THE proposed relocation of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) from the Savelugu Lorry Station in the central business district of the Tamale metropolis to a new site behind the Aboabu Timber Market will be concluded next month.
Currently, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) and the MMT management are working feverishly on the documentation that will facilitate the movement of the MMT to the new site to kick-start construction of a new modern bus terminal there.
When completed, the long-standing misunderstanding and rivalry between the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the MMT in the metropolis will be a thing of the past.
At the moment, the GPRTU and the MMT, both operate from the Savelugu station, and it is envisaged that the relocation would ease congestion at the park and enhance free flow of traffic at the station.
In May last year, members of the GPRTU threatened to go on strike over what they described as “unfair and unhealthy competition” from the MMT.
The GPRTU also gave a one-week ultimatum to the TAMA to resolve the matter and bring sanity into the transport sector.
Among the arguments advanced by members of the GPRTU was the need for the MMT to reduce the “relatively high number of its buses plying the routes in the area”.
The MMT depot in Tamale has expanded its operations within its catchment area to meet the increasing demands of commuters in the metropolis.
Last year, the MMT took delivery of six new 62-seater “VDL Jonckheere” buses to boost its services in the metropolis and its environs. That brings the total number of buses to 56.
The company started operations in the metropolis in 2003 with an initial fleet of 10 DAF buses.
According to the officer in charge of the MMT depot in Tamale, Mr Malik Ibrahim Gombilla, the company is expecting 25 new buses next month to enable it to open new routes and thus augment services in the area.
He observed that apart from the misunderstanding between his outfit and the GPRTU, the new site would enhance its operations.
The Regional Chairman of the GPRTU, Mr Amadu Lamusah, stressed that “the GPRTU and the MMT sign a memorandum of understanding to help resolve all outstanding issues and define their operations in the region, but the assembly must speed up the processes to resolve this matter once and for all”.
The Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director (MCD), Mr Mohammed Baba, entreated the MMT management to operate in such a way that their operations did not “kill” businesses of other transport organisations.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
MMT OFFICES IN TAMALE BE RELOCATED (PAGE 29)
THE proposed relocation of the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) from the Savelugu Lorry Station in the central business district of the Tamale metropolis to a new site behind the Aboabu Timber Market will be concluded next month.
Currently, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) and the MMT management are working feverishly on the documentation that will facilitate the movement of the MMT to the new site to kick-start construction of a new modern bus terminal there.
When completed, the long-standing misunderstanding and rivalry between the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the MMT in the metropolis will be a thing of the past.
At the moment, the GPRTU and the MMT, both operate from the Savelugu station, and it is envisaged that the relocation would ease congestion at the park and enhance free flow of traffic at the station.
In May last year, members of the GPRTU threatened to go on strike over what they described as “unfair and unhealthy competition” from the MMT.
The GPRTU also gave a one-week ultimatum to the TAMA to resolve the matter and bring sanity into the transport sector.
Among the arguments advanced by members of the GPRTU was the need for the MMT to reduce the “relatively high number of its buses plying the routes in the area”.
The MMT depot in Tamale has expanded its operations within its catchment area to meet the increasing demands of commuters in the metropolis.
Last year, the MMT took delivery of six new 62-seater “VDL Jonckheere” buses to boost its services in the metropolis and its environs. That brings the total number of buses to 56.
The company started operations in the metropolis in 2003 with an initial fleet of 10 DAF buses.
According to the officer in charge of the MMT depot in Tamale, Mr Malik Ibrahim Gombilla, the company is expecting 25 new buses next month to enable it to open new routes and thus augment services in the area.
He observed that apart from the misunderstanding between his outfit and the GPRTU, the new site would enhance its operations.
The Regional Chairman of the GPRTU, Mr Amadu Lamusah, stressed that “the GPRTU and the MMT sign a memorandum of understanding to help resolve all outstanding issues and define their operations in the region, but the assembly must speed up the processes to resolve this matter once and for all”.
The Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director (MCD), Mr Mohammed Baba, entreated the MMT management to operate in such a way that their operations did not “kill” businesses of other transport organisations.
Currently, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) and the MMT management are working feverishly on the documentation that will facilitate the movement of the MMT to the new site to kick-start construction of a new modern bus terminal there.
When completed, the long-standing misunderstanding and rivalry between the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the MMT in the metropolis will be a thing of the past.
At the moment, the GPRTU and the MMT, both operate from the Savelugu station, and it is envisaged that the relocation would ease congestion at the park and enhance free flow of traffic at the station.
In May last year, members of the GPRTU threatened to go on strike over what they described as “unfair and unhealthy competition” from the MMT.
The GPRTU also gave a one-week ultimatum to the TAMA to resolve the matter and bring sanity into the transport sector.
Among the arguments advanced by members of the GPRTU was the need for the MMT to reduce the “relatively high number of its buses plying the routes in the area”.
The MMT depot in Tamale has expanded its operations within its catchment area to meet the increasing demands of commuters in the metropolis.
Last year, the MMT took delivery of six new 62-seater “VDL Jonckheere” buses to boost its services in the metropolis and its environs. That brings the total number of buses to 56.
The company started operations in the metropolis in 2003 with an initial fleet of 10 DAF buses.
According to the officer in charge of the MMT depot in Tamale, Mr Malik Ibrahim Gombilla, the company is expecting 25 new buses next month to enable it to open new routes and thus augment services in the area.
He observed that apart from the misunderstanding between his outfit and the GPRTU, the new site would enhance its operations.
The Regional Chairman of the GPRTU, Mr Amadu Lamusah, stressed that “the GPRTU and the MMT sign a memorandum of understanding to help resolve all outstanding issues and define their operations in the region, but the assembly must speed up the processes to resolve this matter once and for all”.
The Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director (MCD), Mr Mohammed Baba, entreated the MMT management to operate in such a way that their operations did not “kill” businesses of other transport organisations.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
STUDENTS IN THE NORTH ASKED TO BE ASSERTIVE (PAGE 11)
THE Northern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza, has advised students in northern Ghana to be assertive and strive for excellence since the competitive global economy has no place for mediocrity.
She asked students from the north not to lose confidence in themselves or underrate their capabilities, because they equally had the potential to make meaningful contributions to national development.
Making the remarks at a ceremony to hand over prizes of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) to the Northern Regional Directorate of Education in Tamale, Mrs De-Souza advised the students not to allow the environment in which they studied to serve as a limitation towards achieving their ambitions.
The prizes were given to TAMASCO when the school represented the region at the project citizen national competition in Accra in May, 2009.
She, therefore, cautioned them against laziness, haziness and craziness, which she said were the three enemies of progress.
“If you are able to avoid all these negative practices, then you will be able to compete favourably with your colleagues who are in well- endowed areas and schools”, Mrs De-Souza noted.
She commended students of TAMASCO for their achievement and observed that their feat was a clear manifestation of the high standards of the school and the caliber of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Tahiru Mahama, noted that the project citizens concept would help to broaden the knowledge of students and deepen their understanding of how “we work together to make communities better”.
She asked students from the north not to lose confidence in themselves or underrate their capabilities, because they equally had the potential to make meaningful contributions to national development.
Making the remarks at a ceremony to hand over prizes of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) to the Northern Regional Directorate of Education in Tamale, Mrs De-Souza advised the students not to allow the environment in which they studied to serve as a limitation towards achieving their ambitions.
The prizes were given to TAMASCO when the school represented the region at the project citizen national competition in Accra in May, 2009.
She, therefore, cautioned them against laziness, haziness and craziness, which she said were the three enemies of progress.
“If you are able to avoid all these negative practices, then you will be able to compete favourably with your colleagues who are in well- endowed areas and schools”, Mrs De-Souza noted.
