THE Upper East Regional Security Council (REGSEC) is to meet to resolve an impasse between the Ghana Highway Authority and drivers of cargo trucks that ply the ECOWAS trunk road.
The drivers, who blocked traffic on the portion of the route in Bolgatanga on Monday morning due to the impasse, have threatened to continue with the protest if their grievances were not addressed.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Upper East Region, Chief Inspector Thomas Yaw Agbenyo, who was among a team of police personnel that visited the scene to restore order, told the Daily Graphic that the drivers had blocked other vehicles from using the Tamale-Bolga route.
He said the trucks numbered over twenty, adding that this action of the drivers caused a heavy traffic on the route and caused considerable inconvenience to other road users.
Chief Insp. Agbenyo said when the police got to the scene, the drivers were adamant, until the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo and the Regional Police Commander, intervened.
He said the concerns of the drivers were that they were made to pay double because they were forced to stop at the axle load weighing station at Bolga, although they had already been weighed at axle load weighing station in Yapei in the Northern Region.
“The drivers said they could not understand why after weighing at Yapei, they should be made to weigh and pay fines one more time at Bolga,” he narrated.
Chief Insp Agbenyo noted that the some of the drivers also raised concerns about the fees charged at the Bolga weighing station, describing such fees as exorbitant.
“They claim they are made to pay as high as GH¢1000 for exceeding the standard loading limit,” he mentioned.
He further noted that the drivers claimed that some of them who carried foodstuffs run into loss anytime their trucks were seized for failure to pay the fines.
“Now REGSEC would meet and discuss this matter with the hope of finding a lasting solution to it,” he said.
Meanwhile, further investigations carried out by this paper revealed that the axle loading weighing station at Bolgatanga is managed by LIZHASSAN Enterprise.
Many of the trucks that weigh at this station are coming from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and other countries.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
UDS TO INTRODUCE NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMMES (PAGE 11, JULY 27, 2011)
THE University for Development Studies (UDS) is introducing new post-graduate programmes in response to the growing manpower needs of the ever-expanding and dynamic industry.
The programmes include Master of Arts (MA) in Development Communication, Master of Commerce (MCOM), Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc), MA in Peace Studies, MA in Social Administration and Master of Education (M.Ed).
The university hopes to churn out graduates with the requisite skills to work in areas such as natural resource and environmental governance, development communication, conflict management and rural development.
The Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Haruna Yakubu made this known during a matriculation ceremony for newly-admitted post-graduate students of the UDS.
A total of 282 applicants were admitted by the UDS to pursue various post-graduate programmes on sandwich basis for the new academic year that commenced few weeks ago.
The courses include a PhD in Endogenous Development, MPhil in Development Studies, MA in Environmental Security and Livelihood Change, MA in Business Planning and Microfinance Management and MA in Leadership and Development.
Others are Master of Science (MSc) in Development Management, MSc in Community Health and Development and MA in NGO Management and Rural Development.
The VC mentioned that the new programmes were likely to commence in the next academic if the university secures approval from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for these programmes.
He said already the academic board had given the go-ahead and that the programmes would be advertised when all hurdles were cleared.
“These programmes, when mounted, would give prospective applicants the opportunity to choose from a more diversified number of attractive professional programmes,” he noted.
Prof Yakubu expressed delight over the increasing interest of applicants in programmes offered by the UDS.
“I am particularly delighted in seeing that the number of students we are matriculating today had increased by 32.4 per cent over last year’s numbers. This is an indication of the popularity of our programmes and in view of this the university is committed to stretching its resources to providing quality education,” he stated.
The VC noted that although the university put premium on qualified candidates, it gave special considerations for female qualified applicants.
“This year, we admitted almost as many ladies as gentlemen, indicating that our gender sensitive admission policy is beginning to yield fruits. Our ultimate focus remains at 50-50 male to female ratio,” he hinted.
The programmes include Master of Arts (MA) in Development Communication, Master of Commerce (MCOM), Master of Professional Accounting (MPAcc), MA in Peace Studies, MA in Social Administration and Master of Education (M.Ed).
The university hopes to churn out graduates with the requisite skills to work in areas such as natural resource and environmental governance, development communication, conflict management and rural development.
The Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Haruna Yakubu made this known during a matriculation ceremony for newly-admitted post-graduate students of the UDS.
A total of 282 applicants were admitted by the UDS to pursue various post-graduate programmes on sandwich basis for the new academic year that commenced few weeks ago.
The courses include a PhD in Endogenous Development, MPhil in Development Studies, MA in Environmental Security and Livelihood Change, MA in Business Planning and Microfinance Management and MA in Leadership and Development.
Others are Master of Science (MSc) in Development Management, MSc in Community Health and Development and MA in NGO Management and Rural Development.
The VC mentioned that the new programmes were likely to commence in the next academic if the university secures approval from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for these programmes.
He said already the academic board had given the go-ahead and that the programmes would be advertised when all hurdles were cleared.
“These programmes, when mounted, would give prospective applicants the opportunity to choose from a more diversified number of attractive professional programmes,” he noted.
Prof Yakubu expressed delight over the increasing interest of applicants in programmes offered by the UDS.
“I am particularly delighted in seeing that the number of students we are matriculating today had increased by 32.4 per cent over last year’s numbers. This is an indication of the popularity of our programmes and in view of this the university is committed to stretching its resources to providing quality education,” he stated.
The VC noted that although the university put premium on qualified candidates, it gave special considerations for female qualified applicants.
“This year, we admitted almost as many ladies as gentlemen, indicating that our gender sensitive admission policy is beginning to yield fruits. Our ultimate focus remains at 50-50 male to female ratio,” he hinted.
TAMALE SCHOOL GRAPPLES WITH PROBLEMS (PAGE 23, JULY 18, 2011)
I FELT sorry for the students and authorities of the Business Senior High School (BISCO) in Tamale when I read in the papers that fire had gutted the administration block of the school on Saturday, June 25, this year.
The blaze, reportedly, destroyed valuable properties, including computers, air-conditioners, books and 700 mattresses.
In fact, a retired teacher of the school, Mr Issah Issahaku, was reported in the Daily Graphic as saying that the whole administration block needs to be rebuilt judging from the extent of damage caused by the fire.
As I read this story, the thoughts that run through my mind was “why should it be BISCO.” This is a school that is already riddled with numerous challenges and whiles the school’s authorities continue to plead for some attention, there comes such a disaster.
How will the school rebuild and refurnish, when it is obvious it lacks the financial wherewithal. I hope the government and corporate institutions would extend a hand of support to the school to enable it recover from this mess.
BISCO, which was established in the 1960s in Nyohini, a suburb of Tamale, is currently in a quagmire of setbacks. One the biggest headaches of the school, from my enquiries, is how to stop the increasing spate of encroachment on the school’s land.
Some inhabitants of Nyohini and other surrounding communities continue to develop settlements on portions of land that is supposed to belong to the school.
Each year, the settlements get closer and closer to the school. One day, it would be difficult to separate the school surroundings from the community and this could pose some real problems.
Already, schools, like the Ghana Senior High School, are having a huge challenge getting people who have settled very close to the school structures to vacate.
No wonder the Headmaster of BISCO, Mr Saaka Bakeri Awari was reported in the media expressing fears that the school’s environs and the neighbouring communities could be merged into a single community and this could have negative implications for the maintenance of discipline.
He also noted that soon the school may not have adequate space to construct more classroom blocks, dormitories, administrative blocks and staff accommodation.
Mr Awari therefore pleaded with the government, corporate bodies and alumni to support the school to construct a wall to fence the school’s premises so as to halt further encroachment and safeguard the rest of the land.
Apart from protecting school lands, a fence wall would also help the authorities to supervise the movement and activities of the students so as to guard against undisciplined behaviour.
The current image of the school in terms of indiscipline leaves much to be desired. And this is largely due to the absence of a fence wall, which has allowed the boarding students to move in and out of the campus easily without control.
All manner of persons have 24-hour access to the school, therefore exposing the students to all kinds of dangers, including theft and sexual harassment.
Another major problem that confronts BISCO is its exposure to floods. In the construction of the Tamale-Nyankpala road, the gutter on the BISCO side of the road was left midway.
The uncompleted portion is directed towards the school’s premises and therefore water that is collected in the drain runs directly onto the school’s premises.
During the rainy season, the quantity of water in the drain increases significantly and this flows onto the school’s premises causing floods.
The floods have caused erosion on several portions of the school’s surroundings and consequently the landscaping has lost its beauty.
This is certainly a concern that should be placed right at the door step of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA). I hope Alhaji Haruna Friday, the mayor of Tamale, has already started doing something about this. If he has not, then he must do it now before a catastrophe occurs.
And like many other schools, BISCO is faced with the challenge of not having enough space to accommodate its students and staffs.
The schools population, according to Mr Awari, is about 2300 and yet it has limited boarding facilities to house the boarding students, which has therefore led to overcrowding in the various dormitories.
Whiles both boys and girls are facing the same challenge, the former have been lucky. A new boys’ dormitory is currently under construction.
When completed, it would help decongest the existing boys’ dormitories. A similar project for the girls would certainly be in order.
As expected, BISCO also needs more classrooms. Information I gathered indicates that, last year, BISCO admitted 500 new students and were nearly plunged into a crisis due to the four-year system.
Thankfully, the GETFund provided a new 6-unit classroom block with a recreational hall, bath and toilet for the school. This provided some relief.
The GETFund has also awarded on contract an 18-unit classroom block project to augment the current number of classrooms.
With all these problems, one cannot help but advocate support for BISCO.
Although all the problems of BISCO cannot be addressed in a single stitch, some efforts should be made to tackle the challenges one by one.
The TaMA, Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), GETFund, Education Ministry and other partners should combine efforts to breathe life into this school.
The question I am left pondering over is where have all the products of BISCO gone to? This is a school that enjoyed some good image in the 1990s and produced a lot of students.
BISCO is losing its shine and the time to revive it is now.
The blaze, reportedly, destroyed valuable properties, including computers, air-conditioners, books and 700 mattresses.
In fact, a retired teacher of the school, Mr Issah Issahaku, was reported in the Daily Graphic as saying that the whole administration block needs to be rebuilt judging from the extent of damage caused by the fire.
As I read this story, the thoughts that run through my mind was “why should it be BISCO.” This is a school that is already riddled with numerous challenges and whiles the school’s authorities continue to plead for some attention, there comes such a disaster.
How will the school rebuild and refurnish, when it is obvious it lacks the financial wherewithal. I hope the government and corporate institutions would extend a hand of support to the school to enable it recover from this mess.
BISCO, which was established in the 1960s in Nyohini, a suburb of Tamale, is currently in a quagmire of setbacks. One the biggest headaches of the school, from my enquiries, is how to stop the increasing spate of encroachment on the school’s land.
Some inhabitants of Nyohini and other surrounding communities continue to develop settlements on portions of land that is supposed to belong to the school.
Each year, the settlements get closer and closer to the school. One day, it would be difficult to separate the school surroundings from the community and this could pose some real problems.
Already, schools, like the Ghana Senior High School, are having a huge challenge getting people who have settled very close to the school structures to vacate.
No wonder the Headmaster of BISCO, Mr Saaka Bakeri Awari was reported in the media expressing fears that the school’s environs and the neighbouring communities could be merged into a single community and this could have negative implications for the maintenance of discipline.
He also noted that soon the school may not have adequate space to construct more classroom blocks, dormitories, administrative blocks and staff accommodation.
Mr Awari therefore pleaded with the government, corporate bodies and alumni to support the school to construct a wall to fence the school’s premises so as to halt further encroachment and safeguard the rest of the land.
Apart from protecting school lands, a fence wall would also help the authorities to supervise the movement and activities of the students so as to guard against undisciplined behaviour.
The current image of the school in terms of indiscipline leaves much to be desired. And this is largely due to the absence of a fence wall, which has allowed the boarding students to move in and out of the campus easily without control.
All manner of persons have 24-hour access to the school, therefore exposing the students to all kinds of dangers, including theft and sexual harassment.
Another major problem that confronts BISCO is its exposure to floods. In the construction of the Tamale-Nyankpala road, the gutter on the BISCO side of the road was left midway.
The uncompleted portion is directed towards the school’s premises and therefore water that is collected in the drain runs directly onto the school’s premises.
During the rainy season, the quantity of water in the drain increases significantly and this flows onto the school’s premises causing floods.
The floods have caused erosion on several portions of the school’s surroundings and consequently the landscaping has lost its beauty.
This is certainly a concern that should be placed right at the door step of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA). I hope Alhaji Haruna Friday, the mayor of Tamale, has already started doing something about this. If he has not, then he must do it now before a catastrophe occurs.
And like many other schools, BISCO is faced with the challenge of not having enough space to accommodate its students and staffs.
The schools population, according to Mr Awari, is about 2300 and yet it has limited boarding facilities to house the boarding students, which has therefore led to overcrowding in the various dormitories.
Whiles both boys and girls are facing the same challenge, the former have been lucky. A new boys’ dormitory is currently under construction.
When completed, it would help decongest the existing boys’ dormitories. A similar project for the girls would certainly be in order.
As expected, BISCO also needs more classrooms. Information I gathered indicates that, last year, BISCO admitted 500 new students and were nearly plunged into a crisis due to the four-year system.
Thankfully, the GETFund provided a new 6-unit classroom block with a recreational hall, bath and toilet for the school. This provided some relief.
The GETFund has also awarded on contract an 18-unit classroom block project to augment the current number of classrooms.
With all these problems, one cannot help but advocate support for BISCO.
Although all the problems of BISCO cannot be addressed in a single stitch, some efforts should be made to tackle the challenges one by one.
The TaMA, Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), GETFund, Education Ministry and other partners should combine efforts to breathe life into this school.
The question I am left pondering over is where have all the products of BISCO gone to? This is a school that enjoyed some good image in the 1990s and produced a lot of students.
BISCO is losing its shine and the time to revive it is now.
CORPORATE BODIES URGED TO SUPPORT DEPRIVED CHILDREN (PAGE 23, JULY 18, 2011)
THE Country Director of the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), Mrs Sanatu Natogma has urged corporate bodies to extend a hand of support to deprived children to enable them cope with life.
According to her, it is a blot on society’s conscience to abandon children who by no fault of theirs are born into poverty, thereby impeding their growth and happiness.
“Just as you have extended support to many social events, it would also be very beneficial and prudent if such support gets to children, who we all know are the future of our dear nation,” Mrs Natogma stated during a ceremony where the CCFC was presented with a quantity of assorted products by Fan Milk Ghana Limited.
The items were meant to support the CCFC hold its annual party for children in deprived communities in various parts of the Northern Region.
This year’s party is being held in Bimbilla for children selected from rural communities in the Nanumba North district that have been beneficiaries of the CCFC’s development interventions.
“Each year, we organised some sort of event to bring joy onto the faces of children in our operational areas. It is a way of putting smiles on their faces and letting them grow with hope of a better future,” Mrs Natogma stated
She again mentioned that such get-togethers help promote positive socialisation and interaction among the children, who are drawn from various communities with different cultural backgrounds.
Mrs Nantogmah commended Fan Milk Ghana for its kind gesture, adding that the company had shown it was committed to the welfare of children.
“We hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful collaboration in the interest of children who are deprived,” she stated further.
The Tamale Depot Manager of Fan Milk, Mr Joe Manu, said it was the company’s hope that its “widows mite” could help make the children happy.
According to her, it is a blot on society’s conscience to abandon children who by no fault of theirs are born into poverty, thereby impeding their growth and happiness.
“Just as you have extended support to many social events, it would also be very beneficial and prudent if such support gets to children, who we all know are the future of our dear nation,” Mrs Natogma stated during a ceremony where the CCFC was presented with a quantity of assorted products by Fan Milk Ghana Limited.
The items were meant to support the CCFC hold its annual party for children in deprived communities in various parts of the Northern Region.
This year’s party is being held in Bimbilla for children selected from rural communities in the Nanumba North district that have been beneficiaries of the CCFC’s development interventions.
“Each year, we organised some sort of event to bring joy onto the faces of children in our operational areas. It is a way of putting smiles on their faces and letting them grow with hope of a better future,” Mrs Natogma stated
She again mentioned that such get-togethers help promote positive socialisation and interaction among the children, who are drawn from various communities with different cultural backgrounds.
Mrs Nantogmah commended Fan Milk Ghana for its kind gesture, adding that the company had shown it was committed to the welfare of children.
“We hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful collaboration in the interest of children who are deprived,” she stated further.
The Tamale Depot Manager of Fan Milk, Mr Joe Manu, said it was the company’s hope that its “widows mite” could help make the children happy.
Friday, July 15, 2011
POLICE RETRIEVE MEDICAL SUPPLIES IN TAMALE (BACK PAGE, JULY 14, 2011)
THE Police in Tamale have retrieved large quantities of assorted medical items that were locked up in a house located in Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale.
The items, which were contained in boxes and polythene bags, included a wheel chair, Insulin, measuring scales, children’s weighing scales, BCJ syringes, Icepacks and rolls of gauze.
The owner of the house, 40-year old Yehuza Fuseini, was arrested and placed in custody yesterday (Wednesday), after he presented himself to the police.
Whiles the suspect, who is a business man, provided some receipts to prove he acquired the items through proper means, personnel of the Medical Stores of the Northern Regional Health Directorate have also claimed that the items belong to the stores.
According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, the items were retrieved when a team of police personnel, led by the Metro Commmander, Deputy Superintendant of Police (DSP) Caeser Abanga, conducted a search on the house, numbered SL 317.
He said the particular room where the items were concealed was located in an uncompleted building that was being raised within the inner perimeters of another existing building.
Chief Inspector Tetteh said the police undertook the search following some vital information received indicating that some stolen items were hidden in that house.
He said on July 7th, this year the NR Health Directorate lodged a complaint at the police headquarters that a number of food items were stolen from its Medical Stores about three months ago and that efforts by the directorate to find the items proved futile.
Following the complaint, the PRO mentioned that four personnel of the medical stores were picked up by the police to assist in investigations.
Those picked up were Kotoka Yaw Paul, 28 and Ahmed Issahaku, 36, who are both labourers, and Wodome Kumane, 36 and Mohammed Zakari, 55, who worked as security personnel.
