police officers feel their work is being impeded and that their presence is of no use, then it threatens security in the area.
In fact, this same officer, who feared she would be redundant, warned of dire consequences for Tamale, and the region as a whole, if some “big men” from the area continue to help the people defy the law.
“Soon, no police officer would want to work in Tamale, except those who are willing to be controlled and leave their professionalism to the dogs,” she stated.
How sad would it be for all the fine policemen and women to leave the Northern Region? Would that not affect security in the region, I hope our “big men” are thinking.
In fact, the “big men” from Tamale and the north in general could do their people a great service if they rather focused on encouraging them to change their ways.
Why can’t the politicians, who are supposed to show leadership by example, tell their supporters, who, for instance, had their motorbikes seized for not wearing helmets, to go and secure helmets before they facilitated their release. Wouldn’t that be the starting point to helping safeguard the safety of the people?
I hope by the time our “big men” realise the harm they are causing, it will not be too late.
EC MAY SPONSOR COVERAGE OF POLLS (PAGE 13, NOV 3, 2010)
THE Electoral Commission has indicated that it will consider any proposal to give live media coverage to the conduct of the 2010 district level elections as a way of encouraging citizens to participate.
It, however, cautioned that its budget may not be able to support any extensive coverage that would come along with a greater cost.
The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr David Kanga, made these known at a regional media dialogue on the 2010 district level elections, which has been scheduled for December 28.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with KAB Governance Consult and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, sought to sensitise media practitioners on the changes in the legal framework governing district level elections, as well as seek their input towards making the exercise successful.
Mr Kanga noted that unlike the general elections, where the media showed much enthusiasm and significance by giving it live coverage, the district level elections (DLE) suffered a near media blackout.
He said it was the EC’s wish that the media would have given much prominence to DLE, but noted that the reality on the ground was that the media focused less on this exercise and this had contributed, partly, to the voter apathy exhibited during DLE.
Mr Kanga said the EC and its partners would consider any proposal suggesting ways of hyping the DLE in the media so as to generate enough interest in the exercise.
He said “not only should the media hype the DLE, but it should also sensitise the voters on the voting procedures and the importance of the exercise.”
He, however, cautioned media practitioners not to allow discussions on DLE to be conducted on partisan lines, since the current law did not allow district level aspirants to align themselves with any political party.
The deputy commissioner explained that local level elections were so critical to national development because it was the heartbeat of the country’s democracy.
“Our democracy is founded on the principles of giving power to the people by decentralising decision-making. It is these district level leaders who begin the process and so citizens must show interest in choosing who represents them at this level,” he explained.
Mr Kanga said, hopefully, the date for the 2010 DLE would not be rescheduled if by the end of November, Parliament passed into law the new legal regimes governing DLE, which contained changes such as the reduction of the number of unit committees and the liberalisation of the mounting of platform by candidates in a limited way.
The media practitioners made various recommendations to the EC towards improving the public’s awareness and interest about the exercise, some of which included using popular and hilarious personalities to conduct the awareness campaign and deepening the involvement of chiefs.
It, however, cautioned that its budget may not be able to support any extensive coverage that would come along with a greater cost.
The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr David Kanga, made these known at a regional media dialogue on the 2010 district level elections, which has been scheduled for December 28.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with KAB Governance Consult and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, sought to sensitise media practitioners on the changes in the legal framework governing district level elections, as well as seek their input towards making the exercise successful.
Mr Kanga noted that unlike the general elections, where the media showed much enthusiasm and significance by giving it live coverage, the district level elections (DLE) suffered a near media blackout.
He said it was the EC’s wish that the media would have given much prominence to DLE, but noted that the reality on the ground was that the media focused less on this exercise and this had contributed, partly, to the voter apathy exhibited during DLE.
Mr Kanga said the EC and its partners would consider any proposal suggesting ways of hyping the DLE in the media so as to generate enough interest in the exercise.
He said “not only should the media hype the DLE, but it should also sensitise the voters on the voting procedures and the importance of the exercise.”
He, however, cautioned media practitioners not to allow discussions on DLE to be conducted on partisan lines, since the current law did not allow district level aspirants to align themselves with any political party.
The deputy commissioner explained that local level elections were so critical to national development because it was the heartbeat of the country’s democracy.
“Our democracy is founded on the principles of giving power to the people by decentralising decision-making. It is these district level leaders who begin the process and so citizens must show interest in choosing who represents them at this level,” he explained.