She commended students of TAMASCO for their achievement and observed that their feat was a clear manifestation of the high standards of the school and the caliber of both teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Tahiru Mahama, noted that the project citizens concept would help to broaden the knowledge of students and deepen their understanding of how “we work together to make communities better”.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
GIVE US TEACHING AND LEARNING AIDS — NR CHILDREN APPEAL (PAGE 11)
CHILDREN in the Northern Region have made a passionate appeal for the provision of teaching and learning materials in their respective schools to facilitate their studies.
They have also entreated the government and other stakeholders to ensure that measures are put in place to encourage teachers to accept postings to deprived communities while more classroom blocks are constructed to accommodate the growing number of pupils in those areas.
The children, some of whom are from selected schools in the Yendi Municipality, Saboba, Gushiegu and Nanumba North districts made the appeal separate an interviews with the Daily Graphic in Yendi, during the celebration of the International Day of the African Child.
It was organised and sponsored by the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) with support from its partners. It was on the theme “listening to our children talk”.
As part of the celebration, schoolchildren from the Yendi, Gushiegu and Demon-Kpalba Area child development programmes sang, performed plays and traditional dances to highlight issues about children.
They equally bemoaned inadequate provision of infrastructural facilities that adversely affected child survival and development in deprived communities of the region.
The children further expressed regret that such facilities as computers, school buses, bicycles, electricity, potable water and health facilities were non-available in some schools and communities, thereby making it difficult for them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective communities.
The children expressed concern about the inability of some parents to support girl child education in their respective communities due to poverty.“It is necessary for schoolchildren, particularly girls, to be provided with bicycles and school buses for instance, to encourage them to go to school”, they pointed out.
The Country Director of the CCFC, Mrs Sanatu Nantogma, noted that children in Africa faced challenges such as poverty, disease, abuse, conflict and social exclusion.
“Children’s life chances are limited and they are exposed to violence; they are equally deprived of education, abused, exploited vulnerable to malnutrition, and such diseases as HIV/AIDS” she pointed out.
Mrs Nantogma therefore assured children that the CCFC “would stop at nothing to ensure your fundamental rights are guaranteed”.
She further intimated that her outfit would partner “like-minded organisations which have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet our mutual goals”.
The Programme Leader of the Yendi Area Child Development Programme, Mr Theophilus Dokurugu, observed that children in Ghana had been given the opportunity to grow into responsible adults.
The Child Development Specialist of Tamale Office of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Madam Amama Kaleem Habib, identified teenage pregnancy, high infant mortality and school drop out rate, child trafficking and abuse as some of the challenges children faced in Northern Ghana. She, however, intimated that the UNICEF and its partners were working hard to help address some of the issues.
The Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Mahama Walvis Hudu,entreated parents and society to support the development of children.
They have also entreated the government and other stakeholders to ensure that measures are put in place to encourage teachers to accept postings to deprived communities while more classroom blocks are constructed to accommodate the growing number of pupils in those areas.
The children, some of whom are from selected schools in the Yendi Municipality, Saboba, Gushiegu and Nanumba North districts made the appeal separate an interviews with the Daily Graphic in Yendi, during the celebration of the International Day of the African Child.
It was organised and sponsored by the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) with support from its partners. It was on the theme “listening to our children talk”.
As part of the celebration, schoolchildren from the Yendi, Gushiegu and Demon-Kpalba Area child development programmes sang, performed plays and traditional dances to highlight issues about children.
They equally bemoaned inadequate provision of infrastructural facilities that adversely affected child survival and development in deprived communities of the region.
The children further expressed regret that such facilities as computers, school buses, bicycles, electricity, potable water and health facilities were non-available in some schools and communities, thereby making it difficult for them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective communities.
The children expressed concern about the inability of some parents to support girl child education in their respective communities due to poverty.“It is necessary for schoolchildren, particularly girls, to be provided with bicycles and school buses for instance, to encourage them to go to school”, they pointed out.
