SHEA INDUSTRY FACES IMMINENT COLLAPSE ...Due to low prices

(Daily Graphic, Nov 23, 2011, Back Page)

THE National Association of Shea nut Farmers, Processors and Buyers of Ghana has cautioned the government of an imminent collapse of the shea industry following the drastic reduction in the price of a bag of shea nuts.

According to them, the government had, for the first time through the Ghana Cocoa Board, unilaterally announced that 90 kilograms of shea nut should be sold at GH¢36.

They noted that this price represents a 31 per cent reduction over the existing market price, which is GH¢52 for 85 kilograms.

They therefore intimated that if government’s involvement in the shea industry would be to worsen the plight of the players and supervise the crumbling of the industry, then it is better the government allowed the existing arrangement where market forces determined the prices to prevail.

At a press conference in Tamale to put forth their grievances, the actors of the shea nut value chain argued that the fixing of unfair prices had discouraged many of the farmers and processers, particularly the women and youth, from continuing with the business.

They cautioned that a collapse of the share industry would have dire consequences on poverty levels in the country, because many people in the three northern regions and parts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions depended on the shea industry for a living.

“The shea nut business is the main source of livelihood for the people of the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions. Due to the poor prices, however, the business is in crisis, because the women are no more prepared to pick the nuts,” the General Secretary of the association, Mr Emmanuel Abu Alhassan Nyabto stated.

He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had promised during the 2008 election campaign to revamp the sector, only to come and further impoverish actors in the industry.

Mr Nyabto again raised issues with the Ghana Cocoa Board for failing to involve them in the process to fix the new price for shea nut and therefore blamed it for what it described as a wrong decision.

He alleged that the fixing of the low price was an attempt to favour the international and local companies that were buying the nuts because they would now pay less for more.

Meanwhile, a collapse of the shea industry could impact negatively on the livelihoods of many women, who go through risks, such as snake bites, to gather the nuts to sell to middle men.

“When the industry collapses, these women would lose their source of livelihood and this would deepen rural poverty,” Hajia Abiba Salifu, a shea nut dealer stated.

She said it was through the picking and selling of shea nuts and its butter that many women in the north were able to get some income to take care of their families, particularly the children.

“Since the new price was announced many of our colleagues have become discouraged and frustrated. Just imagine if you were managing with a little cedis and now you are being paid only some few pesewas. How can you survive? It just doesn’t pay to remain in this work,” Hajia Abiba lamented.

CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT BEGINS IN WEST MAMPRUSI

(Daily Graphic, Nov 23, 2011, Page 22)

THE implementation of a project intended to mitigate the effects of climate change in parts of the West Mamprusi district of the Northern Region has kick-started.

The project, christened ‘Fighting climate change through reforestation’, would attempt to restore the vegetative cover protecting parts of the Volta River Basin through reforestation activities in the Zuoh and Mishio areas.

The implementation of the project would span a period of nine months on a pilot basis, beginning from October, 2011 and would be extended to other communities along the White Volta River when successful.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), a German-based foundation, and the West Mamprusi District Assembly have partnered to implement the project.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the HSF and the assembly at a short ceremony that was witnessed by other stakeholders, including the Forestry Services Division, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Zasilari Ecological Farms Project.

The Project Co-ordinator, Mr Issifu Sulemana told the Daily Graphic that under the project, the HSF was expected to provide financial, logistical and institutional support for the implementation of the project, whiles the district assembly and other decentralised departments would provide administrative and other technical support.

“We expect the two beneficiary communities to provide land, labour and other necessary assistance to ensure smooth take off and completion of the project,” he stated.

Mr Sulemana mentioned that the two communities selected for the project, Zuah and Mishio, were relatively small farming and fishing communities, where the impact of climate change could be more severe due to the destruction of tree vegetation in those areas.

“The continual depletion of tree vegetation has affected rainfall and soil moisture necessary to support crop growth. The once thick tree vegetation fringing the rivers and serving as a home for the fauna and some flora is no more. Flood waters now spread wildly and the effects are very enormous,” he noted.

He entreated the community folk to endeavour to own the project and lead its implementation so as to reap the expected benefits.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for West Mamprusi, Mr Issifu Adam lauded the initiators of the project, noting that many communities in the district stood the risk of being devastated by the effects of climate change.

He said the district was battling with several environmental challenges such as bush fires, over grazing, drying of water bodies and deforestation.

“The district assembly would monitor closely the implementation of this project and so I entreat all other partners to do their part,” he stated.

The Director of HSF for West Africa, Mr Ralf Wittek reiterated the commitment of his organisation to help marginalised and vulnerable communities to cope with the effects of climate change.

He reminded the implementing partners that they must work to ensure the success of the project because it was the German tax payer’s money which was being committed to help poor indigenes in Africa.