Mr Kanga said, hopefully, the date for the 2010 DLE would not be rescheduled if by the end of November, Parliament passed into law the new legal regimes governing DLE, which contained changes such as the reduction of the number of unit committees and the liberalisation of the mounting of platform by candidates in a limited way.
The media practitioners made various recommendations to the EC towards improving the public’s awareness and interest about the exercise, some of which included using popular and hilarious personalities to conduct the awareness campaign and deepening the involvement of chiefs.
FLOOD VICTIMS READY TO RELOCATE (BACKK PAGE, NOV 2, 2010)
THOUSANDS of people affected by floods in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region have now agreed to move away from low-lying areas close to the banks of the Volta Lake onto safe grounds.
The flood victims had in the past refused to heed calls by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to move to high grounds.
According to the 700,000 displaced persons, their current predicament, which they have not experienced for several decades, has taught them a bitter lesson that would mark the turning point in their lives.
They, however, appealed to the government to help them to rebuild their houses and markets on safe grounds.
Lamenting about their situation to the Daily Graphic, some of the displaced persons, who were living in temporary shelters provided by the assembly, said apart from the destruction caused to their homes, they had lost their property and means of livelihood.
“My farm is completely underwater and I have not been able to reap any harvest,” a farmer complained, while another person said she was unable to engage in her trading activities because the market had been submerged, making it difficult for her to earn any money.
The displaced persons commended the government for providing them with some relief items but noted that the items were inadequate.
Last Saturday, NADMO presented two more truck-loads of relief items to the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, for distribution to the persons displaced by the floods in the area.
The items comprised 100 bags of rice, maize and beans. It also included 500 pieces of mosquito nets, 50 cartons of detergents, 50 cartons of toilet soap, 1000 plastic buckets and used clothing.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, made the presentation in Buipe after leading a delegation to the area to assess the extent of the flooding. This was the second time that the NADMO had presented relief items to the flood victims in Central Gonja.
Mr Amidu said the government would put together more support packages for displaced persons throughout the country and called on the international community to support the government in that drive.
The flood victims had in the past refused to heed calls by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to move to high grounds.
According to the 700,000 displaced persons, their current predicament, which they have not experienced for several decades, has taught them a bitter lesson that would mark the turning point in their lives.
They, however, appealed to the government to help them to rebuild their houses and markets on safe grounds.
Lamenting about their situation to the Daily Graphic, some of the displaced persons, who were living in temporary shelters provided by the assembly, said apart from the destruction caused to their homes, they had lost their property and means of livelihood.
“My farm is completely underwater and I have not been able to reap any harvest,” a farmer complained, while another person said she was unable to engage in her trading activities because the market had been submerged, making it difficult for her to earn any money.
The displaced persons commended the government for providing them with some relief items but noted that the items were inadequate.
Last Saturday, NADMO presented two more truck-loads of relief items to the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, for distribution to the persons displaced by the floods in the area.
The items comprised 100 bags of rice, maize and beans. It also included 500 pieces of mosquito nets, 50 cartons of detergents, 50 cartons of toilet soap, 1000 plastic buckets and used clothing.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr Martin Amidu, made the presentation in Buipe after leading a delegation to the area to assess the extent of the flooding. This was the second time that the NADMO had presented relief items to the flood victims in Central Gonja.
Mr Amidu said the government would put together more support packages for displaced persons throughout the country and called on the international community to support the government in that drive.
GOVT WON'T ABANDON FLOOD VICTIMS (PAGE 12, NOV 2, 2010)
THE government has assured persons affected by floods in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region that it will not abandon them in their times of difficulty.
According to the Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, the Prof Mills-led administration was exploring ways of securing funding to resource the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to support persons affected by the floods.
He said while the government looked for emergency relief items, efforts were also being made to institute a sustainable disaster management strategy instead of the improvisation that was always done during flood disasters.
Alhaji Seidu made these remarks when he, together with the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe and other officials, toured some communities in the district that had been inundated following the overflow of the White and Black Volta.
The tour was to enable the officials to ascertain the extent of damage and make appropriate arrangements to provide temporary shelter to the displaced persons.
The MP however cautioned the displaced persons that government’s efforts would yield little results if they kept on settling closer to the Volta River and their tributaries anytime the floods subsided.
“There are not enough resources to keep spending on mitigating flood disasters each year and so we must work towards preventing these disasters,” he stated.
Alhaji Seidu said the current predicament of the persons displaced by floods should serve as a lesson and advised them not to build in areas considered flood-prone.