Chief Inspector Tetteh said the four were later granted police enquiry bail, whiles investigations continued.
He said it was in the course of investigations that the police had vital information that the items could be located in a house at Lamashegu and this therefore prompted the police to conduct the search.
“The missing food items, which allegedly belonged to the World Food Programme (WFP), have therefore not been found yet and so the police would continue its investigations to unravel the mystery,” the PRO stated.
“We would also ascertain where the medical items really belong to the suspect or that of the medical stores,” he added.
The items, which were contained in boxes and polythene bags, included a wheel chair, Insulin, measuring scales, children’s weighing scales, BCJ syringes, Icepacks and rolls of gauze.
The owner of the house, 40-year old Yehuza Fuseini, was arrested and placed in custody yesterday (Wednesday), after he presented himself to the police.
Whiles the suspect, who is a business man, provided some receipts to prove he acquired the items through proper means, personnel of the Medical Stores of the Northern Regional Health Directorate have also claimed that the items belong to the stores.
According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh, the items were retrieved when a team of police personnel, led by the Metro Commmander, Deputy Superintendant of Police (DSP) Caeser Abanga, conducted a search on the house, numbered SL 317.
He said the particular room where the items were concealed was located in an uncompleted building that was being raised within the inner perimeters of another existing building.
Chief Inspector Tetteh said the police undertook the search following some vital information received indicating that some stolen items were hidden in that house.
He said on July 7th, this year the NR Health Directorate lodged a complaint at the police headquarters that a number of food items were stolen from its Medical Stores about three months ago and that efforts by the directorate to find the items proved futile.
Following the complaint, the PRO mentioned that four personnel of the medical stores were picked up by the police to assist in investigations.
Those picked up were Kotoka Yaw Paul, 28 and Ahmed Issahaku, 36, who are both labourers, and Wodome Kumane, 36 and Mohammed Zakari, 55, who worked as security personnel.
Chief Inspector Tetteh said the four were later granted police enquiry bail, whiles investigations continued.
He said it was in the course of investigations that the police had vital information that the items could be located in a house at Lamashegu and this therefore prompted the police to conduct the search.
“The missing food items, which allegedly belonged to the World Food Programme (WFP), have therefore not been found yet and so the police would continue its investigations to unravel the mystery,” the PRO stated.
“We would also ascertain where the medical items really belong to the suspect or that of the medical stores,” he added.
Monday, July 11, 2011
TTH HOLDS FREE MEDICAL SCREENING AT DUHANAYILI (PAGE 23, JULY 11, 2011)
AS part of its corporate social responsibility, the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) has organised a free medical screening and treatment for the residents of Duhanayili, a suburb of Tamale.
Inhabitants of the area and adjourning communities underwent checks for various conditions, including eye, dental and ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases.
At the eye section, where many children and adults had queued to have their eyes checked, the ophthalmologist in charge of the TTH Eye Clinic, Dr Seth Wanye told the Daily Graphic that the people were being screened for various eye conditions, including cataract, glaucoma, haemorrhage conjunctivitis and injury cases.
“Those whose conditions demand immediate treatment, we do us such, whiles others with serious cases are asked to report at the facility for further attention,” he stated.
Dr Wanye said most of the cases that had been detected were conjunctivitis, which is known widely as ‘Apollo’.
The Public Relations Officer of the TTH, Nii Otu-Ankrah hinted that community outreaches had come to be part of the hospital’s yearly activity calendar.
“We want to make an impact on the lives of our people and enable them live healthier lives,” he said, adding that many more communities have been pencilled to benefit from this outreach.
The unit committee chairman for the area, Mr Mahamud Alhassan Makanaa, who was among those who were attended to, praised the hospital for its initiative.
“We know that although we are walking tall, we are sick. People are therefore excited about every opportunity given them to undergo health check and get treatment,” he told this paper.
Mr Makanaa encouraged the hospital to do more of such outreaches since that would also help bind the hospital and the community folk.
Whiles the health screening was ongoing, members of the Suhuyini drama group performed a play to educate the people on how the Cholera infection occurs and how the residents could curb its spread.
Inhabitants of the area and adjourning communities underwent checks for various conditions, including eye, dental and ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases.
At the eye section, where many children and adults had queued to have their eyes checked, the ophthalmologist in charge of the TTH Eye Clinic, Dr Seth Wanye told the Daily Graphic that the people were being screened for various eye conditions, including cataract, glaucoma, haemorrhage conjunctivitis and injury cases.
“Those whose conditions demand immediate treatment, we do us such, whiles others with serious cases are asked to report at the facility for further attention,” he stated.
Dr Wanye said most of the cases that had been detected were conjunctivitis, which is known widely as ‘Apollo’.
The Public Relations Officer of the TTH, Nii Otu-Ankrah hinted that community outreaches had come to be part of the hospital’s yearly activity calendar.
“We want to make an impact on the lives of our people and enable them live healthier lives,” he said, adding that many more communities have been pencilled to benefit from this outreach.
The unit committee chairman for the area, Mr Mahamud Alhassan Makanaa, who was among those who were attended to, praised the hospital for its initiative.
“We know that although we are walking tall, we are sick. People are therefore excited about every opportunity given them to undergo health check and get treatment,” he told this paper.
Mr Makanaa encouraged the hospital to do more of such outreaches since that would also help bind the hospital and the community folk.
Whiles the health screening was ongoing, members of the Suhuyini drama group performed a play to educate the people on how the Cholera infection occurs and how the residents could curb its spread.
MAJOR BOOST FOR EYE CARE SERVICES IN THE NORTH (PAGE 23, JULY 11, 2011)
THE provision of eye care services in the three northern regions is to receive a major boost as the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) prepares to take delivery of state of the art medical equipment.
The equipment would enable the hospital to perform major eye surgical operations that include cornea transplant and laser treatment for diabetic patients with severe retinal diseases.
In addition, a tissue bank and an optical laboratory would also be established at the eye unit to enable the unit produce eye glasses and make them available to patients at affordable prices.
This has come as welcoming news to the management of the hospital, who believe that such upgrading would transform the TTH into a centre for comprehensive medical care, training and research.
The ophthalmologist in charge of the TTH Eye Clinic, Dr Seth Wanye, told the Daily Graphic that the equipment would be provided by the Lions Eye Centre and the University of Louisville, both in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.
He said the hospital was very excited at this kind gesture and was full of appreciation to the two institutions for their endeavour.
The assistance to the TTH has been made possible by the flourishing sister-city relationship that has existed between Tamale and Louisville.
Dr Wanye explained that at the moment, the eye clinic undertakes screening and surgical operations on conditions ranging from cataract to glaucoma.
He said patients with conditions that require laser treatment or cornea transplant are referred to either Korle-Bu or Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals.
He mentioned that in 2005, the Swiss Red Cross provided some support to the clinic, including the provision of equipment such as operating microscopes, slit lamps, surgical instruments and visual field machines.
“It also gave us a van and due to this support, the eye clinic began to function properly and we commenced community outreaches,” he noted.
Meanwhile, a visiting delegation from Louisville would be in the hospital on Monday to demonstrate their willingness to support the hospital.
They would bring along a portable laser machine and a donor tissue and join doctors at the eye clinic to perform a cornea transplant and also, a laser treatment for a patient with a proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
The team would also give a lecture on modern techniques in cornea transplant.
Dr Wanye noted that a patient who needed cornea transplant was one whose cornea was malfunctioning and thus did not permit light to penetrate into the retina and this made the person with the condition unable to see.
“After the transplant, the person gets a cornea that functions properly and this allows the retina to also function,” he stated.
The equipment would enable the hospital to perform major eye surgical operations that include cornea transplant and laser treatment for diabetic patients with severe retinal diseases.
In addition, a tissue bank and an optical laboratory would also be established at the eye unit to enable the unit produce eye glasses and make them available to patients at affordable prices.
This has come as welcoming news to the management of the hospital, who believe that such upgrading would transform the TTH into a centre for comprehensive medical care, training and research.
The ophthalmologist in charge of the TTH Eye Clinic, Dr Seth Wanye, told the Daily Graphic that the equipment would be provided by the Lions Eye Centre and the University of Louisville, both in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.
He said the hospital was very excited at this kind gesture and was full of appreciation to the two institutions for their endeavour.
The assistance to the TTH has been made possible by the flourishing sister-city relationship that has existed between Tamale and Louisville.
Dr Wanye explained that at the moment, the eye clinic undertakes screening and surgical operations on conditions ranging from cataract to glaucoma.
He said patients with conditions that require laser treatment or cornea transplant are referred to either Korle-Bu or Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals.
He mentioned that in 2005, the Swiss Red Cross provided some support to the clinic, including the provision of equipment such as operating microscopes, slit lamps, surgical instruments and visual field machines.
“It also gave us a van and due to this support, the eye clinic began to function properly and we commenced community outreaches,” he noted.
Meanwhile, a visiting delegation from Louisville would be in the hospital on Monday to demonstrate their willingness to support the hospital.
They would bring along a portable laser machine and a donor tissue and join doctors at the eye clinic to perform a cornea transplant and also, a laser treatment for a patient with a proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
The team would also give a lecture on modern techniques in cornea transplant.
Dr Wanye noted that a patient who needed cornea transplant was one whose cornea was malfunctioning and thus did not permit light to penetrate into the retina and this made the person with the condition unable to see.
“After the transplant, the person gets a cornea that functions properly and this allows the retina to also function,” he stated.
BODY ENHANCES WORK OF UNIT COMMITTEES IN TAMALE (PAGE 23, JULY 11, 2011)
LOCAL governance becomes effective when all the pillars in the decentralisation process, from the foundation to the roof, impact positively on the workings of the system.
However, for several years, some components of Ghana’s decentralisation system have not functioned as expected, thereby weakening the local governance process.
One of these components is the unit committee, which is required to monitor the implementation of development projects in its locality, mobilise the grassroots for self-help interventions and create the platform for participatory decision making.
These committees are again expected to assist in revenue collection and supervise the work of assembly staff working in their localities.
Therefore, when unit committees were virtually non-existent or malfunctioning, development in many local communities moved at a rather slow pace.
The recent election of new members to constitute unit committees has therefore restored hope in the decentralisation process.
It is however important to note that these unit committee members can not deliver as required of them if they do not understand the decentralisation process or lack the skills to function effectively.
It is in the light of this that a civil-society organisation in Tamale, the Wuni Zaligu Development Association (WUZDA), with support from GIZ, a German aid organisation, organised a training workshop for selected members of the newly-constituted unit committees in the Tamale metropolis.
The aim of the training was to build the capacity of the participants to play their role effectively in the local governance process and support the development of their respective communities.
A total of 63 unit committee members from 21 electoral areas participated in the training programme.
The Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, who addressed the trainees during the opening ceremony, expressed hope that the training would impact positively on the work of the assembly.
He commended WUZDA and its sponsors for the initiative and entreated the participants to work towards finding regular meeting points or office to conduct local government business.
“You are the foundation of the decentralised local government pillar and so you have the power to be the initiators of all development projects in your respective areas,” the Metropolitan Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul-Razak Saani told the trainees.
“You have to identify the development concerns of your people and push towards addressing them. You must also monitor the implementation of all development projects in the area and raise alarm when things go wrong,” he added.
Alhaji Saani implored the unit committee members to be proactive in seeking for support for local development instead of looking up to central government.
“Do not think that it is the President or your MP who would bring development to your area, because you know what is more important to you than them,” he stated.
Mr Adbullah Issah, one of the participants told the Daily Graphic that the training was beneficial since it served as a form of orientation for him.
“I have been schooled on how to track the progress of development projects and to ensure that things go in the right direction to the benefit of my community,” he stated.
The Programme Manager of WUZDA, Mr Abdul-Karim Ziblim mentioned that the trainees were now expected to mobilize their community folk to undertake needs assessment, identify and prioritise these needs and work with the assembly towards meeting these needs.
He said initially, when unit committees were ineffective in ensuring community participation in the development process, “many viable projects were abandoned and left to rot.”
Hopefully, with more of such training programmes, the work of unit committees in Tamale would improve and this would impact positively on the development of local communities.
However, for several years, some components of Ghana’s decentralisation system have not functioned as expected, thereby weakening the local governance process.
One of these components is the unit committee, which is required to monitor the implementation of development projects in its locality, mobilise the grassroots for self-help interventions and create the platform for participatory decision making.
These committees are again expected to assist in revenue collection and supervise the work of assembly staff working in their localities.
Therefore, when unit committees were virtually non-existent or malfunctioning, development in many local communities moved at a rather slow pace.
The recent election of new members to constitute unit committees has therefore restored hope in the decentralisation process.
It is however important to note that these unit committee members can not deliver as required of them if they do not understand the decentralisation process or lack the skills to function effectively.
It is in the light of this that a civil-society organisation in Tamale, the Wuni Zaligu Development Association (WUZDA), with support from GIZ, a German aid organisation, organised a training workshop for selected members of the newly-constituted unit committees in the Tamale metropolis.
The aim of the training was to build the capacity of the participants to play their role effectively in the local governance process and support the development of their respective communities.
A total of 63 unit committee members from 21 electoral areas participated in the training programme.
The Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, who addressed the trainees during the opening ceremony, expressed hope that the training would impact positively on the work of the assembly.
He commended WUZDA and its sponsors for the initiative and entreated the participants to work towards finding regular meeting points or office to conduct local government business.
“You are the foundation of the decentralised local government pillar and so you have the power to be the initiators of all development projects in your respective areas,” the Metropolitan Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Alhaji Abdul-Razak Saani told the trainees.
“You have to identify the development concerns of your people and push towards addressing them. You must also monitor the implementation of all development projects in the area and raise alarm when things go wrong,” he added.
Alhaji Saani implored the unit committee members to be proactive in seeking for support for local development instead of looking up to central government.
“Do not think that it is the President or your MP who would bring development to your area, because you know what is more important to you than them,” he stated.
Mr Adbullah Issah, one of the participants told the Daily Graphic that the training was beneficial since it served as a form of orientation for him.
“I have been schooled on how to track the progress of development projects and to ensure that things go in the right direction to the benefit of my community,” he stated.
The Programme Manager of WUZDA, Mr Abdul-Karim Ziblim mentioned that the trainees were now expected to mobilize their community folk to undertake needs assessment, identify and prioritise these needs and work with the assembly towards meeting these needs.
He said initially, when unit committees were ineffective in ensuring community participation in the development process, “many viable projects were abandoned and left to rot.”
Hopefully, with more of such training programmes, the work of unit committees in Tamale would improve and this would impact positively on the development of local communities.
CCFC, TUMA KAVI SUPPORTS POLIO IMMUNISATION IN NR
THE Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) is supporting the Ghana Health Service to de-worm and provide vitamin A supplements to children in the Northern Region.
This is running concurrently with the National Polio Immunization exercise which commenced on Thursday, 12 May and would end on Saturday, 14 May, 2011.
Personnel of the Tuma Kavi Development Programme (TKDP), the local partners of the CCFC who have been monitoring the exercise in the Savelugu/Nanton district, described it as successful.
The Programme Officer of TKDP in the Zogu Area, Ms Vivian Awabu Sumani told the Daily Graphic that the de-wormers and vitamin A supplements were meant to complement efforts aimed at strengthening child health.
She explained that children who eat balanced diets were likely to get the vitamins and minerals they needed, but due to the low income levels, many parents were unable to provide these balanced diets.
“This therefore means that we have to give some nutritional supplements to support the growth of the children,” she noted.
The Community Health Nurse at the Zogu Health Centre, Ms Duulie Daina said the immunization exercise was going on smoothly, noting that the children were being given the Vitamin A supplements and de-wormers as well.
She indicated that the Zogu area had been given a thousand each of the de-wormers, vitamin A supplements and polio vaccines.
Meanwhile, the CCFC is also supporting the fight against malaria particularly in children and pregnant women.
In line with this, it provided 224 insecticide treated nets, which were distributed by the TKDP to children in Duko, a community in the Savelugu/Nanton district.
“We are also undertaking some sensitisation on how to prevent malaria infection and to seek the right treatment,” Ms Vivian Awabu Sumani, the Programme Officer of TKDP in the Zogu Area, stated during the presentation.
She said in addition to the nets, the TKDP also distributed some hygiene kits to adolescent females in Mogla, also in the Savelugu/Nanton district.
“Each kit is made up of items such as detergents, sanitary pads, shaving sticks, nail cutters and disinfectants,” she mentioned.
The programme officer explained that the decision to give hygiene kits was influenced by the realisation that many adolescent females knew very little about how to manage the health challenges they face during that stage in life.
“So apart from giving them these kits, we also educated them and their parents on how to observe personal hygiene and manage their menses,” she added.
This is running concurrently with the National Polio Immunization exercise which commenced on Thursday, 12 May and would end on Saturday, 14 May, 2011.
Personnel of the Tuma Kavi Development Programme (TKDP), the local partners of the CCFC who have been monitoring the exercise in the Savelugu/Nanton district, described it as successful.
The Programme Officer of TKDP in the Zogu Area, Ms Vivian Awabu Sumani told the Daily Graphic that the de-wormers and vitamin A supplements were meant to complement efforts aimed at strengthening child health.
She explained that children who eat balanced diets were likely to get the vitamins and minerals they needed, but due to the low income levels, many parents were unable to provide these balanced diets.
“This therefore means that we have to give some nutritional supplements to support the growth of the children,” she noted.
The Community Health Nurse at the Zogu Health Centre, Ms Duulie Daina said the immunization exercise was going on smoothly, noting that the children were being given the Vitamin A supplements and de-wormers as well.
She indicated that the Zogu area had been given a thousand each of the de-wormers, vitamin A supplements and polio vaccines.
Meanwhile, the CCFC is also supporting the fight against malaria particularly in children and pregnant women.
In line with this, it provided 224 insecticide treated nets, which were distributed by the TKDP to children in Duko, a community in the Savelugu/Nanton district.
“We are also undertaking some sensitisation on how to prevent malaria infection and to seek the right treatment,” Ms Vivian Awabu Sumani, the Programme Officer of TKDP in the Zogu Area, stated during the presentation.
