Leadership is a calling for me - Hikimat Baba

A TWENTY-THREE year-old graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ms Hikimat Baba Dua who has been nominated among Africa’s most outstanding emerging women leaders believes that she was born a leader.

“I think it is a calling,” Ms Baba Dua told the Daily Graphic, as if to re-echo Tupac Shakur’s famous controversial words “I think I’m a natural-born leader.”

According to her, throughout her life as a student, she had always had a passion to take up leadership positions and each time she tried, she ended up being successful.

Last week the Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa, after screening over 2000 applications, selected 28 young women from Africa and the Diaspora with outstanding leadership potentials as Fellows of its leadership programme.

Ms Baba Dua and another successful applicant, Ms. Mawuenana Yomekpe were the proud Ghanaians among the 28 young women.

A statement on the website of the Institute indicated that the Fellows were chosen through a highly competitive selection process after demonstrating outstanding leadership promise, community service accomplishments, and commitment to the advancement of women in Africa.

How do we resolve conflicts in the north - Views from Tamale

1.     Jemilatu Musah – National Service Personnel

The image of the north has been soiled by these prolonged conflicts. These conflicts have overshadowed the great culture and traditions of the north and so instead of the world talking about our Damba and Fire festivals, they rather talk about conflicts in the north.

For me, conflicts in the north could be blamed on the level of poverty in the area. Many of the people in deprived villages are very poor and depend largely on farming for their survival.

So they would go great lengths to fight for ownership over their farmlands, especially when they feel threatened.

The government must extend development projects to various parts of the north so as to create equal opportunities for people to be employed and live better lives.

When people are employed and educated, they are less likely to fight each other.

Playgrounds attract children to school

Children playing heartily at the playground

IT has been widely acknowledged that children in many communities are attracted to schools with a feeding programme.

As it is evident, schools benefiting from the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) have extremely high enrolment figures.

However, for pupils in some rural schools in the Northern Region that do not have a feeding programme, the presence of playgrounds in their schools gives them the urge to attend school each passing day.

One of such schools is the Dakpemyili Primary School in the East Gonja district, which is one of the few rural schools that boast of a playground with these facilities: seesaw, merry-go-round, slide and rope swing.

Dagomba movies have come of age - Jehanfo

A scene in Torbu-Nyango

ONE of the popular movie producers and directors in Tamale, Alhassan Yushawu Jehanfo believes that Dagomba movies have come off age and needs a shot in the arm to reach the next level.

“We have come a long way in spite of the difficulties and I think we deserve some recognition for surpassing numerous hurdles to keep the industry alive,” is what he said when the Graphic Showbiz interviewed him in Tamale.

“It is not easy to finance the production of movies, but we have managed to keep producing more and more movies each year,” Jehanfo, who is the Vice Presdient of the Northern Drama and Film Makers Association (NODRAFIM), stated.

TaMA to decongest Tamale Central Market

A section of the market

THE Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) is to demolish structures that have blocked pathways in the Tamale Central Market as part of efforts to decongest the market.

This is to reduce the congestion in the market and also allow for easy passage of all vehicles, especially a fire tender in the event of a fire.

Over the past few days, there have been announcements on radio warning traders who have impeded on the right of way in the market to evacuate before the end of May.

United States to increase development assistance to the north

Freshly harvested rice

THE United States (US) government is increasing its development assistance to Northern Ghana over the next five years.

The US Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Gene Cretz, who made this known, said this gesture was part of a broader strategy by the US government to contribute significantly to poverty reduction and to create economic opportunities for communities in the north.

He however cautioned that in the long term, trade, and not aid, was the more sustainable path to economic transformation in the north due to what he termed as the north’s “strategic opportunities for economic growth and investment.”