“If in the past you did not see the reason why you should resettle on higher grounds, then today you have more than enough reasons to do so,” he stated.
The MP cited the destruction caused to houses, schools, markets, sanitation facilities and farms as enough evidence why the inhabitants needed to stay far from the river banks.
He also expressed concern about the possible outbreak of cholera and therefore appealed to the people not to drink water sourced from the contaminated water.
Alhaji Seidu further entreated the displaced persons to stay in temporary shelter facilities provided by the assembly, whiles measures were being made to provide more relief items.
Last week, the NADMO presented some relief items to the flood victims and these include 100 bags of maize, 100 mini bags of rice, 100 cartons of detergents, 300 plastic containers, 400 blankets, 20 bails of used clothing and 1000 poly-mats.
According to the Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu, Alhaji Amadu Seidu, the Prof Mills-led administration was exploring ways of securing funding to resource the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to support persons affected by the floods.
He said while the government looked for emergency relief items, efforts were also being made to institute a sustainable disaster management strategy instead of the improvisation that was always done during flood disasters.
Alhaji Seidu made these remarks when he, together with the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe and other officials, toured some communities in the district that had been inundated following the overflow of the White and Black Volta.
The tour was to enable the officials to ascertain the extent of damage and make appropriate arrangements to provide temporary shelter to the displaced persons.
The MP however cautioned the displaced persons that government’s efforts would yield little results if they kept on settling closer to the Volta River and their tributaries anytime the floods subsided.
“There are not enough resources to keep spending on mitigating flood disasters each year and so we must work towards preventing these disasters,” he stated.
Alhaji Seidu said the current predicament of the persons displaced by floods should serve as a lesson and advised them not to build in areas considered flood-prone.
“If in the past you did not see the reason why you should resettle on higher grounds, then today you have more than enough reasons to do so,” he stated.
The MP cited the destruction caused to houses, schools, markets, sanitation facilities and farms as enough evidence why the inhabitants needed to stay far from the river banks.
He also expressed concern about the possible outbreak of cholera and therefore appealed to the people not to drink water sourced from the contaminated water.
Alhaji Seidu further entreated the displaced persons to stay in temporary shelter facilities provided by the assembly, whiles measures were being made to provide more relief items.
Last week, the NADMO presented some relief items to the flood victims and these include 100 bags of maize, 100 mini bags of rice, 100 cartons of detergents, 300 plastic containers, 400 blankets, 20 bails of used clothing and 1000 poly-mats.
Visiting govt team overwhelmed as...FLOODS HIT 700,000 VICTIMS (LEAD STORY, NOV 1, 2010)
Story & Picture: Nurudeen Salifu, Buipe
THE Interior Minister, Mr Martin Amidu, has described the flood situation in the country as a national disaster which calls for international assistance.
After leading an official delegation to ascertain the degree of the disaster in the Gonja area, Mr Amidu described what he saw as a major crisis that had overwhelmed the country’s ability to manage such disasters.
In the circumstance, he said, he would make the appropriate recommendations to the President to enable him to take an urgent decision on the matter.
Hundreds of houses and farms have been destroyed by the floods and relief agencies have estimated the number of displaced people at more than 700,000 with many of the places still being inaccessible.
“The level of flooding in various parts of the country has stretched the country beyond its response mechanism and contingency plans,” he stated, adding that there was an urgent need for Ghana’s development partners to assist the country to salvage the situation.
Mr Amidu said the situation could get worse if the Akosombo dam reached its maximum level of 278ft.
He said the spillage of water from the dam, which officials have planned to do today, would increase the floods in various communities from the south to the north.
Members of the official delegation included Mr Kofi Portuphy, the Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Ismail Omer, Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Mr San Nasamu Asabigi, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister.
The team toured parts of the Buipe township that had been inundated and also visited areas where shelter had been provided for displaced persons.
The Interior Minister noted that the entire flood episode began in the southern sector following heavy rains and this prompted the setting up of an inter-ministerial committee, which made proposals to the government with regard to the conduct of relief operation.
“The northern sector later began to have its share of the floods following the spillage of the dams in Burkina Faso, which has led to the overflow of the Volta rivers and their tributaries, thereby inundating communities located along those rivers,” he narrated.
The floods were, however, exacerbated by unusually heavy rains, which are still falling.
During the visit to the displaced camps, the Interior Minister pledged the government’s commitment towards providing relief items and finding lasting solutions to the perennial floods.