She said in addition to the nets, the TKDP also distributed some hygiene kits to adolescent females in Mogla, also in the Savelugu/Nanton district.
“Each kit is made up of items such as detergents, sanitary pads, shaving sticks, nail cutters and disinfectants,” she mentioned.
The programme officer explained that the decision to give hygiene kits was influenced by the realisation that many adolescent females knew very little about how to manage the health challenges they face during that stage in life.
“So apart from giving them these kits, we also educated them and their parents on how to observe personal hygiene and manage their menses,” she added.
TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL RECEIVES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
THE Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) has taken delivery of a large quantity of assorted medical equipment estimated to be worth over $2million.
Notable among the equipment, which were delivered to the hospital in a cargo container, are three COBE dialysis machines, birthing beds, ventilators and EKG units, which are used for graphical recording of the cardiac cycle.
The equipment were donated to the hospital by a United States (US)-based aid organisation, The Children of Abraham, through some Ghanaian citizens in the US.
According to officials of the hospital, this is one of the biggest donations ever received by the hospital and it has come at a time when the hospital is refurbishing and expanding its units to deliver standard services required of a tertiary facility.
Mr Alidu Fuseini, a Ghanaian civil servant presented the items to the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba and management of the hospital at a short ceremony in Tamale.
Mr Fuseini explained that on one of his visits to the US, he, together with Prof Rufai Misbau and Mrs Habiba Fuseini, who are both executives of the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago, approached the donor organisation with the challenges facing the TTH.
“The organisation accepted willingly to assist the TTH with medical equipment. Dr Abass Adam was then contacted to liaise and supply all the equipment needed because the philanthropists did not believe in supplying items that will not be needed,” he mentioned.
Mr Fuseini said the items were therefore compiled based on the list presented to the donors and mentioned that the container had more than 1800 boxes full of medical equipment.
He however cautioned the hospital management to take proper care of the items because “these are very valuable items which are critical to health care delivery.”
“It would be very sad to hear later that some of them were stolen at the store,” he added.
The regional minister thanked the organisation for its kind gesture, describing it as very timely and essential.
He said although the government was totally committed to resourcing healthcare institutions in the country, “the government alone cannot do all due to resource constraints.”
Meanwhile, the TTH has also received an Ambulance from the City of Chicago through the Ghana – American Chamber of Commerce and the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago.
According to Mr Alidu Fuseini, The city had a number of ambulances to donate around the world and Ghana succeeded in attracting two of these ambulances due to the successful collaboration among the various partners.
He also mentioned that an amount of $6000 was raised by members of the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago to pay for the shipment of the Ambulance to Ghana.
He commended the outgoing Mayor of Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley for his efforts in securing the ambulances for Ghana.
Notable among the equipment, which were delivered to the hospital in a cargo container, are three COBE dialysis machines, birthing beds, ventilators and EKG units, which are used for graphical recording of the cardiac cycle.
The equipment were donated to the hospital by a United States (US)-based aid organisation, The Children of Abraham, through some Ghanaian citizens in the US.
According to officials of the hospital, this is one of the biggest donations ever received by the hospital and it has come at a time when the hospital is refurbishing and expanding its units to deliver standard services required of a tertiary facility.
Mr Alidu Fuseini, a Ghanaian civil servant presented the items to the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba and management of the hospital at a short ceremony in Tamale.
Mr Fuseini explained that on one of his visits to the US, he, together with Prof Rufai Misbau and Mrs Habiba Fuseini, who are both executives of the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago, approached the donor organisation with the challenges facing the TTH.
“The organisation accepted willingly to assist the TTH with medical equipment. Dr Abass Adam was then contacted to liaise and supply all the equipment needed because the philanthropists did not believe in supplying items that will not be needed,” he mentioned.
Mr Fuseini said the items were therefore compiled based on the list presented to the donors and mentioned that the container had more than 1800 boxes full of medical equipment.
He however cautioned the hospital management to take proper care of the items because “these are very valuable items which are critical to health care delivery.”
“It would be very sad to hear later that some of them were stolen at the store,” he added.
The regional minister thanked the organisation for its kind gesture, describing it as very timely and essential.
He said although the government was totally committed to resourcing healthcare institutions in the country, “the government alone cannot do all due to resource constraints.”
Meanwhile, the TTH has also received an Ambulance from the City of Chicago through the Ghana – American Chamber of Commerce and the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago.
According to Mr Alidu Fuseini, The city had a number of ambulances to donate around the world and Ghana succeeded in attracting two of these ambulances due to the successful collaboration among the various partners.
He also mentioned that an amount of $6000 was raised by members of the Ghana Northern Union of Chicago to pay for the shipment of the Ambulance to Ghana.
He commended the outgoing Mayor of Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley for his efforts in securing the ambulances for Ghana.
AGRIC PLANT POOL SET UP IN TAMALE (BACK PAGE, JULY 9, 2011)
PLANS are underway to set up an upgraded agricultural plant pool in Tamale to serve farmers in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.
The project, which would cost US$4.2m, is expected to boost the agricultural mechanisation programme being pursued by the government, as it would make available modern agricultural implements to farmers in those parts of the country.
The National Association of Agric Mechanisation Service Centre Operators (NAAMSECO) is establishing the centre through a special funding arrangement.
Under this arrangement, the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGPP) will provide 40 per cent of the funds as a grant, as part of its matching grants initiative.
The Stanbic Bank Ghana will make available 50 per cent of the amount in the form of a loan, whiles the association itself is required to commit the remaining 10 per cent as an equity contribution.
The Chairman of NAAMSECO, Mr Lawrence Addison and his vice, Mr Isaac Azadagli made these known to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Tamale.
They mentioned that the centre would have the full complement of mechanised equipment required for agriculture and they include tractors, bulldozers, planters, boom sprayers, harvesters, threshers, seed selectors and grain transporters.
“We want to ensure that all the processes in the production chain, from land preparation to bagging of the produce, are carried out at the centre with the aid of machines, instead of labour,” Mr Azadagli explained.
“We are also acquiring vehicles to transport the produce to storage and market centres,” he further indicated.
Already, the association has acquired space for offices and workshops for the plant pool.
“We expect that by the end of July, the equipment would be in the country and would be delivered to the centre to support farmers in this year’s farming season,” Mr Addison hinted.
The two again mentioned that NAAMSECO was currently operating 84 mechanisation centres in various parts of the country and that 48 of these centres were situated in parts of the three northern regions.
They said for now all the centres had only tractors and that this was the reason why the association was making efforts to provide the full complement of agric machinery.
They entreated tractor operators in the three northern regions to link up with the association to enable them benefit from a planned training programme in modern land preparation.
They also commended the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi for his support to the organisation, adding that the fruitful collaboration between MoFA and NAAMSECO would yield positive results for Ghana’s agriculture.
The government has, over the past few years, focused its attention on transforming the country’s agriculture from a subsistence level to commercial basis.
However, this requires the injection of heavy agricultural implements to replace the hoe and cutlass business, so as to make land preparation, planting and harvesting more effective and quicker.
The project, which would cost US$4.2m, is expected to boost the agricultural mechanisation programme being pursued by the government, as it would make available modern agricultural implements to farmers in those parts of the country.
The National Association of Agric Mechanisation Service Centre Operators (NAAMSECO) is establishing the centre through a special funding arrangement.
Under this arrangement, the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGPP) will provide 40 per cent of the funds as a grant, as part of its matching grants initiative.
The Stanbic Bank Ghana will make available 50 per cent of the amount in the form of a loan, whiles the association itself is required to commit the remaining 10 per cent as an equity contribution.
The Chairman of NAAMSECO, Mr Lawrence Addison and his vice, Mr Isaac Azadagli made these known to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Tamale.
They mentioned that the centre would have the full complement of mechanised equipment required for agriculture and they include tractors, bulldozers, planters, boom sprayers, harvesters, threshers, seed selectors and grain transporters.
“We want to ensure that all the processes in the production chain, from land preparation to bagging of the produce, are carried out at the centre with the aid of machines, instead of labour,” Mr Azadagli explained.
“We are also acquiring vehicles to transport the produce to storage and market centres,” he further indicated.
Already, the association has acquired space for offices and workshops for the plant pool.
“We expect that by the end of July, the equipment would be in the country and would be delivered to the centre to support farmers in this year’s farming season,” Mr Addison hinted.
The two again mentioned that NAAMSECO was currently operating 84 mechanisation centres in various parts of the country and that 48 of these centres were situated in parts of the three northern regions.
They said for now all the centres had only tractors and that this was the reason why the association was making efforts to provide the full complement of agric machinery.
They entreated tractor operators in the three northern regions to link up with the association to enable them benefit from a planned training programme in modern land preparation.
They also commended the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi for his support to the organisation, adding that the fruitful collaboration between MoFA and NAAMSECO would yield positive results for Ghana’s agriculture.
The government has, over the past few years, focused its attention on transforming the country’s agriculture from a subsistence level to commercial basis.
However, this requires the injection of heavy agricultural implements to replace the hoe and cutlass business, so as to make land preparation, planting and harvesting more effective and quicker.
RENEWED ANGER AGAINST FULANI HERDSMEN - AS FARMER'S TRACTOR IS SET ABLAZE (PAGE 3, JULY 9, 2011)
THERE is renewed anger among some local communities in the Northern Region against the Fulani herdsmen, who are operating in parts of the region.
This follows an incident in Libi in the East Gonja district on Wednesday night, where a tractor belonging to a commercial farmer, Alhaji Yakubu Botingnaa, was set ablaze. Two Fulani herdsmen have been accused of the act.
Already, there has been some tensed relationship between the local communities and the Fulani herdsmen, who they have accused of various crimes, ranging from rape to the destruction of farmlands.
The Fulanis could therefore suffer some reprisal attacks from the local population at some point, if the relationship continues to deteriorate.
Alhaji Botingnaa told newsmen in Tamale that his farm workers returned from the farm on Thursday morning only to show him pictures of the remnants of his burnt tractor.
“They had gone to the farm in the morning to continue ploughing, but returned that same morning to give me this bad news,” he said, adding “I am very shocked at this and I do not know which move to make next.”
The farm, located on a 50-acre piece of land in Libi in the East Gonja district, was still undergoing land preparation for the cultivation of rice and maize.
Unfortunately, the tractor that was being used was acquired in 2009 through high purchase from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) at a cost of GH¢24,000.
As per the agreement, Alhaji made an initial payment of GH¢12,000 and was paying the remaining balance in instalments over a three year period.
Following the incident, Alhaji expressed fears about a possible failure on his part to settle the rest of the balance, since the absence of the tractor would greatly affect his farming business.
“I am also thinking about how I can raise resources to rent the services of a tractor to complete the rest of the ploughing,” he said, adding that so far, only 20 acres of the 50-acre land had been ploughed.
Alhaji Botingna said he had sent some of his workers to the police station to report the incident and that he would also, formally, notify MoFA of the incident.
Two of Alhaji’s farm workers told the Daily Graphic that the tractor had developed a fault on Wednesday evening and so they parked it at the farm.
“When we went back the next, morning we found a burnt tractor and the community people pointed accusing fingers at two Fulanis.
“They said they saw the Fulanis moving towards the farm and were later spotted again moving away from the direction of the farm in a hasty manner, panting for breath,” one of the workers narrated.
He said the community folk later heard noise akin of a tyre blast from the direction of the farm and when they checked, it was the tractor that had been set ablaze.
“So they mobilised and stopped the fire, but it was too late since the fire had already caused much damage to the tractor,” he said.
This follows an incident in Libi in the East Gonja district on Wednesday night, where a tractor belonging to a commercial farmer, Alhaji Yakubu Botingnaa, was set ablaze. Two Fulani herdsmen have been accused of the act.
Already, there has been some tensed relationship between the local communities and the Fulani herdsmen, who they have accused of various crimes, ranging from rape to the destruction of farmlands.
The Fulanis could therefore suffer some reprisal attacks from the local population at some point, if the relationship continues to deteriorate.
Alhaji Botingnaa told newsmen in Tamale that his farm workers returned from the farm on Thursday morning only to show him pictures of the remnants of his burnt tractor.
“They had gone to the farm in the morning to continue ploughing, but returned that same morning to give me this bad news,” he said, adding “I am very shocked at this and I do not know which move to make next.”
The farm, located on a 50-acre piece of land in Libi in the East Gonja district, was still undergoing land preparation for the cultivation of rice and maize.
Unfortunately, the tractor that was being used was acquired in 2009 through high purchase from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) at a cost of GH¢24,000.
As per the agreement, Alhaji made an initial payment of GH¢12,000 and was paying the remaining balance in instalments over a three year period.
Following the incident, Alhaji expressed fears about a possible failure on his part to settle the rest of the balance, since the absence of the tractor would greatly affect his farming business.
“I am also thinking about how I can raise resources to rent the services of a tractor to complete the rest of the ploughing,” he said, adding that so far, only 20 acres of the 50-acre land had been ploughed.
Alhaji Botingna said he had sent some of his workers to the police station to report the incident and that he would also, formally, notify MoFA of the incident.
Two of Alhaji’s farm workers told the Daily Graphic that the tractor had developed a fault on Wednesday evening and so they parked it at the farm.
“When we went back the next, morning we found a burnt tractor and the community people pointed accusing fingers at two Fulanis.
“They said they saw the Fulanis moving towards the farm and were later spotted again moving away from the direction of the farm in a hasty manner, panting for breath,” one of the workers narrated.
He said the community folk later heard noise akin of a tyre blast from the direction of the farm and when they checked, it was the tractor that had been set ablaze.
“So they mobilised and stopped the fire, but it was too late since the fire had already caused much damage to the tractor,” he said.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME TO IMPROVE FOOD QUALITY (PAGE 51, JULY 6, 2011)
THE Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) secretariat is planning to introduce nutritional guidelines to ensure that children benefiting from the programme get the right quantities of specific nutrients that they need to support their growth.
As it stands now, menus for beneficiary schools are drawn up to include locally-produced foodstuffs considered nourishing, but there is no mechanism to direct which quantities of these foodstuffs should be served.
The new guidelines, when introduced, would therefore give direction to the grassroots implementers of the programme on how to vary the various foodstuffs to meet the nutritional needs of the beneficiary children.
The Focal Person for the GSFP at the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry, Mrs Irene Messiba disclosed this in Tamale at an orientation programme for media practitioners in the Northern Region.
“We would adopt a system that is accepted as standard so that our caterers would be able to mix the right quantities of the various food items to provide the needed calories,” she stated.
Mrs Messiba indicated that research was currently on track to enable the GSFP come out with the appropriate nutritional guidelines, adding that getting a balanced diet requires more than just eating food considered nutritious.
The orientation programme forms part of the implementation of the GSFP Social Accountability Project (SAP), which seeks to encourage accountability on the part of the programme implementers, by increasing and sustaining community and civil society’s interest, participation and ownership of the programme.
It is believed that when there is accountability, the stakeholders become alive to their responsibilities and the programme is more likely to meet its objectives, whiles eschewing all negative tendencies.
The SAP, which commenced in 2010 and is in its last year, is funded jointly by four main partners – the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Government of Ghana, SNV and SIGN, with the former contributing the largest amount.
Mrs Messiba explained that the need for a social accountability initiative arose when it was realised that the programme’s implementation was beset with numerous challenges, including low community participation, low co-ordination, inadequate monitoring and non-functioning local implementing structures.
She said since the commencement of the SAP, the GSFP had succeeded in undertaking a nationwide sensitisation exercise that had helped many people to understand the programme and feel the need to play their roles towards its success.
“We now undertake quarterly monitoring, we have developed and made available abridged versions of the Operations and Social Accountability manuals and we have put in place a management information system,” she mentioned further.
Mrs Messiba noted that although the SAP would span only two years, “we would mainstream social accountability into the GSFP as part of the redesigning of the project to guarantee its success.”
As it stands now, menus for beneficiary schools are drawn up to include locally-produced foodstuffs considered nourishing, but there is no mechanism to direct which quantities of these foodstuffs should be served.
The new guidelines, when introduced, would therefore give direction to the grassroots implementers of the programme on how to vary the various foodstuffs to meet the nutritional needs of the beneficiary children.
The Focal Person for the GSFP at the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry, Mrs Irene Messiba disclosed this in Tamale at an orientation programme for media practitioners in the Northern Region.
“We would adopt a system that is accepted as standard so that our caterers would be able to mix the right quantities of the various food items to provide the needed calories,” she stated.
Mrs Messiba indicated that research was currently on track to enable the GSFP come out with the appropriate nutritional guidelines, adding that getting a balanced diet requires more than just eating food considered nutritious.
The orientation programme forms part of the implementation of the GSFP Social Accountability Project (SAP), which seeks to encourage accountability on the part of the programme implementers, by increasing and sustaining community and civil society’s interest, participation and ownership of the programme.
It is believed that when there is accountability, the stakeholders become alive to their responsibilities and the programme is more likely to meet its objectives, whiles eschewing all negative tendencies.
The SAP, which commenced in 2010 and is in its last year, is funded jointly by four main partners – the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Government of Ghana, SNV and SIGN, with the former contributing the largest amount.
Mrs Messiba explained that the need for a social accountability initiative arose when it was realised that the programme’s implementation was beset with numerous challenges, including low community participation, low co-ordination, inadequate monitoring and non-functioning local implementing structures.
She said since the commencement of the SAP, the GSFP had succeeded in undertaking a nationwide sensitisation exercise that had helped many people to understand the programme and feel the need to play their roles towards its success.
“We now undertake quarterly monitoring, we have developed and made available abridged versions of the Operations and Social Accountability manuals and we have put in place a management information system,” she mentioned further.
Mrs Messiba noted that although the SAP would span only two years, “we would mainstream social accountability into the GSFP as part of the redesigning of the project to guarantee its success.”
BUIPE POLICE SEARCH FOR SUSPECTED ROBBERS (PAGE 3, JULY 6, 2011)
THE Northern Regional Police have mounted a search for two young men who shot one person and wounded another when they went on a robbery mission in Buipe in the Northern Region, on Monday dawn.