NEW CASE OF YELLOW FEVER CONFIRMED IN NR

(Daily Graphic, Nov 23, 2011, Page 48)

HEALTH authorities in the Northern Region have confirmed a new case of yellow fever disease in parts of the region.

This follows laboratory findings that attributed the death of a 16 year-old boy from Dikatami in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district to a yellow fever infection.

Consequently, district and regional health facilities in the region have been put on high alert to identify and manage effectively any case of yellow fever.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Deputy Regional Director in Charge of Public Health, Dr Jacob Mahama said on August 20, this year, the boy reported at a clinic in the Sawla district of the Northern Region with complaints of fever, chills, vomiting and abdominal pains.

He said after examinations, he was referred to the Wa Hospital in the Upper West Region, where he died the next day.

“However, the blood sample of the patient was sent to Accra and later to Dakar, Senegal, in September this year where it was found to be positive for yellow fever,” he noted.

Dr Mahama said following the confirmation of the yellow fever case, a team from the Regional Health Directorate, comprising disease control officers, clinician, doctor, epidemiologists and health promotion officer, was dispatched to Sawla.

The team, he noted, undertook a search for other cases, by reviewing the records in all the facilities.

He said the team found no other case, but sensitised the health staff in the district and the community people on yellow fever, its symptoms and causes.

Dr Mahama said the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended that there should be a reactive vaccination in various parts of the country to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said, in the Northern Region, the vaccination would take place in six districts that have been considered as high risk due to their proximity to Wa and Cote d’Ivoire, where there has been an outbreak of yellow fever.

The districts are the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Bole, Central Gonja, West Gonja, East Gonja and West Mamprusi.

“We would be vaccinating children who are 10 years and above. We are not including those below, because the assumption is that this group of children was already vaccinated as part of the routine EPI,” Dr Mahama explained.

He said already the region had received the vaccines and had distributed them to the districts, pending the commencement of the vaccination exercise from 22nd to 28th November, 2011.

Yellow fever, as explained by Dr Mahama, is an acute viral fever with symptoms that include fever, chills, vomiting and jaundice.

It’s a disease prevalent in Tropical Africa and South America, because the Aedes mosquito which transmits this virus breeds in the tropics.

Twenty to thirty per cent of patients who suffer from severe yellow fever lose their lives.

The best ways to avoid yellow fever is through vaccination and by avoiding the bite of a mosquito.

PEOPLE OF KUMBUNGU LAUD PRESIDENT - For giving them a district

(Daily Graphic, Nov 22, 2011, Page 13)

THE people of Kumbungu in the Northern Region have lauded the President, Prof John E. A. Mills for elevating the Kumbungu Township into a district.

They said they had long awaited such a move, but were gradually losing hope due to the failure of past political administrations to bring it into fruition.

MP, Kumbungu

They made this known at a colourful durbar organised by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kumbungu to express the party’s gratitude to the government for making Kumbungu a district.

The durbar, which was held at the centre of Kumbungu, was largely characterised by traditional dance ranging from ‘Damba’ to ‘Nabiagu’ as local drummers and Gonje-beaters dished out tune after tune to keep the event running from afternoon to evening.

Speaker after speaker spoke about the need for Kumbungu to see more investments in its infrastructure, particularly in the area of roads, schools and health facilities.

In his remarks, the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Alhaji Imoro Yakubu noted that Kumbungu deserved to be a district because although it had a large population, it was lacking behind in terms of development.

“Even though, the government is yet to present to Parliament the legislative instrument that will back the creation of the district for approval, we cannot wait to show our happiness and appreciation to the president for this wonderful gift,” he said.

He assured the President that the chiefs and people of Kumbungu would work together to sustain peace in the area and also support the government to implement its development programmes in the area.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tolon/Kumbungu, Alhaji Iddi Manzah Mahama said the separation of Kumbungu from the Tolon/Kumbungu district would help attract more funds for development projects in both the old and new districts.

“Now Tolon and Kumbungu would get an enhanced share of the national cake and this would empower both districts to aggressively pursue the development challenges facing the two areas,” he stated.

Kumbungu is one of the biggest towns in the Tolon/Kumbungu district. It is the seat of the Kumbung-Naa, which is one of the powerful and revered traditional seats in the Dagbon Traditional Area. The current Kumbung-Naa is Naa Iddrisu Abu II, who is a prominent senior citizen.

The new Kumbungu district, which would have Kumbungu as the district capital, would also include towns like Bontanga, Dalun, Zangbalin, Zugu and Vogu.

The new assembly would have a number of development challenges to address, including fixing the poor road network linking various towns, such as Botanga to Nawuni, Kumbungu to Savelugu and Bontanga to Kasulyili.

Another priority of the new assembly would be to improve the educational standards in the area, by supporting educational institutions like the Kumbungu Senior High School, which has not received much attention for several years.