He, however, reminded the people that they could also contribute towards ameliorating their plight by resettling on higher and safer grounds, instead of continuing to live close to the river banks.
Mr Portuphy described the flood situation as unbearable.
“There are floods in many places and NADMO is unable to provide adequate support to people in all these communities,” he said, and explained that transporting relief items to displaced persons had been hindered by unavailability of vehicles.
Mr Portuphy said the organisation had succeeded in relocating some of the flood victims in the Kintampo South and North districts, where over 4,000 people have been relocated.
In the Volta Region, lakeside markets in four districts have been destroyed by flood water from the Volta Lake with thousands of people having been displaced, reports Tim Dzamboe, from Tapa-Abotoase.
The markets are in Tapa-Abotoase in the Biakoye District, Kpando-Torkor in the Kpando District, Dzemeni in the South–Dayi District and Dambai in the Krachi- West District.
The floods have also affected at least 10 communities along the bank of the Volta, affecting about 2,000 people and destroying more than 350 houses and 313 acres of farms.
The River Dayi has also overflowed its banks causing serious floods along Jordan-Nu and surrounding areas and submerging many farms.
With the threat of more floods, the Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Ganyaglo, has appealed to land owners in safer places to release their land for temporary habitation by the affected people.
He, however, expressed concern that the most affected victims were still recalcitrant to move out of areas demarcated as flood-prone.
THE Interior Minister, Mr Martin Amidu, has described the flood situation in the country as a national disaster which calls for international assistance.
After leading an official delegation to ascertain the degree of the disaster in the Gonja area, Mr Amidu described what he saw as a major crisis that had overwhelmed the country’s ability to manage such disasters.
In the circumstance, he said, he would make the appropriate recommendations to the President to enable him to take an urgent decision on the matter.
Hundreds of houses and farms have been destroyed by the floods and relief agencies have estimated the number of displaced people at more than 700,000 with many of the places still being inaccessible.
“The level of flooding in various parts of the country has stretched the country beyond its response mechanism and contingency plans,” he stated, adding that there was an urgent need for Ghana’s development partners to assist the country to salvage the situation.
Mr Amidu said the situation could get worse if the Akosombo dam reached its maximum level of 278ft.
He said the spillage of water from the dam, which officials have planned to do today, would increase the floods in various communities from the south to the north.
Members of the official delegation included Mr Kofi Portuphy, the Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Ismail Omer, Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) and Mr San Nasamu Asabigi, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister.
The team toured parts of the Buipe township that had been inundated and also visited areas where shelter had been provided for displaced persons.
The Interior Minister noted that the entire flood episode began in the southern sector following heavy rains and this prompted the setting up of an inter-ministerial committee, which made proposals to the government with regard to the conduct of relief operation.
“The northern sector later began to have its share of the floods following the spillage of the dams in Burkina Faso, which has led to the overflow of the Volta rivers and their tributaries, thereby inundating communities located along those rivers,” he narrated.
The floods were, however, exacerbated by unusually heavy rains, which are still falling.
During the visit to the displaced camps, the Interior Minister pledged the government’s commitment towards providing relief items and finding lasting solutions to the perennial floods.
He, however, reminded the people that they could also contribute towards ameliorating their plight by resettling on higher and safer grounds, instead of continuing to live close to the river banks.
Mr Portuphy described the flood situation as unbearable.
“There are floods in many places and NADMO is unable to provide adequate support to people in all these communities,” he said, and explained that transporting relief items to displaced persons had been hindered by unavailability of vehicles.
Mr Portuphy said the organisation had succeeded in relocating some of the flood victims in the Kintampo South and North districts, where over 4,000 people have been relocated.
In the Volta Region, lakeside markets in four districts have been destroyed by flood water from the Volta Lake with thousands of people having been displaced, reports Tim Dzamboe, from Tapa-Abotoase.
The markets are in Tapa-Abotoase in the Biakoye District, Kpando-Torkor in the Kpando District, Dzemeni in the South–Dayi District and Dambai in the Krachi- West District.
The floods have also affected at least 10 communities along the bank of the Volta, affecting about 2,000 people and destroying more than 350 houses and 313 acres of farms.
The River Dayi has also overflowed its banks causing serious floods along Jordan-Nu and surrounding areas and submerging many farms.
With the threat of more floods, the Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Ganyaglo, has appealed to land owners in safer places to release their land for temporary habitation by the affected people.
He, however, expressed concern that the most affected victims were still recalcitrant to move out of areas demarcated as flood-prone.
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