The two, who are believed to be Fulani, allegedly shot 45-year old Amidu Kwadja in the stomach, and slashed the hands of another person, who is yet to be identified.
Whiles the body of the former, who died at the scene, has been deposited at the morgue, the latter is currently receiving treatment at the Buipe Health Centre.
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the region, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh said the two suspects attacked a man, identified as Manu Yaro, in his house at the Buipe Bridge area between 12pm and 1am on Monday.
“They knocked on his door and when he opened they asked him to give them a bag that they claimed contained large amounts of money,” he stated.
“Investigations revealed that the robbers had a tip off that a brother of Yaro, who is a cattle farmer, had visited him and had given him the bag. Unfortunately on their part, Yaro’s brother, who was indeed in town, was not with Yaro at that time and also had not left any bag with him,” he added.
Chief Insp. Tetteh said an argument broke out between Yaro and the two men, because the former kept insisting that his brother had not left any bag containing money with him.
He said in the heat of the argument, a neighbour who was attracted to the scene by the noise challenged the two men to leave the house, but unluckily on his part, one of the two men, who was infuriated by his actions, raised his cutlass and slashed the man in his hand.
According to the PRO, the two men later forced themselves into the room of Yaro, took out a bag that they thought was the one containing the money and took off from the scene.
He said on the way, they met Amidu Kwadja, who is now deceased, and shot him in the stomach.
“We are yet to ascertain why they shot him, but we believe it might be out of fear or may be he reproached them,” Chief Insp Tetteh stated.
Following the incident, the PRO mentioned that the Buipe police have consequently alerted the residents of Buipe to be on the look out for any such persons with a suspicious character and report them to the police.
Meanwhile, as this incident was happening, four bare-chested armed men also barricaded a portion of the Yapei-Buipe road and attempted robbing occupants of vehicles that used the route.
A driver of a Free Zones Board truck, with registration number FZB 214 Z, Adamu Yakubu, drove pass the barricade, but his windscreen was pierced by a bullet and his mate sustained minor injuries on his finger from the shot.
Yakubu reported the incident when he got to the police check point at Buipe, but when the patrol team drove to the scene, the men had vacated.
The two, who are believed to be Fulani, allegedly shot 45-year old Amidu Kwadja in the stomach, and slashed the hands of another person, who is yet to be identified.
Whiles the body of the former, who died at the scene, has been deposited at the morgue, the latter is currently receiving treatment at the Buipe Health Centre.
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the region, Chief Inspector Ebenezer Tetteh said the two suspects attacked a man, identified as Manu Yaro, in his house at the Buipe Bridge area between 12pm and 1am on Monday.
“They knocked on his door and when he opened they asked him to give them a bag that they claimed contained large amounts of money,” he stated.
“Investigations revealed that the robbers had a tip off that a brother of Yaro, who is a cattle farmer, had visited him and had given him the bag. Unfortunately on their part, Yaro’s brother, who was indeed in town, was not with Yaro at that time and also had not left any bag with him,” he added.
Chief Insp. Tetteh said an argument broke out between Yaro and the two men, because the former kept insisting that his brother had not left any bag containing money with him.
He said in the heat of the argument, a neighbour who was attracted to the scene by the noise challenged the two men to leave the house, but unluckily on his part, one of the two men, who was infuriated by his actions, raised his cutlass and slashed the man in his hand.
According to the PRO, the two men later forced themselves into the room of Yaro, took out a bag that they thought was the one containing the money and took off from the scene.
He said on the way, they met Amidu Kwadja, who is now deceased, and shot him in the stomach.
“We are yet to ascertain why they shot him, but we believe it might be out of fear or may be he reproached them,” Chief Insp Tetteh stated.
Following the incident, the PRO mentioned that the Buipe police have consequently alerted the residents of Buipe to be on the look out for any such persons with a suspicious character and report them to the police.
Meanwhile, as this incident was happening, four bare-chested armed men also barricaded a portion of the Yapei-Buipe road and attempted robbing occupants of vehicles that used the route.
A driver of a Free Zones Board truck, with registration number FZB 214 Z, Adamu Yakubu, drove pass the barricade, but his windscreen was pierced by a bullet and his mate sustained minor injuries on his finger from the shot.
Yakubu reported the incident when he got to the police check point at Buipe, but when the patrol team drove to the scene, the men had vacated.
Monday, July 4, 2011
IMPROVING WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION - TAMALE COMMUNITIES ENGAGE DUTY BEARERS (PAGE 23, JULY 4, 2011)
THE importance of water and sanitation to human existence cannot be overemphasized. Whilst water remains one of the critical sources of survival, sanitation is the key to a healthy and prolonged life.
However, many communities, largely rural and Peri-urban, in the Tamale metropolis have had to rely on polluted dams and streams for water.
Open defecation and the use of polythene bags have also been the norm in these communities due to the absence of improved sanitary facilities.
The result is the poor health of the people evidenced in the number of recorded cases of Cholera, Typhoid and other water-borne and sanitation-related diseases.
To bring a stop to this, New Energy and WaterAid Ghana, two non-governmental organisations, have partnered to create a platform for citizens in Tamale to demand answers from duty bearers on how they are delivering on their mandate to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities.
The platform, known as the ‘Accountability Day Forum’, is also designed to help the metro assembly in its planning scheme as it identifies and prioritises the needs of the various communities for appropriate interventions in its development plans.
At the recent accountability day forum held at the Presbyterian Lay Training Centre in Tamale, representatives from four Peri-urban communities – Koblimahagu, Sognayili, Dimali and Zuo Zugu – took turns to engage the duty bearers who were invited to the forum.
The community representatives, led by their assembly men, outlined the concerns of their communities in relation to sanitation and access to potable water.
Notable among these concerns was the absence of water and sanitary facilities in their communities.
In Koblimahagu, for instance, the assembly man, Mr Iddrisu Mustapha indicated that a project meant to connect water to most communities in Tamale was abandoned when it got to the Koblimahagu area.
“The connection was not completed and checks from the Ghana Water Company Limited indicated that there were some challenges regarding the completion of the project,” he noted.
For sanitation, the assembly man mentioned that a toilet facility that was initially meant for the Koblimahagu area was rather sited in Kukuo, a nearby community.
“Till date, the space reserved for this toilet is still lying idle, whiles some of our people resort to open defecation and the use of polythene, which is adverse to our health,” he stated.
Mr Mustapha therefore urged the district assembly and the GWCL to endeavour to complete the water expansion project and provide the people of Koblimahagu with a decent public toilet and a waste container.
The assembly man for the Zuo Zugu community, Mr Abdul-Mumin also outlined the challenges facing his community with regards to access to water and sanitation facilities.
“Our people rely on a dam, which is the same source of water for animals.” he mentioned.
Having listened to these concerns, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, the mayor of Tamale, reiterated the assembly’s commitment to design appropriate interventions and source funds to address the concerns of the various communities.
“Improving access to water and sanitation are so crucial that the assembly cannot renege in providing these essentials,” he stated.
The mayor noted that the forum had come at an opportune time because the assembly was formulating its medium term development plan, adding that “your concerns would therefore be captured in this plan.”
A Policy Officer for WaterAid Ghana, Mr Enoch Cudjoe noted later told the Daily Graphic that the main objective of the accountability forum is to strengthen the relationship between local government authorities and ordinary citizens.
He said this project formed part of the Local Millennium Development Goals Initiative (LMDGI), which is aimed at empowering local government authorities in planning their development agenda.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of New Energy, Mr Osman Sahanun also indicated that the outcomes of such forums are crucial to the development process.
“It promotes open discussions with all the stakeholders having a collective goal of championing development,” he mentioned.
However, many communities, largely rural and Peri-urban, in the Tamale metropolis have had to rely on polluted dams and streams for water.
Open defecation and the use of polythene bags have also been the norm in these communities due to the absence of improved sanitary facilities.
The result is the poor health of the people evidenced in the number of recorded cases of Cholera, Typhoid and other water-borne and sanitation-related diseases.
To bring a stop to this, New Energy and WaterAid Ghana, two non-governmental organisations, have partnered to create a platform for citizens in Tamale to demand answers from duty bearers on how they are delivering on their mandate to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities.
The platform, known as the ‘Accountability Day Forum’, is also designed to help the metro assembly in its planning scheme as it identifies and prioritises the needs of the various communities for appropriate interventions in its development plans.
At the recent accountability day forum held at the Presbyterian Lay Training Centre in Tamale, representatives from four Peri-urban communities – Koblimahagu, Sognayili, Dimali and Zuo Zugu – took turns to engage the duty bearers who were invited to the forum.
The community representatives, led by their assembly men, outlined the concerns of their communities in relation to sanitation and access to potable water.
Notable among these concerns was the absence of water and sanitary facilities in their communities.
In Koblimahagu, for instance, the assembly man, Mr Iddrisu Mustapha indicated that a project meant to connect water to most communities in Tamale was abandoned when it got to the Koblimahagu area.
“The connection was not completed and checks from the Ghana Water Company Limited indicated that there were some challenges regarding the completion of the project,” he noted.
For sanitation, the assembly man mentioned that a toilet facility that was initially meant for the Koblimahagu area was rather sited in Kukuo, a nearby community.
“Till date, the space reserved for this toilet is still lying idle, whiles some of our people resort to open defecation and the use of polythene, which is adverse to our health,” he stated.
Mr Mustapha therefore urged the district assembly and the GWCL to endeavour to complete the water expansion project and provide the people of Koblimahagu with a decent public toilet and a waste container.
The assembly man for the Zuo Zugu community, Mr Abdul-Mumin also outlined the challenges facing his community with regards to access to water and sanitation facilities.
“Our people rely on a dam, which is the same source of water for animals.” he mentioned.
Having listened to these concerns, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, the mayor of Tamale, reiterated the assembly’s commitment to design appropriate interventions and source funds to address the concerns of the various communities.
“Improving access to water and sanitation are so crucial that the assembly cannot renege in providing these essentials,” he stated.
The mayor noted that the forum had come at an opportune time because the assembly was formulating its medium term development plan, adding that “your concerns would therefore be captured in this plan.”
A Policy Officer for WaterAid Ghana, Mr Enoch Cudjoe noted later told the Daily Graphic that the main objective of the accountability forum is to strengthen the relationship between local government authorities and ordinary citizens.
He said this project formed part of the Local Millennium Development Goals Initiative (LMDGI), which is aimed at empowering local government authorities in planning their development agenda.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of New Energy, Mr Osman Sahanun also indicated that the outcomes of such forums are crucial to the development process.
“It promotes open discussions with all the stakeholders having a collective goal of championing development,” he mentioned.
URBANET, CHRAJ EDUCATE COMMUNITIES ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (PAGE 23, JULY 4, 2011)
URBANET, a non-governmental organisation that works to safeguard women’s rights, is partnering with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to educate citizens in five communities in Tamale on the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act.
The objective of this initiative is to get the grassroots informed about the existence of the law and enhance their understanding of the various provisions of the law in order to encourage adherence to the law.
ActionAid Ghana is funding this sensitisation programme as part of efforts to reduce the occurrence of domestic violence in these communities.
This came to light during a community durbar on domestic violence in Wayamba, one of the communities selected to benefit from the sensitisation programme.
The other communities are Yong Dakpemyili, Chanshegu, Gbambaya and Dugshegu.
The Domestic Violence Law (Act 732) was instituted to provide protection for people who share a domestic relationship, particularly children and women, from any form of violence as contained in the law.
Although the law came into force in May 2007, many people are still oblivious of the provisions of this law and this is partly the reason why some people continue to act contrary to the law.
It is the belief of officials of UrbANET that the sensitisation programme would encourage the inhabitants of these communities to shy away from acts that constitute domestic violence in order not to offend the law.
Speaking at the durbar, the Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, Mr Stephen Azantilow said for domestic violence to occur, there must be a domestic relationship.
A domestic relationship, he explained, is created when people are binded by certain factors, such as marriage, family relations, child birth, courtship adoption or living under one roof.
Mr Azantilow cited some acts that constitute domestic violence, which include forced marriage, rape or defilement, denial of inheritance, neglect of family’s welfare and physical abuse.
Duelling on forced marriage, he explained that the law prohibits parents and guardians from forcing their girl children, particularly minors, into marriage.
He said the choice of a man and the decision to marry a man remained the discretion of the child, but added that parents could negotiate with their children to make choices that they think are right.
“If the man was able to exercise his right of choice to request your daughter’s hand in marriage, why would you prevent your daughter from also exercising her right to say yes or no,” he questioned.
Mr Azantilow made similar presentations on other forms of domestic violence and entreated people who suffered any of such to report to the police or CHRAJ for redress.
He noted that CHRAJ was mandated by the laws that established it to protect the rights of citizens and ensure administrative justice.
The objective of this initiative is to get the grassroots informed about the existence of the law and enhance their understanding of the various provisions of the law in order to encourage adherence to the law.
ActionAid Ghana is funding this sensitisation programme as part of efforts to reduce the occurrence of domestic violence in these communities.
This came to light during a community durbar on domestic violence in Wayamba, one of the communities selected to benefit from the sensitisation programme.
The other communities are Yong Dakpemyili, Chanshegu, Gbambaya and Dugshegu.
The Domestic Violence Law (Act 732) was instituted to provide protection for people who share a domestic relationship, particularly children and women, from any form of violence as contained in the law.
Although the law came into force in May 2007, many people are still oblivious of the provisions of this law and this is partly the reason why some people continue to act contrary to the law.
It is the belief of officials of UrbANET that the sensitisation programme would encourage the inhabitants of these communities to shy away from acts that constitute domestic violence in order not to offend the law.
Speaking at the durbar, the Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, Mr Stephen Azantilow said for domestic violence to occur, there must be a domestic relationship.
A domestic relationship, he explained, is created when people are binded by certain factors, such as marriage, family relations, child birth, courtship adoption or living under one roof.
Mr Azantilow cited some acts that constitute domestic violence, which include forced marriage, rape or defilement, denial of inheritance, neglect of family’s welfare and physical abuse.
Duelling on forced marriage, he explained that the law prohibits parents and guardians from forcing their girl children, particularly minors, into marriage.
He said the choice of a man and the decision to marry a man remained the discretion of the child, but added that parents could negotiate with their children to make choices that they think are right.
“If the man was able to exercise his right of choice to request your daughter’s hand in marriage, why would you prevent your daughter from also exercising her right to say yes or no,” he questioned.
Mr Azantilow made similar presentations on other forms of domestic violence and entreated people who suffered any of such to report to the police or CHRAJ for redress.
He noted that CHRAJ was mandated by the laws that established it to protect the rights of citizens and ensure administrative justice.
GWCL TO RETRIEVE 2.5M OWED BY CONSUMERS IN TAMALE (PAGE 23, JULY 4, 2011)
THE Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has embarked on an aggressive debt collection exercise in Tamale in a bid to retrieve an estimated GH¢2.5 million owed the company by water consumers in the city.
The company has therefore commenced the prosecution of defaulting customers, as well as the disconnection of water supply to both domestic and commercial entities.
The Northern Regional Communications Officer of the GWCL, Mr Nicholas Nii-Abbey, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the level of indebtedness to the company is affecting the operations of the company.
“As expected, our operations are being crippled by the lack of finance, which is as a result of the failure on the part of consumers to pay us for the water they consume,” he stated.
Nii-Abbey mentioned that the company had already prosecuted 10 people whose total indebtedness to the company amounted to over GH¢11,000.
“This month, we plan to prosecute 30 more defaulting customers who owe the company about GH¢50,000,” he hinted.
He however entreated defaulting customers who wanted to avoid prosecution to contact the company for negotiations to settle their debts.
The communications officer noted that 50 per cent of water produced by the GWCL to serve Tamale and its surroundings is unaccounted for.
He said it is either people were illegally tapping the water without paying for it or that there are damages in the distribution system, which has led to wastage or a combination of both.
Meanwhile, the GWCL is also making efforts towards overhauling the water supply system in the Tamale metropolis.
As part of the implementation of the two-year Subsequent Year Investment Programme (SYIP), which will commence next month, the GWCL will replace weak pipelines, extend services to low income communities and rehabilitate the existing distribution network.
The project, which would be executed by a Chinese firm, China Jiangsi Corporation, forms part of the Urban Water Supply Project being funded by the World Bank and other partners.
In 2008, another project was undertaken to expand the production capacity from 19,560 cubic metres, that is about 4.5 million gallons, to 44,560 cubic metres or 10 million gallons.
Major works that were carried out under this project included the installation of three new low lift pumps, the construction of new water treatment works and reservoirs and the laying of new transmission lines from Dalun to Tamale.
Currently, the GWCL has the capacity to produce about 45,000 cubic metres or about 10 million gallons of water per day to serve Tamale and its environs if its plants are to operate to its optimum capacity.
The company has therefore commenced the prosecution of defaulting customers, as well as the disconnection of water supply to both domestic and commercial entities.
The Northern Regional Communications Officer of the GWCL, Mr Nicholas Nii-Abbey, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the level of indebtedness to the company is affecting the operations of the company.
“As expected, our operations are being crippled by the lack of finance, which is as a result of the failure on the part of consumers to pay us for the water they consume,” he stated.
Nii-Abbey mentioned that the company had already prosecuted 10 people whose total indebtedness to the company amounted to over GH¢11,000.
“This month, we plan to prosecute 30 more defaulting customers who owe the company about GH¢50,000,” he hinted.
He however entreated defaulting customers who wanted to avoid prosecution to contact the company for negotiations to settle their debts.
The communications officer noted that 50 per cent of water produced by the GWCL to serve Tamale and its surroundings is unaccounted for.
He said it is either people were illegally tapping the water without paying for it or that there are damages in the distribution system, which has led to wastage or a combination of both.
Meanwhile, the GWCL is also making efforts towards overhauling the water supply system in the Tamale metropolis.
As part of the implementation of the two-year Subsequent Year Investment Programme (SYIP), which will commence next month, the GWCL will replace weak pipelines, extend services to low income communities and rehabilitate the existing distribution network.
The project, which would be executed by a Chinese firm, China Jiangsi Corporation, forms part of the Urban Water Supply Project being funded by the World Bank and other partners.
In 2008, another project was undertaken to expand the production capacity from 19,560 cubic metres, that is about 4.5 million gallons, to 44,560 cubic metres or 10 million gallons.
Major works that were carried out under this project included the installation of three new low lift pumps, the construction of new water treatment works and reservoirs and the laying of new transmission lines from Dalun to Tamale.
Currently, the GWCL has the capacity to produce about 45,000 cubic metres or about 10 million gallons of water per day to serve Tamale and its environs if its plants are to operate to its optimum capacity.
WE ARE VULNERABLE TO NARCOTICS - SCHOOL CHILDREN (FRONT PAGE, JUNE 29, 2011)
A NUMBER of school children in Tamale have stated that they are vulnerable to the use of narcotics, following the failure of state institutions to prohibit public smoking.
They said they could not comprehend how the youth were expected to stay clear of narcotics, like tobacco smoking, whiles adults were permitted to smoke in the full view of the public.
The school children raised these concerns at the public symposia in Tamale to mark the World Drugs Day, which was celebrated globally on June 26, 2011.
The symposia, organised by the Narcotics Control Board, was held on the theme ‘Be smart to be healthy – Don’t do drugs’.
School children and teachers from a number of selected basic and second-cycle schools participated in the event.
“If cigarette smoking is dangerous, why do people smoke in public and nothing is done to stop them,” one of the students queried during question time.
Aside the issue of public smoking, the children also raised eyebrows about the failure of state security institutions to prevent the transit of drugs in and out of the country.
A member of the governing Board of the Narcotics Control Board and Acting Deputy Chief Executive for Drugs at the Food and Drugs Board, Mrs Akua Owusua Amartey however cautioned the students not to allow the fact that others smoke to sway them into using drugs.
“You must remain guided by the fact that drug abusers are exposed to a lot of health hazards, including mental illness, which you don’t want to get into,” she stated.
Mrs Amartey also entreated the students not to allow themselves to be used by drug dealers in couriering drugs, since that had health and other implications.
“If you swallow pellets of cocaine, you are likely to end up dead and if you survive, you are more likely to end up behind prison bars,” she said.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Interior Minister, Mr Benjamin Kumbour said the government was resourcing security agencies and institutions to tighten efforts towards curbing drug trafficking.
He said a draft legislation designed to amend the existing legislation on narcotics control was currently being assessed by the Attorney General.
Mr Kumbour noted that this new legislation, when passed into law, will make NACOB an independent institution and institute tighter sanctions for drug peddlers.
The law, he additionally mentioned, will also conform to modern trends of law enforcement and international best practice on drug control.
A member of the Council of State, Kpan-Naa Mohammed Bawa entreated heads of schools to use Monday morning assembly meetings to sensitise the students and teacher on pertinent issues such as drug abuse.
“You can just use 10 minutes of the assembly time to help your students become better people by showing them how to avoid the things in life that could endanger their future,” he stated.
Some of the students, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, entreated the government to fast-track the passage of the law that would ban public smoking.
A message was read on behalf of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon on the importance of the day.
They said they could not comprehend how the youth were expected to stay clear of narcotics, like tobacco smoking, whiles adults were permitted to smoke in the full view of the public.
The school children raised these concerns at the public symposia in Tamale to mark the World Drugs Day, which was celebrated globally on June 26, 2011.
The symposia, organised by the Narcotics Control Board, was held on the theme ‘Be smart to be healthy – Don’t do drugs’.
School children and teachers from a number of selected basic and second-cycle schools participated in the event.
“If cigarette smoking is dangerous, why do people smoke in public and nothing is done to stop them,” one of the students queried during question time.
Aside the issue of public smoking, the children also raised eyebrows about the failure of state security institutions to prevent the transit of drugs in and out of the country.
A member of the governing Board of the Narcotics Control Board and Acting Deputy Chief Executive for Drugs at the Food and Drugs Board, Mrs Akua Owusua Amartey however cautioned the students not to allow the fact that others smoke to sway them into using drugs.
“You must remain guided by the fact that drug abusers are exposed to a lot of health hazards, including mental illness, which you don’t want to get into,” she stated.
Mrs Amartey also entreated the students not to allow themselves to be used by drug dealers in couriering drugs, since that had health and other implications.
“If you swallow pellets of cocaine, you are likely to end up dead and if you survive, you are more likely to end up behind prison bars,” she said.
In a speech delivered on his behalf, the Interior Minister, Mr Benjamin Kumbour said the government was resourcing security agencies and institutions to tighten efforts towards curbing drug trafficking.
He said a draft legislation designed to amend the existing legislation on narcotics control was currently being assessed by the Attorney General.
Mr Kumbour noted that this new legislation, when passed into law, will make NACOB an independent institution and institute tighter sanctions for drug peddlers.
The law, he additionally mentioned, will also conform to modern trends of law enforcement and international best practice on drug control.
A member of the Council of State, Kpan-Naa Mohammed Bawa entreated heads of schools to use Monday morning assembly meetings to sensitise the students and teacher on pertinent issues such as drug abuse.
“You can just use 10 minutes of the assembly time to help your students become better people by showing them how to avoid the things in life that could endanger their future,” he stated.
Some of the students, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, entreated the government to fast-track the passage of the law that would ban public smoking.
A message was read on behalf of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon on the importance of the day.
Monday, June 27, 2011
GHANA TO BE FREE FROM GUINEA WORM (BACK PAGE, JUNE 17, 2011)
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 has won the fight against guinea worm.
The country has not recorded any single case of guinea since May last year because the transmission of the disease has been interrupted in the Northern Region.
According to health officials, the remaining caseload was limited to only the precincts of the Northern Region, but for the past 13 months, the region has not detected any case.
In 1989, when Ghana began the guinea worm eradication programme, there was a total of 180,000 recorded cases, but by May 2010, only eight cases had been detected and those were the last evidence of any detected case of guinea worm.
Ghana would now enter into the pre-certification phase which would involve sustaining the gains made for the next three years in order to be formally declared guinea worm free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Speaking at a press briefing in Tamale, the Northern Regional Manager of the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP), Mr Gilbert Dery mentioned that the country needed to go through a 12-calendar-month period without recording any case.
“We are into the 13th month without any case, so we can say we have cleared the hurdle,” he stated, adding that the GWEP had even increased the cash award for any detected case of guinea worm from GH¢50 to GH¢100.
Mr Dery again mentioned that a total of 69 suspected and rumoured cases were thoroughly investigated by the GWEP, but none of them were found to be guinea worm.
“We examined and continue to examine all cases that have a semblance to guinea worm infection, like blisters and boils,” he further stated.
The guinea worm manager also indicated that a National Certification Committee had been set up to put together a paper indicating the gains made in the eradication of guinea worm in Ghana.
He said the committee would later present its work to the WHO, which would in turn, send down a team of personnel to ascertain the facts presented to them.
“When the facts presented are confirmed as true, the WHO would then proceed to declare Ghana guinea worm free,” he added.
Mr Dery said although the transmission had been interrupted, more work still needed to be done, which includes intensification of surveillance and more sensitisation.
“We must also ensure that the provision of safe water remains in place, particularly the small water systems that were constructed as part of the eradication programme,” he noted.
He said another task ahead of the GWEP was how to educate people who had never seen or head of guinea worm in their lives before, because they need to be able to identify the signs so as to report it.
He entreated the media to remain partners with the health service in the fight against guinea worm by raising alarm, where it is necessary.
“The media must bring to attention any broken down wells, boreholes and other water systems,” he stated.
Mr Dery hinted that The Carter Centre, which has been one of the trusted funding partners for the activities of GWEP, will be pulling out in August.
“They have done a lot to support our work and since it is clear that together we have made significant strides, they now think the time is right for them to pull out,” he said.
The country has not recorded any single case of guinea since May last year because the transmission of the disease has been interrupted in the Northern Region.
According to health officials, the remaining caseload was limited to only the precincts of the Northern Region, but for the past 13 months, the region has not detected any case.
In 1989, when Ghana began the guinea worm eradication programme, there was a total of 180,000 recorded cases, but by May 2010, only eight cases had been detected and those were the last evidence of any detected case of guinea worm.
Ghana would now enter into the pre-certification phase which would involve sustaining the gains made for the next three years in order to be formally declared guinea worm free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Speaking at a press briefing in Tamale, the Northern Regional Manager of the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP), Mr Gilbert Dery mentioned that the country needed to go through a 12-calendar-month period without recording any case.
“We are into the 13th month without any case, so we can say we have cleared the hurdle,” he stated, adding that the GWEP had even increased the cash award for any detected case of guinea worm from GH¢50 to GH¢100.
Mr Dery again mentioned that a total of 69 suspected and rumoured cases were thoroughly investigated by the GWEP, but none of them were found to be guinea worm.
“We examined and continue to examine all cases that have a semblance to guinea worm infection, like blisters and boils,” he further stated.
The guinea worm manager also indicated that a National Certification Committee had been set up to put together a paper indicating the gains made in the eradication of guinea worm in Ghana.
He said the committee would later present its work to the WHO, which would in turn, send down a team of personnel to ascertain the facts presented to them.
“When the facts presented are confirmed as true, the WHO would then proceed to declare Ghana guinea worm free,” he added.
Mr Dery said although the transmission had been interrupted, more work still needed to be done, which includes intensification of surveillance and more sensitisation.
“We must also ensure that the provision of safe water remains in place, particularly the small water systems that were constructed as part of the eradication programme,” he noted.
He said another task ahead of the GWEP was how to educate people who had never seen or head of guinea worm in their lives before, because they need to be able to identify the signs so as to report it.
He entreated the media to remain partners with the health service in the fight against guinea worm by raising alarm, where it is necessary.
“The media must bring to attention any broken down wells, boreholes and other water systems,” he stated.
Mr Dery hinted that The Carter Centre, which has been one of the trusted funding partners for the activities of GWEP, will be pulling out in August.
“They have done a lot to support our work and since it is clear that together we have made significant strides, they now think the time is right for them to pull out,” he said.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
NORTHERN CHIEFS, PEOPLE REVIEW NEW ENVIRONMENT POLICY (PAGE 34, APRIL 26, 2011)
SOME chiefs and people of the Northern Region have made recommendations towards improving the new National Environmental Policy being drafted by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.
Key among these is the need to give adequate mention and attention to the menace of bush fires and uncontrolled activities of pastoralists, particularly the Fulani herdsmen.
They argued that bush fires had negative implications for soil fertility, vegetative growth and biodiversity, in addition to the destruction caused to human settlements and property.
They also noted that the Fulani herdsmen were causing damage to water bodies, farmlands and engaged in over grazing, all of which have a heavy toll on the environment.
The recommendations were made at a consultative workshop in Tamale organised by the environment ministry as part of efforts to seek the inputs of stakeholders in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions on the draft policy.
The ministry is drafting the new environment policy with support from the United Nations Development Programme.
The draft policy identifies land degradation, deforestation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, mining and industrial development, marine and coastal degradation, urbanisation and climate change as some of the key environmental challenges.
Chief Von Salifu, one of the participants argued that there was the need for the new policy to capture all aspects of environmental concerns pertaining to various parts of the country.
“For us in the north, we know that bushfires is one, if not the main, environmental challenge facing us. It would be a disaster, therefore, if this new policy fails to adequately address this canker,” he stated.
Chief Salifu again stressed the need for this policy to lead to positive action to salvage the environment, explaining that past policies have been poorly implemented.
Making a presentation on the draft policy, the Technical Director at the MEST, Dr Nicholas Kassim Iddi mentioned that the formulation of environmental policies was aimed at ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of the country’s environmental policies.
He mentioned that the 1992 Environmental Policy attempted to meet these goals, but noted that the challenge has been ineffective enforcement of the policies and laws that exist to achieve these goals.
Dr Iddi said the new policy would attempt to restructure and redirect the implementation strategy to achieve the desired results.
The Director of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Northern Region, Mr Iddrisu Abu noted that the recommendations would be incorporated to ensure that the policy meets the expectations for stakeholders.
He however entreated the participants, particularly chiefs and local government authorities, to play a lead role in helping protect the country’s environment.
“As chiefs, you are the custodians of the land and you command authority, so you are in the right position to bring a stop to some of the activities that are helping degrade the environment at an alarming rate,” Mr Abu stated.
Key among these is the need to give adequate mention and attention to the menace of bush fires and uncontrolled activities of pastoralists, particularly the Fulani herdsmen.
They argued that bush fires had negative implications for soil fertility, vegetative growth and biodiversity, in addition to the destruction caused to human settlements and property.
They also noted that the Fulani herdsmen were causing damage to water bodies, farmlands and engaged in over grazing, all of which have a heavy toll on the environment.
The recommendations were made at a consultative workshop in Tamale organised by the environment ministry as part of efforts to seek the inputs of stakeholders in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions on the draft policy.
The ministry is drafting the new environment policy with support from the United Nations Development Programme.
The draft policy identifies land degradation, deforestation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, mining and industrial development, marine and coastal degradation, urbanisation and climate change as some of the key environmental challenges.
Chief Von Salifu, one of the participants argued that there was the need for the new policy to capture all aspects of environmental concerns pertaining to various parts of the country.
“For us in the north, we know that bushfires is one, if not the main, environmental challenge facing us. It would be a disaster, therefore, if this new policy fails to adequately address this canker,” he stated.
Chief Salifu again stressed the need for this policy to lead to positive action to salvage the environment, explaining that past policies have been poorly implemented.
Making a presentation on the draft policy, the Technical Director at the MEST, Dr Nicholas Kassim Iddi mentioned that the formulation of environmental policies was aimed at ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of the country’s environmental policies.
He mentioned that the 1992 Environmental Policy attempted to meet these goals, but noted that the challenge has been ineffective enforcement of the policies and laws that exist to achieve these goals.
Dr Iddi said the new policy would attempt to restructure and redirect the implementation strategy to achieve the desired results.
The Director of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Northern Region, Mr Iddrisu Abu noted that the recommendations would be incorporated to ensure that the policy meets the expectations for stakeholders.
He however entreated the participants, particularly chiefs and local government authorities, to play a lead role in helping protect the country’s environment.
“As chiefs, you are the custodians of the land and you command authority, so you are in the right position to bring a stop to some of the activities that are helping degrade the environment at an alarming rate,” Mr Abu stated.
TAMALE YOUTH SHOW INTEREST IN AVIATION INDUSTRY (PAGE 34, APRIL 26, 2011)
FOR several years, many young people in Tamale have limited their career choices to nursing, teaching, marketing, accounting, and other orthodox careers.
However, in the face of increasing graduate unemployment, many of them now believe it is time they ventured into other career areas.
Consequently, they have realised the need to acquire new skills and knowledge to enable them take up career opportunities presented by the 21st century world of industry.
The aviation industry happens to be one of the areas being considered by some of the youth and this explains why a number of them snatched the opportunity to attend a two-day orientation seminar on the aviation industry that took place at the Gariba Lodge in Tamale.
The seminar introduced the participants to the nature of the aviation industry and the career and training opportunities offered by the industry.
Kilo Alpha Aviation holdings, a company specialised in Aviation training, events management, air travel arrangements and airline safety, among others, organised the seminar as part of efforts to prepare the youth for opportunities in the aviation industry.
According to the Chairman of the company, Capt Victor Kwesi Amoah, the youth have certainly made the right choice exploring new opportunities, especially in the aviation sector.
He said the aviation industry was a lucrative business that is sustainable and more beneficial to the country than some other industries that the country had over-focused on.
Capt Amoah mentioned that the aviation industry was even poised for further growth for two main reasons: “first, there are no suitable alternatives to air transport and second, the increase in population growth means an increase in demand for airline services.”
“Airlines which hitherto operated only twice a week between Ghana and other countries, now operate daily and sometimes, twice a day,” he further noted.
Capt Amoah, who at one time was a pilot, but has widened his expertise to include other areas, including airline safety and quality management solutions, believes that many young people are either unaware of the opportunities in the airline industry or do not know how to get in there.
“If we are not careful, expatriates would take over the industry as it grows, to the disadvantage of our own citizens,” he cautioned.
Some of the youth who attended the orientation were certainly elated having had a rare opportunity to meet operators in the airline industry who gave them relevant insights into the operations of the industry.
“I have always had an interest in the airline industry, but I have never known how I could be employed in the industry. So, today’s orientation has been very beneficial,” a participant, Edmund Gyebi stated.
Another participant, Abdul-Mumin said he had been oriented sufficiently and motivated as well to venture into the aviation industry. “From now on, I am determined to pursue the various aviation courses because I know that is the key to open the door to the industry,”
According to Capt Amoah, the 21st century airline industry requires a certain calibre of employees who have the knack to champion the businesses of companies in the sector to a competitive advantage.
He therefore advised interested youth to seek the required training and update their skills and knowledge periodically.
However, in the face of increasing graduate unemployment, many of them now believe it is time they ventured into other career areas.
Consequently, they have realised the need to acquire new skills and knowledge to enable them take up career opportunities presented by the 21st century world of industry.
The aviation industry happens to be one of the areas being considered by some of the youth and this explains why a number of them snatched the opportunity to attend a two-day orientation seminar on the aviation industry that took place at the Gariba Lodge in Tamale.
The seminar introduced the participants to the nature of the aviation industry and the career and training opportunities offered by the industry.
Kilo Alpha Aviation holdings, a company specialised in Aviation training, events management, air travel arrangements and airline safety, among others, organised the seminar as part of efforts to prepare the youth for opportunities in the aviation industry.
According to the Chairman of the company, Capt Victor Kwesi Amoah, the youth have certainly made the right choice exploring new opportunities, especially in the aviation sector.
He said the aviation industry was a lucrative business that is sustainable and more beneficial to the country than some other industries that the country had over-focused on.
Capt Amoah mentioned that the aviation industry was even poised for further growth for two main reasons: “first, there are no suitable alternatives to air transport and second, the increase in population growth means an increase in demand for airline services.”
“Airlines which hitherto operated only twice a week between Ghana and other countries, now operate daily and sometimes, twice a day,” he further noted.
Capt Amoah, who at one time was a pilot, but has widened his expertise to include other areas, including airline safety and quality management solutions, believes that many young people are either unaware of the opportunities in the airline industry or do not know how to get in there.
“If we are not careful, expatriates would take over the industry as it grows, to the disadvantage of our own citizens,” he cautioned.
Some of the youth who attended the orientation were certainly elated having had a rare opportunity to meet operators in the airline industry who gave them relevant insights into the operations of the industry.
“I have always had an interest in the airline industry, but I have never known how I could be employed in the industry. So, today’s orientation has been very beneficial,” a participant, Edmund Gyebi stated.
Another participant, Abdul-Mumin said he had been oriented sufficiently and motivated as well to venture into the aviation industry. “From now on, I am determined to pursue the various aviation courses because I know that is the key to open the door to the industry,”
According to Capt Amoah, the 21st century airline industry requires a certain calibre of employees who have the knack to champion the businesses of companies in the sector to a competitive advantage.
He therefore advised interested youth to seek the required training and update their skills and knowledge periodically.
LIFE IN BOMAHAGU - NO WATER, ELECTRICITY OR ROADS (PAGE 34, APRIL 26, 2011)
WHEN was the last time you moved into a new house located in a new neighbourhood?
I guess you remember how pleased you felt having moved from an old building into a new one that is still awash with brightening paint colours, spacious rooms and a clean surrounding.
It is even much gratifying when you move from a noisy environment located in the heart of the city to a quite serene developing area, where you have the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature.
Each morning, the cockerel crows to wake you up and in the afternoons, the chirpings of the birds produces a lovely rhythm, which combined with the soothing air blown by the dancing tree branches, puts man to sleep.
However, this joy suddenly disappears when you realise that your new area is, after all, not as interesting as you thought. There is no light, no water or even accessible roads.
This is the situation that inhabitants of Bomahagu, Koblimahagu, and other new suburbs of Tamale find themselves. Their joy of moving into a new house and vicinity has been suppressed by the unavailability of electricity and water supply.
Each day, as I drive past one of the small paths in the area, I meet women and children sitting by a dug-out waiting for the water to gush out in drips so they could fetch.
Sometimes, they sit by the dug out throughout the night just waiting for some water to fetch home.
Some of the residents whose economic status is above average are able to rent tanker services, which is certainly costly and unsustainable.
“We are really suffering without water. During the dry season, we have to trek long distances to fetch water in gallons and this affects our children’s schooling and domestic chores,” Mma Abiba, a resident of Bomahagu lamented.
The darkness that hangs over Bomahagu and its surroundings between the hours of 6pm and 6am speaks volumes of the plight of the inhabitants in the absence of electricity.
They are denied the comfort of watching TV, ironing their clothes or charging their phones. In fact, the darkness in the area has made it difficult for the residents to drive away reptiles. Being a waterlogged area with less human population, snakes have found the area as a suitable habitat.
“Sometimes you come from work in the evening only to find a snake lying in your veranda,” Mr Rashid, a resident of the community, mentioned.
Aside the need for water and lights, the absence of roads is yet another key developmental challenge in Bomahagu and other new suburbs of Tamale.
The urban roads department has not opened up new roads in Bomahagu and thus residents in this area have to create pathways to facilitate the movement of both humans and automobiles.
Each year, the residents contribute money to purchase some gravel and fill in some of the pot holes on the pathway, but their efforts go in vain when the rains come in huge quantities, because the paths get flooded and tall grasses grow in every direction.
“At a point, I had to pack my car and walk through the mud anytime I was going to town or coming home,” stated Mr Rashid.
The question one is tempted then to ask is: what is being done to address these challenges?
Indeed, officials at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) have repeatedly promised that Bomahagu, Koblimahagu, Taha, Kpanbiewu and many other peri-urban communities of Tamale would soon be connected to the national grid through the Rural Electrification Project.
However, there is yet no signal of the commencement of this project and the residents remain hopeless.
For water and roads, it appears there is no immediate plan by the TaMA to provide any of these to the people of Bomahagu and its surroundings as checks have revealed nothing substantial.
May be they are waiting for a public protest by the inhabitants before they see the need to expand these services to these people. Well, the people are waiting and their patience may run out soon.
I guess you remember how pleased you felt having moved from an old building into a new one that is still awash with brightening paint colours, spacious rooms and a clean surrounding.
It is even much gratifying when you move from a noisy environment located in the heart of the city to a quite serene developing area, where you have the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature.
Each morning, the cockerel crows to wake you up and in the afternoons, the chirpings of the birds produces a lovely rhythm, which combined with the soothing air blown by the dancing tree branches, puts man to sleep.
However, this joy suddenly disappears when you realise that your new area is, after all, not as interesting as you thought. There is no light, no water or even accessible roads.
This is the situation that inhabitants of Bomahagu, Koblimahagu, and other new suburbs of Tamale find themselves. Their joy of moving into a new house and vicinity has been suppressed by the unavailability of electricity and water supply.
Each day, as I drive past one of the small paths in the area, I meet women and children sitting by a dug-out waiting for the water to gush out in drips so they could fetch.
Sometimes, they sit by the dug out throughout the night just waiting for some water to fetch home.
Some of the residents whose economic status is above average are able to rent tanker services, which is certainly costly and unsustainable.
“We are really suffering without water. During the dry season, we have to trek long distances to fetch water in gallons and this affects our children’s schooling and domestic chores,” Mma Abiba, a resident of Bomahagu lamented.
The darkness that hangs over Bomahagu and its surroundings between the hours of 6pm and 6am speaks volumes of the plight of the inhabitants in the absence of electricity.
They are denied the comfort of watching TV, ironing their clothes or charging their phones. In fact, the darkness in the area has made it difficult for the residents to drive away reptiles. Being a waterlogged area with less human population, snakes have found the area as a suitable habitat.
“Sometimes you come from work in the evening only to find a snake lying in your veranda,” Mr Rashid, a resident of the community, mentioned.
Aside the need for water and lights, the absence of roads is yet another key developmental challenge in Bomahagu and other new suburbs of Tamale.
The urban roads department has not opened up new roads in Bomahagu and thus residents in this area have to create pathways to facilitate the movement of both humans and automobiles.
Each year, the residents contribute money to purchase some gravel and fill in some of the pot holes on the pathway, but their efforts go in vain when the rains come in huge quantities, because the paths get flooded and tall grasses grow in every direction.
“At a point, I had to pack my car and walk through the mud anytime I was going to town or coming home,” stated Mr Rashid.
The question one is tempted then to ask is: what is being done to address these challenges?
Indeed, officials at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) have repeatedly promised that Bomahagu, Koblimahagu, Taha, Kpanbiewu and many other peri-urban communities of Tamale would soon be connected to the national grid through the Rural Electrification Project.
However, there is yet no signal of the commencement of this project and the residents remain hopeless.
For water and roads, it appears there is no immediate plan by the TaMA to provide any of these to the people of Bomahagu and its surroundings as checks have revealed nothing substantial.
May be they are waiting for a public protest by the inhabitants before they see the need to expand these services to these people. Well, the people are waiting and their patience may run out soon.
TB CONTROL IN NR RECORDS SUCCESS (BACK PAGE, JUNE 21, 2011)
THE control of Tuberculosis in the Northern Region is recording some modest gains.
According to the Regional Co-ordinator of the TB Control Programme, Mr Abu Accrachie, outcomes resulting from the management of TB cases in the region has been very positive.
He said this was reflected by the treatment success rate recorded each year.
He mentioned that in 2006, the success rate was 77.8 per cent and in 2007 and 2008, the rate increased to 83 and 87 per cent, respectively.
“In 2009, we recorded a success rate of 85.2 per cent and although it was a decline from that of 2008, it was still a positive outcome,” he noted.
Mr Accrachie said the control programme had three main objectives, which are: to reduce morbidity and mortality due to TB, to control TB transmission such that it doesn’t become a public health concern and to prevent the development of TB drug resistance.
He said the programme had therefore adopted certain measures aimed towards meeting these objectives.
“We are sending the treatment to the doorsteps of patients through their relatives, caretakers and other supporters,” he noted.
Mr Accrachie further revealed that the control programme will commence Contact Tracing of all TB patients, which involve finding out the various persons who have contact with the patient, so that they could also be tested.
He also mentioned that the programme would engage many more people, be they youth groups, churches or schools, to sensitize them to ways of preventing TB infection or helping in its management.
He again noted that whilst undertaking those measures, the health providers would continue to adhere to a standardised treatment regiment for all patients based on a categorisation procedure.
“We have also adopted a standardised diagnostic tool for TB patients, a standardised reporting system and an uninterrupted drug supply system,” he further mentioned.
The TB control co-ordinator however stated that the challenge with the control programme in the Northern Region was how to make case detection more effective.
In his estimation, the number of cases recorded each year could not be the realistic picture on the ground, since the figures were too low.
“The region was expected to record about 4000 cases each year, but that is not the case for us,” he stated.
He said in 2008, 677 cases were detected, whiles in 2009 and 2010, 549 and 541 cases were detected, respectively, thereby indicating a decline in case detection.
Mr Accrachie identified the low awareness about TB and its symptoms as one of the reasons for the low case detection.
He also mentioned that although nurses and other health workers who attend to patients had been told that any patient who coughs for up to two weeks or more should be tested for TB, not all of the personnel adhered to this and therefore some of those living with the condition remain undiagnosed.
“We need more regular and committed staff, because many of those who have been trained did not stay longer to apply the skills,” he added.
According to the Regional Co-ordinator of the TB Control Programme, Mr Abu Accrachie, outcomes resulting from the management of TB cases in the region has been very positive.
He said this was reflected by the treatment success rate recorded each year.
He mentioned that in 2006, the success rate was 77.8 per cent and in 2007 and 2008, the rate increased to 83 and 87 per cent, respectively.
“In 2009, we recorded a success rate of 85.2 per cent and although it was a decline from that of 2008, it was still a positive outcome,” he noted.
Mr Accrachie said the control programme had three main objectives, which are: to reduce morbidity and mortality due to TB, to control TB transmission such that it doesn’t become a public health concern and to prevent the development of TB drug resistance.
He said the programme had therefore adopted certain measures aimed towards meeting these objectives.
“We are sending the treatment to the doorsteps of patients through their relatives, caretakers and other supporters,” he noted.
Mr Accrachie further revealed that the control programme will commence Contact Tracing of all TB patients, which involve finding out the various persons who have contact with the patient, so that they could also be tested.
He also mentioned that the programme would engage many more people, be they youth groups, churches or schools, to sensitize them to ways of preventing TB infection or helping in its management.
He again noted that whilst undertaking those measures, the health providers would continue to adhere to a standardised treatment regiment for all patients based on a categorisation procedure.
“We have also adopted a standardised diagnostic tool for TB patients, a standardised reporting system and an uninterrupted drug supply system,” he further mentioned.
The TB control co-ordinator however stated that the challenge with the control programme in the Northern Region was how to make case detection more effective.
In his estimation, the number of cases recorded each year could not be the realistic picture on the ground, since the figures were too low.
“The region was expected to record about 4000 cases each year, but that is not the case for us,” he stated.
He said in 2008, 677 cases were detected, whiles in 2009 and 2010, 549 and 541 cases were detected, respectively, thereby indicating a decline in case detection.
Mr Accrachie identified the low awareness about TB and its symptoms as one of the reasons for the low case detection.
He also mentioned that although nurses and other health workers who attend to patients had been told that any patient who coughs for up to two weeks or more should be tested for TB, not all of the personnel adhered to this and therefore some of those living with the condition remain undiagnosed.
“We need more regular and committed staff, because many of those who have been trained did not stay longer to apply the skills,” he added.
CATHOLIC LADIES DONATE TO SHEKINAH CLINIC (PAGE 18, JUNE 18, 2011)
THE Grand Ladies Auxiliary District Four of the Catholic Church in Tamale has donated a number of assorted items and cash to the Shekinah clinic, a home that provides medical care for destitute and the mentally-challenged in Tamale.
The items included bags of rice, maize, sugar, toiletries and used clothing.
Making the presentation, Sister Mary Dan-Braimah noted that the donation formed part of activities to mark the celebration of the Ladies week of the association held at the Sacred Heart Parish in Tamale.
“We chose Shekinah Clinic because we know the good work being done here by the caretakers and so we want to help ease your burden a little,” she stated.
Sister Mary commended the caretakers for demonstrate such care, noting that these were the virtues that Jesus Christ manifested for which man was expected to emulate.
The founder and Director of Shekinah Clinic, Dr David Abdulai, who received the items, thanked the ladies group for endeavouring to extend a hand of support to the inmates of the home.
He mentioned that, in spite of the difficulties, Shekinah Clinic continued to offer free medical care to the inmates, as well as other people who visit the home for care.
He also mentioned the free launch that is offered to mentally challenged persons dotted around the city as a way of helping cater for those who are not in the home, but need the support of the home.
The items included bags of rice, maize, sugar, toiletries and used clothing.
Making the presentation, Sister Mary Dan-Braimah noted that the donation formed part of activities to mark the celebration of the Ladies week of the association held at the Sacred Heart Parish in Tamale.
“We chose Shekinah Clinic because we know the good work being done here by the caretakers and so we want to help ease your burden a little,” she stated.
Sister Mary commended the caretakers for demonstrate such care, noting that these were the virtues that Jesus Christ manifested for which man was expected to emulate.
The founder and Director of Shekinah Clinic, Dr David Abdulai, who received the items, thanked the ladies group for endeavouring to extend a hand of support to the inmates of the home.
He mentioned that, in spite of the difficulties, Shekinah Clinic continued to offer free medical care to the inmates, as well as other people who visit the home for care.
He also mentioned the free launch that is offered to mentally challenged persons dotted around the city as a way of helping cater for those who are not in the home, but need the support of the home.
23 STUDENTS DISMISSED - FOR USING FAKE RESULTS FOR ADMISSION (PAGE 46, JUNE 1, 2011)
TWENTY-THREE past and present students of the Tamale Polytechnic (T-Poly) have been dismissed by the school’s authorities after it was revealed that these students had gained admission with fake result slips.
Whiles the past students would not be awarded their certificates, although they had completed their studies, the present students have been withdrawn from the polytechnic.
The Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Mr Mohammed Aziz, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the dismissals, though harsh, was the appropriate punishment for such offences, “because these students did not merit their status.”
He said the polytechnic had come to this decision following series of verification from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other examination bodies, which all revealed contrary.
He also mentioned that it took so long to verify some of the documentations because the process was cumbersome, due to the pressure on the institutions verifying the documents.
Seven of the dismissed students were studying for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Secretaryship and Management Studies, whiles two groups of six were offering HND Accountancy and Marketing, respectively.
The rest were pursuing an HND in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management, Statistics and Mechanical Engineering.
The PRO indicated that the records of some of the affected students showed that some of them were admitted during the 2006-2007 academic year and had therefore completed their studies.
“As a result, the polytechnic has informed the National Board for Professional and Technical Examination (NABTEX) not to award certificates to any of these culprits,” he stated.
Mr Aziz said the polytechnic had resolved to publish the names of the affected students to serve as a deterrent to others who might be contemplating doing so.
Meanwhile, the polytechnic is currently verifying the results of students who have been offered admission into the first year and the PRO insists that students who are found to possess fake documentations would suffer the same fate as their predecessors.
“Our polytechnic is a serious one and therefore we cannot compromise on standards, which are the guiding principles for providing quality education,” he noted, adding that relaxing the rules could dent the credibility of the polytechnic.
Whiles the past students would not be awarded their certificates, although they had completed their studies, the present students have been withdrawn from the polytechnic.
The Public Relations Officer of the polytechnic, Mr Mohammed Aziz, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the dismissals, though harsh, was the appropriate punishment for such offences, “because these students did not merit their status.”
He said the polytechnic had come to this decision following series of verification from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other examination bodies, which all revealed contrary.
He also mentioned that it took so long to verify some of the documentations because the process was cumbersome, due to the pressure on the institutions verifying the documents.
Seven of the dismissed students were studying for a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Secretaryship and Management Studies, whiles two groups of six were offering HND Accountancy and Marketing, respectively.
The rest were pursuing an HND in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management, Statistics and Mechanical Engineering.
The PRO indicated that the records of some of the affected students showed that some of them were admitted during the 2006-2007 academic year and had therefore completed their studies.
“As a result, the polytechnic has informed the National Board for Professional and Technical Examination (NABTEX) not to award certificates to any of these culprits,” he stated.
Mr Aziz said the polytechnic had resolved to publish the names of the affected students to serve as a deterrent to others who might be contemplating doing so.
Meanwhile, the polytechnic is currently verifying the results of students who have been offered admission into the first year and the PRO insists that students who are found to possess fake documentations would suffer the same fate as their predecessors.
“Our polytechnic is a serious one and therefore we cannot compromise on standards, which are the guiding principles for providing quality education,” he noted, adding that relaxing the rules could dent the credibility of the polytechnic.
JOURNALISTS TRAINED IN PEACE-BUILDING (PAGE 34, JUNE 7, 2011)
FIFTEEN journalists selected from the three Northern Regions have completed the second in a series of training programmes on peace-building.
The training, which took place in Tamale, was designed towards building the capacity of the journalists to promote peace journalism instead of focusing on the violent aspects of conflicts.
Peace journalism, which is relatively new, is described as a type of journalism that unravels the root causes of conflicts and explores avenues for resolution.
The training programme was organised by the Rural Media Network (RUMNET), a grassroots media and rights-based advocacy organisation, with funding from the Sustainable Peace Initiative.
Speaking at the opening of the training, the Executive Director of the RUMNET, Mr Abdullah Kassim noted that the media could play a very important role in the process of peace-building by being a critical partner in promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.
“The media has both the capacity to promote peace and to trigger escalation of conflict and violence. Whatever a journalist does in his or her work has an effect on a society and influences the behaviour of individuals and groups,” he explained.
Mr Kassim said RUMNET had therefore embarked on the training following the realisation that conflicts in the north were sometimes exacerbated by unprofessional media reports.
“Our main goal is to groom a new crop of journalists who would be very sensitive and circumspect in their reportage on conflicts and would contribute to peace-building rather than worsening the conflicts,” he noted.
One of the lead facilitators, Mr Albert Yelyang of the Ghana Network for Peace-building (GHANEP) entreated the participants to promote conflict early warning systems, since timely interventions could stem the degeneration of conflicts.
He described early warning as the systematic collection and analysis of data for formulation of recommendations, adding that using this method to tackle conflicts would prevent an escalation of conflicts.
“When conflicts degenerate into violence, they become more difficult and costly to manage and therefore all of us must work towards prevent this scenario,” he added.
At the end of the training, some of the participants told the Daily Graphic that the training would make a difference in their reportage and discussions on conflicts.
“The early warning and conflict analysis would help me to report more properly on conflicts in the Upper East region, such as the one in Bawku,” Mr Samuel Akapule of the GNA in Bolga stated.
A correspondent for Citi FM, Mr Karim Nantogma noted that the workshop had exposed him to broad issues with regards to conflicts and its management or resolution.
“I now understand that as a journalist, I must go beyond reporting only the violent aspects of conflicts, but to dig deeper to unravel and analyse the root causes of these conflicts and thereby offer suggestions for peaceful resolution,” he explained.
The training, which took place in Tamale, was designed towards building the capacity of the journalists to promote peace journalism instead of focusing on the violent aspects of conflicts.
Peace journalism, which is relatively new, is described as a type of journalism that unravels the root causes of conflicts and explores avenues for resolution.
The training programme was organised by the Rural Media Network (RUMNET), a grassroots media and rights-based advocacy organisation, with funding from the Sustainable Peace Initiative.
Speaking at the opening of the training, the Executive Director of the RUMNET, Mr Abdullah Kassim noted that the media could play a very important role in the process of peace-building by being a critical partner in promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.
“The media has both the capacity to promote peace and to trigger escalation of conflict and violence. Whatever a journalist does in his or her work has an effect on a society and influences the behaviour of individuals and groups,” he explained.
Mr Kassim said RUMNET had therefore embarked on the training following the realisation that conflicts in the north were sometimes exacerbated by unprofessional media reports.
“Our main goal is to groom a new crop of journalists who would be very sensitive and circumspect in their reportage on conflicts and would contribute to peace-building rather than worsening the conflicts,” he noted.
One of the lead facilitators, Mr Albert Yelyang of the Ghana Network for Peace-building (GHANEP) entreated the participants to promote conflict early warning systems, since timely interventions could stem the degeneration of conflicts.
He described early warning as the systematic collection and analysis of data for formulation of recommendations, adding that using this method to tackle conflicts would prevent an escalation of conflicts.
“When conflicts degenerate into violence, they become more difficult and costly to manage and therefore all of us must work towards prevent this scenario,” he added.
At the end of the training, some of the participants told the Daily Graphic that the training would make a difference in their reportage and discussions on conflicts.
“The early warning and conflict analysis would help me to report more properly on conflicts in the Upper East region, such as the one in Bawku,” Mr Samuel Akapule of the GNA in Bolga stated.
A correspondent for Citi FM, Mr Karim Nantogma noted that the workshop had exposed him to broad issues with regards to conflicts and its management or resolution.
“I now understand that as a journalist, I must go beyond reporting only the violent aspects of conflicts, but to dig deeper to unravel and analyse the root causes of these conflicts and thereby offer suggestions for peaceful resolution,” he explained.
TAMALE LIBRARY GETS COPIES OF "A SENSE OF SAVANNAH" (PAGE 34, JUNE 7, 2011)
ADULTS and children who patronise the Northern Regional Library in Tamale now have the opportunity to read Kofi Akpabli’s “A Sense of Savannah – Tales of a friendly walk through Northern Ghana.”
The book, which has received rave reviews from various notable personalities and institutions, was presented to the library to enable library users to also have a feel of the book.
It was launched in Accra by the revered diplomat, Mr K. B. Asante and Dr Sulley Gariba, the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Analysis (IPA), who is also a board member of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
Published by TREC, the book is a traveller’s narration of his experiences during his sojourn through northern Ghana, notably the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.
The author, a freelance journalist, is a CNN/Multichoice African Journalist for Arts and Culture award winner whose travel articles have been published in the national newspapers, including the Daily Graphic and Graphic Showbiz.
Whiles Mr Akpabli describes his book as a “witty collection of travel tales that best express the character of Ghana’s savannah setting,” the Rover Report Monthly thinks the book “opens the window for those who have never been to the northern parts of Ghana to appreciate how rich the people are in culture and human values.”
Receiving the books, the Manager of the Northern Regional Library, Mr Aaron Kuwornu thanked the author and publishers of the book for endeavouring to present some copies of their book to the library.
He said many a time, users of the library yearned for interesting and educative books like “A Sense of Savannah,” but were mostly disappointed.
Mr Kuwornu said the book was more than a tourist guide, adding that it is “one that tells the story of the north, its people and history in a relaxed and exciting manner.”
Meanwhile, copies of the book are currently being sold in some bookshops and supermarkets in the Tamale metropolis and some people who have bought and read the book have described it as informative and hilarious.
“For me, this publication tells the real story of the north and its people. A warm friendly environment with a people whose hospitality has been well acknowledged and not just one of conflicts and sufferings,” Mr Abdullah Issah stated.
For Hajia Katumi Alhassan, a retired midwife, the author deserves commendation for endeavouring to tell the story of the north, although he does not hail from the north.
She therefore reminded northern elites of the need to promote their homeland instead of destroying it.
The book, which has received rave reviews from various notable personalities and institutions, was presented to the library to enable library users to also have a feel of the book.
It was launched in Accra by the revered diplomat, Mr K. B. Asante and Dr Sulley Gariba, the Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Analysis (IPA), who is also a board member of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
Published by TREC, the book is a traveller’s narration of his experiences during his sojourn through northern Ghana, notably the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.
The author, a freelance journalist, is a CNN/Multichoice African Journalist for Arts and Culture award winner whose travel articles have been published in the national newspapers, including the Daily Graphic and Graphic Showbiz.
Whiles Mr Akpabli describes his book as a “witty collection of travel tales that best express the character of Ghana’s savannah setting,” the Rover Report Monthly thinks the book “opens the window for those who have never been to the northern parts of Ghana to appreciate how rich the people are in culture and human values.”
Receiving the books, the Manager of the Northern Regional Library, Mr Aaron Kuwornu thanked the author and publishers of the book for endeavouring to present some copies of their book to the library.
He said many a time, users of the library yearned for interesting and educative books like “A Sense of Savannah,” but were mostly disappointed.
Mr Kuwornu said the book was more than a tourist guide, adding that it is “one that tells the story of the north, its people and history in a relaxed and exciting manner.”
Meanwhile, copies of the book are currently being sold in some bookshops and supermarkets in the Tamale metropolis and some people who have bought and read the book have described it as informative and hilarious.
“For me, this publication tells the real story of the north and its people. A warm friendly environment with a people whose hospitality has been well acknowledged and not just one of conflicts and sufferings,” Mr Abdullah Issah stated.
For Hajia Katumi Alhassan, a retired midwife, the author deserves commendation for endeavouring to tell the story of the north, although he does not hail from the north.
She therefore reminded northern elites of the need to promote their homeland instead of destroying it.
FARMERS NETWORK PREPARES MEMBERS FOR FARMING SEASON (PAGE 34, JUNE 7, 2011)
THE Farmer Organisations Network of Ghana (FONG) is preparing farmers in the Northern Region to exploit various agricultural support packages that would assist them achieve higher yield during this year’s farming season.
As part of efforts to achieve this objective, the organisation brought farmers from the nook and cranny of the region to a symposium to sensitise them to ways of accessing agricultural support packages, either from government or the private sector.
The forum, which took place in Tamale, witnessed presentations by officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Rice Sector Support Project (RSSP), Masara N’Arziki and others.
Officials from MOFA indicated that the credit in kind scheme being offered to farmers who had opted to benefit from the Block Farming concept and the livestock project was still operational.
The farmers were therefore encouraged to link up with the extension officers in their respective communities to enable them tap these opportunities.
A caution was however issued to the farmers to desist from the practice of failing to repay credits offered them by either government or financial institutions.
According to officials of MoFA, many farmers who had acquired agric machinery under the credit scheme had failed to repay these loans and this was hindering the progress of the programme.
Personnel from the NRGP also entreated the farmers to tap the various opportunities being offered by the programme, which include subsidy on agric machinery and the linkage to financial institutions and input dealers.
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.
In the estimation of Mr Mohammed Alhassan Adam, the Executive Director of GRAMEEN Ghana, a food security and micro-finance non-governmental organisation, “knowledge is the tool for people to access their rights.”
He explained that such forums enabled farmers to know what is meant for them and to build their capacities to benefit from these opportunities.
Meanwhile, one of the key issues that emerged at the forum was the need for the various farmer organisations nationwide to unite under one umbrella to champion the cause of farmers.
According to the Tamale Metropolitan Director of Agric, Mr Kwamena Arkorful, uniting under one body would give farmers a stronger voice.
He noted that the situation where farmers spoke through various channels weakened their advocacy and created some discrepancies.
Mr Arkoful further explained that farmers had a greater chance of being listened to by governments if they had a much stronger body, adding that their power to negotiate for fairer prices would also be enhanced.
“Our farmers would also have the opportunity to benefit from the information flow on best practices and new opportunities when we all operate under one umbrella,” Mr Arkoful further mentioned.
As part of efforts to achieve this objective, the organisation brought farmers from the nook and cranny of the region to a symposium to sensitise them to ways of accessing agricultural support packages, either from government or the private sector.
The forum, which took place in Tamale, witnessed presentations by officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), Rice Sector Support Project (RSSP), Masara N’Arziki and others.
Officials from MOFA indicated that the credit in kind scheme being offered to farmers who had opted to benefit from the Block Farming concept and the livestock project was still operational.
The farmers were therefore encouraged to link up with the extension officers in their respective communities to enable them tap these opportunities.
A caution was however issued to the farmers to desist from the practice of failing to repay credits offered them by either government or financial institutions.
According to officials of MoFA, many farmers who had acquired agric machinery under the credit scheme had failed to repay these loans and this was hindering the progress of the programme.
Personnel from the NRGP also entreated the farmers to tap the various opportunities being offered by the programme, which include subsidy on agric machinery and the linkage to financial institutions and input dealers.
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.
In the estimation of Mr Mohammed Alhassan Adam, the Executive Director of GRAMEEN Ghana, a food security and micro-finance non-governmental organisation, “knowledge is the tool for people to access their rights.”
He explained that such forums enabled farmers to know what is meant for them and to build their capacities to benefit from these opportunities.
Meanwhile, one of the key issues that emerged at the forum was the need for the various farmer organisations nationwide to unite under one umbrella to champion the cause of farmers.
According to the Tamale Metropolitan Director of Agric, Mr Kwamena Arkorful, uniting under one body would give farmers a stronger voice.
He noted that the situation where farmers spoke through various channels weakened their advocacy and created some discrepancies.
Mr Arkoful further explained that farmers had a greater chance of being listened to by governments if they had a much stronger body, adding that their power to negotiate for fairer prices would also be enhanced.
“Our farmers would also have the opportunity to benefit from the information flow on best practices and new opportunities when we all operate under one umbrella,” Mr Arkoful further mentioned.
NORTHERN REGION REDUCES MATERNAL DEATHS (PAGE 11, JUNE 7, 2011)
IT has become a global objective to reduce drastically the number of women who die each year as a result of labour-related complications.
This therefore explains why world leaders made it one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that the world must attain by 2015.
It is the exactly the same reason why health personnel in Ghana have been making efforts, in the face of very difficult conditions, to improve maternal health, and consequently reduce maternal deaths.
In the Northern Region, the largest in the country, the drive to reduce maternal mortality is faced with even more difficulties.
Many women in the region have died during labour because they could not access healthcare at the time it was most needed for many reasons.
The lack of health facilities and health professionals to man the available facilities appears to be among the topmost factors promoting maternal death in the region.
By the end of last year, the region had 263 health facilities, 19 of which were hospitals, four maternity homes, three poly-clinics and the majority being Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds.
Recently, the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama commissioned five new ultra-modern clinics for five towns. They are Janga, Chereponi, Karaga, Tatale and Kpandai.
Aside providing quality healthcare to the people, it is envisaged that these clinics would strengthen the countries’ drive towards achieving the MDGs on maternal and child health through safe delivery, immunisation, and the integrated management of childhood illness.
Again, the inadequacy of health professionals means many pregnant women undergo labour under the supervision of traditional birth attendants or unskilled birth attendants.
According to the Northern Regional Director of Health, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, there were only 15 doctors and 210 midwives working in the regional and district health facilities in the region by the end of 2010.
The poor nature of roads in the NR is certainly another reason why many pregnant women who live in inaccessible communities are denied safe motherhood services, especially during the rainy season when various roads are inundated.
As at the end of 2009, only 31 per cent of roads in the NR were rated good, whiles 22 per cent were considered poor. The rest were classified as fairly usable.
This situation definitely requires significant improvement if any progress is to be made in tackling maternal mortality.
In spite of all these challenges, figures released by the Northern Regional Health Directorate reveals that some modest gains are being made towards reducing maternal deaths.
According to the Deputy Director of Health in charge of Public Health, Dr Jacob Mahama, 91 maternal deaths were recorded in 2006, 115 in 2007, 91 in 2008 and 96 in 2009.
He said in 2010, the number of maternal deaths reduced to 81, which is an indication that some progress was being made in addressing maternal mortality.
Dr Mahama also mentioned that the number of supervised or skilled deliveries increased by 35 per cent in 2010, although the target was to increase it by 45 per cent.
He said the rate at which women patronised antenatal and postnatal care services also witnessed some slight increases, but pinpointed gaps in the acceptance and practice of family planning.
Dr Mahama said, hopefully, the region would strive to further reduce the number of labour-related deaths by strengthening various measures that have been adopted to promote safe motherhood.
Meanwhile, the only teaching hospital in the north, the Tamale Teaching Hospital also recorded some successes in reducing maternal mortality at that facility.
In 2008, the hospital recorded 54 maternal deaths and in 2009, the figure reduced to 33.
“The maternity department made these advances in the face of very trying conditions of limited space in the labour and delivery unit, the maternity and gynaecology wards, with mothers who have just delivered lying on the floor,” stated the Chief Executive Officer of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe during the 2010 annual performance review conference.
He identified Eclampsia, unsafe abortion, postpartum haemorrhage, severe anaemia and sepsis and septicaemia as the main causes of maternal deaths at the facility.
In short, much more needs to be done to sustain the current steady progress being made in reducing maternal deaths.
This therefore explains why world leaders made it one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that the world must attain by 2015.
It is the exactly the same reason why health personnel in Ghana have been making efforts, in the face of very difficult conditions, to improve maternal health, and consequently reduce maternal deaths.
In the Northern Region, the largest in the country, the drive to reduce maternal mortality is faced with even more difficulties.
Many women in the region have died during labour because they could not access healthcare at the time it was most needed for many reasons.
The lack of health facilities and health professionals to man the available facilities appears to be among the topmost factors promoting maternal death in the region.
By the end of last year, the region had 263 health facilities, 19 of which were hospitals, four maternity homes, three poly-clinics and the majority being Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds.
Recently, the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama commissioned five new ultra-modern clinics for five towns. They are Janga, Chereponi, Karaga, Tatale and Kpandai.
Aside providing quality healthcare to the people, it is envisaged that these clinics would strengthen the countries’ drive towards achieving the MDGs on maternal and child health through safe delivery, immunisation, and the integrated management of childhood illness.
Again, the inadequacy of health professionals means many pregnant women undergo labour under the supervision of traditional birth attendants or unskilled birth attendants.
According to the Northern Regional Director of Health, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, there were only 15 doctors and 210 midwives working in the regional and district health facilities in the region by the end of 2010.
The poor nature of roads in the NR is certainly another reason why many pregnant women who live in inaccessible communities are denied safe motherhood services, especially during the rainy season when various roads are inundated.
As at the end of 2009, only 31 per cent of roads in the NR were rated good, whiles 22 per cent were considered poor. The rest were classified as fairly usable.
This situation definitely requires significant improvement if any progress is to be made in tackling maternal mortality.
In spite of all these challenges, figures released by the Northern Regional Health Directorate reveals that some modest gains are being made towards reducing maternal deaths.
According to the Deputy Director of Health in charge of Public Health, Dr Jacob Mahama, 91 maternal deaths were recorded in 2006, 115 in 2007, 91 in 2008 and 96 in 2009.
He said in 2010, the number of maternal deaths reduced to 81, which is an indication that some progress was being made in addressing maternal mortality.
Dr Mahama also mentioned that the number of supervised or skilled deliveries increased by 35 per cent in 2010, although the target was to increase it by 45 per cent.
He said the rate at which women patronised antenatal and postnatal care services also witnessed some slight increases, but pinpointed gaps in the acceptance and practice of family planning.
Dr Mahama said, hopefully, the region would strive to further reduce the number of labour-related deaths by strengthening various measures that have been adopted to promote safe motherhood.
Meanwhile, the only teaching hospital in the north, the Tamale Teaching Hospital also recorded some successes in reducing maternal mortality at that facility.
In 2008, the hospital recorded 54 maternal deaths and in 2009, the figure reduced to 33.
“The maternity department made these advances in the face of very trying conditions of limited space in the labour and delivery unit, the maternity and gynaecology wards, with mothers who have just delivered lying on the floor,” stated the Chief Executive Officer of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe during the 2010 annual performance review conference.
He identified Eclampsia, unsafe abortion, postpartum haemorrhage, severe anaemia and sepsis and septicaemia as the main causes of maternal deaths at the facility.
In short, much more needs to be done to sustain the current steady progress being made in reducing maternal deaths.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
UNITING PEOPLE IN THE N/R (PAGE 7, APR 2, 2011)
IT is often difficult to put behind us the past misgivings and ethnic sentiments that we have against people from other ethnic groups because we have grown up with these ill-feelings.
Children are mostly the instruments used to perpetuate such hatred and this leads to prolonged conflicts.
The children are indoctrinated with hate ideas, prejudices and ethnocentric sentiments, thereby preparing them to pursue the conflicts started by their great grandfathers.
It is to bring a stop to this practice that two non-governmental organisations, the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) and Tuma Kavi Development Programme, have been engaging children in the Eastern corridors of Northern Region in activities that tend to unite them.
It is the belief of these two organisations that helping to groom the children to love each other could be a major catalyst in ending conflicts in that part of the region.
Therefore, the CCFC and Tuma Kavi organise activities such as sports and other play activities to bring the children together to socialise and appreciate the value of each other.
One of such events took place over the weekend at Demon in the Saboba district, where most of the indigenes are either Kokombas or Dagombas, with a portion of them being settlers of Ewe origin.
Children selected from seven schools representing the various communities in the district took part in various outdoor sporting events.
At the end of it all, children from the Kpalba L/A primary school emerged the overall winners, whiles their colleagues from Demon L/A primary school were rewarded for their fair play.
In fact, the CCFC has carved a niche for itself in implementing interventions that help improve the welfare of children and women in deprived communities.
It has done this through various ways, such as the provision of schools, clinics, micro-credit, water facilities and educational materials.
It is therefore not surprising that the CCFC has extended its tentacles to peace efforts since it acknowledges the fact that the children need to grow in an atmosphere of harmony and hope of a better future.
“In all, about 20,000 children have benefited from the support we have provided in education alone,” Madam Sanatu Nantogma, the Country Director of the CCFC stated during the organisation’s 50th anniversary symposia.
According to her, from 2003 to date, a total of about 15.5 million Canadian dollars has been spent on various projects aimed at securing a better livelihood for children and women in deprived communities.
“Many children have ambitions and will like to achieve them. They want to be doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots and great footballers. How can they achieve these dreams if we do not help them today,” she asked, rhetorically.
According to the Programme Officer of Tuma Kavi, Mr Joshua Mogre, his organisation would remain committed to implementing child-centred interventions, not only to meet their physical needs, but to improve their general social and psychological wellbeing.
“This is why we only do not construct schools, but proceed to provide learning and play materials to create an enabling environment for their development,” he noted.
Mr Mogre pointed out that the play activities would not only engender positive socialisation among the children of various ethnic groups, but also build on their physical and mental health.
Children are mostly the instruments used to perpetuate such hatred and this leads to prolonged conflicts.
The children are indoctrinated with hate ideas, prejudices and ethnocentric sentiments, thereby preparing them to pursue the conflicts started by their great grandfathers.
It is to bring a stop to this practice that two non-governmental organisations, the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) and Tuma Kavi Development Programme, have been engaging children in the Eastern corridors of Northern Region in activities that tend to unite them.
It is the belief of these two organisations that helping to groom the children to love each other could be a major catalyst in ending conflicts in that part of the region.
Therefore, the CCFC and Tuma Kavi organise activities such as sports and other play activities to bring the children together to socialise and appreciate the value of each other.
One of such events took place over the weekend at Demon in the Saboba district, where most of the indigenes are either Kokombas or Dagombas, with a portion of them being settlers of Ewe origin.
Children selected from seven schools representing the various communities in the district took part in various outdoor sporting events.
At the end of it all, children from the Kpalba L/A primary school emerged the overall winners, whiles their colleagues from Demon L/A primary school were rewarded for their fair play.
In fact, the CCFC has carved a niche for itself in implementing interventions that help improve the welfare of children and women in deprived communities.
It has done this through various ways, such as the provision of schools, clinics, micro-credit, water facilities and educational materials.
It is therefore not surprising that the CCFC has extended its tentacles to peace efforts since it acknowledges the fact that the children need to grow in an atmosphere of harmony and hope of a better future.
“In all, about 20,000 children have benefited from the support we have provided in education alone,” Madam Sanatu Nantogma, the Country Director of the CCFC stated during the organisation’s 50th anniversary symposia.
According to her, from 2003 to date, a total of about 15.5 million Canadian dollars has been spent on various projects aimed at securing a better livelihood for children and women in deprived communities.
“Many children have ambitions and will like to achieve them. They want to be doctors, nurses, teachers, pilots and great footballers. How can they achieve these dreams if we do not help them today,” she asked, rhetorically.
According to the Programme Officer of Tuma Kavi, Mr Joshua Mogre, his organisation would remain committed to implementing child-centred interventions, not only to meet their physical needs, but to improve their general social and psychological wellbeing.
“This is why we only do not construct schools, but proceed to provide learning and play materials to create an enabling environment for their development,” he noted.
Mr Mogre pointed out that the play activities would not only engender positive socialisation among the children of various ethnic groups, but also build on their physical and mental health.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
ARE THE FULANI OUR ENEMIES (PAGE 19, MAR 31, 2011)
ABOUT two months ago, the Agogomanhene, Nana Akuako Sarpong was said to have ordered the Fulani herdsmen to leave his jurisdiction.
The chief was pressured into this decision following a massive demonstration by some of his subjects, who vowed to forcibly evict Fulani herdsmen from the Agogo Township, if the Chief did not annul a contractual agreement he had supposedly entered into with them.
It appears that many Ghanaians are increasingly becoming intolerant of the Fulani immigrants, particularly the herdsmen.
The destruction of crops by cattle shepherded by the Fulani, the pollution of water bodies and the rampant loss of cattle to rustlers have been identified as some of the key factors that are responsible for the anger against the Fulani herdsmen.
In addition, the Fulani pastoralists have been accused of unleashing brutality on inhabitants. Some locals claim that the Fulani are well-armed and they attack and kill anyone who causes harm to their cattle.
Steve Tonah (2002) also acknowledges in his paper on “Fulani pastoralists, indigenous farmers and the contest for land in Northern Ghana” that in Northern Ghana, conflicts between pastoralists and farmers had been heightened by increased competition for the most fertile land along the banks of the Volta Lake.
To add salt to injury, some Fulani immigrants have now become targets of the national security apparatus due to their alleged involvement in acts that breach the law, notably rape, murder and highway robbery.
Several arrests have been made and some of them are currently languishing in jail having been found guilty.
Again, because the Fulani herdsmen operate across borders, they mostly fail to pass through proper immigration processes before settling in their host communities and this contravenes both national and international laws.
As Dr Ly Boubacar of the School of Wisdom in Burkina Faso would say, “the Fulani know no borders.”
Some of them have consequently been sited in cases of illegal immigration. For instance, on 24th April, 2010, the Ghana Immigration Service officials arrested five Fulani herdsmen on the Ghana-Togo border, and drove their 700 cattle back into Togo.
With these and many other factors, one can therefore appreciate why many people are raising their voices against the Fulani, particularly the herdsmen.
In fact, the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP) has repeatedly attempted drawing the government’s attention to this rising tension, but it appears government remains oblivious of this emerging threat to peace and stability.
The government has failed to come out with a more pragmatic approach towards addressing the challenges involving the operations of nomadic pastoralists in the country.
Instead, government officials have only reacted to calls for the expulsion of Fulani herdsmen from the country, insisting that the ECOWAS protocol ties the hands of the government.
Indeed, the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, promulgated in Dakar, Senegal, on 29th of May, 1979, stipulates that each citizen of the Community have the right to enter, reside and establish in the territory of member states.
However, member states reserve the right under the protocol to expel any immigrant citizen in accordance with laid down procedures “for reasons of national security, public order or morality.”
But should the discussion about Fulani herdsmen and their activities be limited to a debate of whether they should be sacked or not? Of course not, this is certainly an un-pragmatic way of dealing with the issue.
Otherwise, we should have advocated that all Nigerians be expelled due to the involvement of a few of them in fraudulent transactions.
Resolving the conflicts between the Fulani herdsmen and the Ghanaian community cannot be pursued, successfully, if the biases and prejudice against the Fulani race are not erased.
Whiles there is some justification for the revolt against Fulani herdsmen, there is little logic in branding the Fulani people as criminals, because that is unjustifiable.
The extension of the anger against some Fulani herdsmen or criminal elements onto all Fulani people is a form of cultural stereotyping that threatens to cloud sound judgement on how to address the issue of pastoralists.
Just as we cannot conclude that all Ghanaians are rapists simply because some Ghanaians engage in rape, similarly, it would be unfair to characterise all Fulani people as criminals.
In reality, the solution to the so-called ‘Fulani menace’ cannot be addressed by a single stitch, as the issues are multi-faceted. Each issue must be tackled on its merits.
Whiles our law enforcement agencies deal with the criminal aspects, all stakeholders must come together to address conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and local people with respect to access to land and water, especially at this time where climate change poses a threat to these two resources.
It is worth noting that participants at the end of a two-day Consultative Meeting on Agriculture and Pastoralist Conflicts in West Africa, held in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso between 21st and 24th February, 2011, made some recommendations towards addressing these conflicts.
Key among these was the need for governments in West Africa to give due recognition to pastoral agriculture and consider ways of harmonising its operations in line with other forms of agriculture.
They suggested the establishment of entry points and grazing reserves or routes for transhumance and also institute alternative dispute resolution processes to resolve the conflicts between nomadic pastoralists and their Ghanaian hosts, especially the sedentary farmers.
The participants noted that pastoralists and sedentary farmers have co-existed since time immemorial and, therefore, it is possible to build bridges between them.
Again, resolving the conflicts would also mean listening to both parties in the conflict. In fact, the voice of the Fulani community has been virtually drowned and relegated.
According to the Fulani chief of Tamale, Naaba Abdul Karim Adam, “anytime people hear that a Fulani man is engaged in a conflict with an indigene, they tend to side with the indigene and join in meting out violence on the Fulani.”
“Is that fair,” he asked rhetorically.
In conclusion, it is clear that a solution to the conflicts between indigenous inhabitants and migrant Fulani pastoralists should go beyond ethnic sentiments, because the Fulani are not our enemies.
The chief was pressured into this decision following a massive demonstration by some of his subjects, who vowed to forcibly evict Fulani herdsmen from the Agogo Township, if the Chief did not annul a contractual agreement he had supposedly entered into with them.
It appears that many Ghanaians are increasingly becoming intolerant of the Fulani immigrants, particularly the herdsmen.
The destruction of crops by cattle shepherded by the Fulani, the pollution of water bodies and the rampant loss of cattle to rustlers have been identified as some of the key factors that are responsible for the anger against the Fulani herdsmen.
In addition, the Fulani pastoralists have been accused of unleashing brutality on inhabitants. Some locals claim that the Fulani are well-armed and they attack and kill anyone who causes harm to their cattle.
Steve Tonah (2002) also acknowledges in his paper on “Fulani pastoralists, indigenous farmers and the contest for land in Northern Ghana” that in Northern Ghana, conflicts between pastoralists and farmers had been heightened by increased competition for the most fertile land along the banks of the Volta Lake.
To add salt to injury, some Fulani immigrants have now become targets of the national security apparatus due to their alleged involvement in acts that breach the law, notably rape, murder and highway robbery.
Several arrests have been made and some of them are currently languishing in jail having been found guilty.
Again, because the Fulani herdsmen operate across borders, they mostly fail to pass through proper immigration processes before settling in their host communities and this contravenes both national and international laws.
As Dr Ly Boubacar of the School of Wisdom in Burkina Faso would say, “the Fulani know no borders.”
Some of them have consequently been sited in cases of illegal immigration. For instance, on 24th April, 2010, the Ghana Immigration Service officials arrested five Fulani herdsmen on the Ghana-Togo border, and drove their 700 cattle back into Togo.
With these and many other factors, one can therefore appreciate why many people are raising their voices against the Fulani, particularly the herdsmen.
In fact, the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP) has repeatedly attempted drawing the government’s attention to this rising tension, but it appears government remains oblivious of this emerging threat to peace and stability.
The government has failed to come out with a more pragmatic approach towards addressing the challenges involving the operations of nomadic pastoralists in the country.
Instead, government officials have only reacted to calls for the expulsion of Fulani herdsmen from the country, insisting that the ECOWAS protocol ties the hands of the government.
Indeed, the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, promulgated in Dakar, Senegal, on 29th of May, 1979, stipulates that each citizen of the Community have the right to enter, reside and establish in the territory of member states.
However, member states reserve the right under the protocol to expel any immigrant citizen in accordance with laid down procedures “for reasons of national security, public order or morality.”
But should the discussion about Fulani herdsmen and their activities be limited to a debate of whether they should be sacked or not? Of course not, this is certainly an un-pragmatic way of dealing with the issue.
Otherwise, we should have advocated that all Nigerians be expelled due to the involvement of a few of them in fraudulent transactions.
Resolving the conflicts between the Fulani herdsmen and the Ghanaian community cannot be pursued, successfully, if the biases and prejudice against the Fulani race are not erased.
Whiles there is some justification for the revolt against Fulani herdsmen, there is little logic in branding the Fulani people as criminals, because that is unjustifiable.
The extension of the anger against some Fulani herdsmen or criminal elements onto all Fulani people is a form of cultural stereotyping that threatens to cloud sound judgement on how to address the issue of pastoralists.
Just as we cannot conclude that all Ghanaians are rapists simply because some Ghanaians engage in rape, similarly, it would be unfair to characterise all Fulani people as criminals.
In reality, the solution to the so-called ‘Fulani menace’ cannot be addressed by a single stitch, as the issues are multi-faceted. Each issue must be tackled on its merits.
Whiles our law enforcement agencies deal with the criminal aspects, all stakeholders must come together to address conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and local people with respect to access to land and water, especially at this time where climate change poses a threat to these two resources.
It is worth noting that participants at the end of a two-day Consultative Meeting on Agriculture and Pastoralist Conflicts in West Africa, held in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso between 21st and 24th February, 2011, made some recommendations towards addressing these conflicts.
Key among these was the need for governments in West Africa to give due recognition to pastoral agriculture and consider ways of harmonising its operations in line with other forms of agriculture.
They suggested the establishment of entry points and grazing reserves or routes for transhumance and also institute alternative dispute resolution processes to resolve the conflicts between nomadic pastoralists and their Ghanaian hosts, especially the sedentary farmers.
The participants noted that pastoralists and sedentary farmers have co-existed since time immemorial and, therefore, it is possible to build bridges between them.
Again, resolving the conflicts would also mean listening to both parties in the conflict. In fact, the voice of the Fulani community has been virtually drowned and relegated.
According to the Fulani chief of Tamale, Naaba Abdul Karim Adam, “anytime people hear that a Fulani man is engaged in a conflict with an indigene, they tend to side with the indigene and join in meting out violence on the Fulani.”
“Is that fair,” he asked rhetorically.
In conclusion, it is clear that a solution to the conflicts between indigenous inhabitants and migrant Fulani pastoralists should go beyond ethnic sentiments, because the Fulani are not our enemies.
MONITOR FEEDBACK ON GOVT PROJECTS - SAYS BE-AWURIBE (PAGE 12, MAR 31, 2011)
THE District Chief Executive (DCE) for Central Gonja, Mr Salisu Issifu Be-Awuribe has charged newly inaugurated assembly members to monitor feedback from their communities on the implementation of projects by the government.
According to him, the needs of communities keep changing with time and therefore it was crucial for the assembly to know if these projects were indeed addressing the development needs of the people at a particular time.
Mr Be-Awuribe made these remarks when he addressed the members of the newly constituted assembly for the Central Gonja district.
He said there was the need for the assembly members to adopt an effective and efficient methodology of reaching out to the people at the grassroots to explain government policies and programmes and monitor feedback.
Mr Be-Awuribe also tasked the assembly members to device effective community mobilizing skills to undertake community initiated projects without always looking up to the assembly.
In his estimation, not all development challenges at the local level could be addressed effectively by the assembly.
“I must also warn you that the position carries with it a huge challenges and burden, sacrifice and dedication, disappointment and frustrations insults and praises, suffering and little rewards especially the elected ones,” he further stated.
On the progress of development in the region, the DCE noted that the district had a huge natural and human resource potential, which is why the government intended transforming Buipe into the industrial hub of Northern Ghana.
He made mention of some gains that have been chalked in the district by the assembly in the areas of education, agriculture, health, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), youth employment and skills training.
He cited the revival of the cotton industry, which would involve farmers in the district and create new avenues of employment for the youth.
Mr Be-Awuribe said as part of efforts to open up the roads in the district, the assembly had acquired some heavy equipment that includes a motor grader and tipper truck.
“These set of equipment have enabled the assembly to open up the district to the satisfaction of many communities, but there is an urgent need for a bull dozer and wheel loader,” he indicated.
The DCE however cited some security challenges posed by the protracted Buipe chieftaincy dispute, highway robbery, land disputes and the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and indigenes, and entreated the new assembly to work towards addressing these issues.
According to him, the needs of communities keep changing with time and therefore it was crucial for the assembly to know if these projects were indeed addressing the development needs of the people at a particular time.
Mr Be-Awuribe made these remarks when he addressed the members of the newly constituted assembly for the Central Gonja district.
He said there was the need for the assembly members to adopt an effective and efficient methodology of reaching out to the people at the grassroots to explain government policies and programmes and monitor feedback.
Mr Be-Awuribe also tasked the assembly members to device effective community mobilizing skills to undertake community initiated projects without always looking up to the assembly.
In his estimation, not all development challenges at the local level could be addressed effectively by the assembly.
“I must also warn you that the position carries with it a huge challenges and burden, sacrifice and dedication, disappointment and frustrations insults and praises, suffering and little rewards especially the elected ones,” he further stated.
On the progress of development in the region, the DCE noted that the district had a huge natural and human resource potential, which is why the government intended transforming Buipe into the industrial hub of Northern Ghana.
He made mention of some gains that have been chalked in the district by the assembly in the areas of education, agriculture, health, Information Communication and Technology (ICT), youth employment and skills training.
He cited the revival of the cotton industry, which would involve farmers in the district and create new avenues of employment for the youth.
Mr Be-Awuribe said as part of efforts to open up the roads in the district, the assembly had acquired some heavy equipment that includes a motor grader and tipper truck.
“These set of equipment have enabled the assembly to open up the district to the satisfaction of many communities, but there is an urgent need for a bull dozer and wheel loader,” he indicated.
The DCE however cited some security challenges posed by the protracted Buipe chieftaincy dispute, highway robbery, land disputes and the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and indigenes, and entreated the new assembly to work towards addressing these issues.
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