The Country Director of the CCFC, Mrs Sanatu Nantogma, noted that children in Africa faced challenges such as poverty, disease, abuse, conflict and social exclusion.
“Children’s life chances are limited and they are exposed to violence; they are equally deprived of education, abused, exploited vulnerable to malnutrition, and such diseases as HIV/AIDS” she pointed out.
Mrs Nantogma therefore assured children that the CCFC “would stop at nothing to ensure your fundamental rights are guaranteed”.
She further intimated that her outfit would partner “like-minded organisations which have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet our mutual goals”.
The Programme Leader of the Yendi Area Child Development Programme, Mr Theophilus Dokurugu, observed that children in Ghana had been given the opportunity to grow into responsible adults.
The Child Development Specialist of Tamale Office of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Madam Amama Kaleem Habib, identified teenage pregnancy, high infant mortality and school drop out rate, child trafficking and abuse as some of the challenges children faced in Northern Ghana. She, however, intimated that the UNICEF and its partners were working hard to help address some of the issues.
The Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Mahama Walvis Hudu,entreated parents and society to support the development of children.
Friday, June 19, 2009
LANDLORD CLAIMS IMPOTENCY (MIRROR, PAGE 27)
From Vincent Amenuveve, Tamale.
DRAMA unfolded at the Tamale Circuit Court when a man facing trial for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old pupil at Gumbihini, a suburb of the metropolis, claimed that he was impotent and, therefore, could not have had an affair with the minor.
The suspect, Osman Alhassan, therefore prayed the court to discharge him since it was not possible for him to have had carnal knowledge of the victim due to his predicament. He therefore pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was, however, remanded in prison custody pending further investigations into the matter. To verify the authenticity of his claims, the court ordered that the suspect be sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) for medical examination. But the authorities of the TTH also referred the case to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi or the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for specialists to conduct a thorough examination on the suspect.
The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVSSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Teye Matey, told The Mirror in Tamale that the suspect was a landlord in whose house the victim and her family lived.
He said on April 26, 2009 the victim’s mother, Madam Mbama Kolboni, a food vendor, left the victim and her siblings in the house at Gumbihini early in the morning and went to sell her wares at Sakasaka.
According to ASP Matey, the suspect picked the younger sibling of the victim, who is about two years old and sent her into his room, ostensibly to soothe her.
He further stated that the suspect later invited the victim into his room and instructed her to take her younger sister away. The suspect took advantage of the victim’s entry into his room, pulled her onto his mattress that was lying on the floor and forcibly had carnal knowledge of her.
The DOVSSU Coordinator said when the victim’s mother returned home, she noticed a change and difficulty in the walking of the victim.
Upon questioning, the victim mentioned the suspect as the one responsible for her condition.
The victim’s mother later reported the matter to the police and the suspect was arrested.
ASP Matey indicated that the suspect denied the offence in his caution statement to the police but after investigations, he was charged with defilement and subsequently arraigned before the Tamale Circuit Court.
He stated that the suspect was remanded in prison custody.
DRAMA unfolded at the Tamale Circuit Court when a man facing trial for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old pupil at Gumbihini, a suburb of the metropolis, claimed that he was impotent and, therefore, could not have had an affair with the minor.
The suspect, Osman Alhassan, therefore prayed the court to discharge him since it was not possible for him to have had carnal knowledge of the victim due to his predicament. He therefore pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He was, however, remanded in prison custody pending further investigations into the matter. To verify the authenticity of his claims, the court ordered that the suspect be sent to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) for medical examination. But the authorities of the TTH also referred the case to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi or the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for specialists to conduct a thorough examination on the suspect.
The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVSSU), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Teye Matey, told The Mirror in Tamale that the suspect was a landlord in whose house the victim and her family lived.
He said on April 26, 2009 the victim’s mother, Madam Mbama Kolboni, a food vendor, left the victim and her siblings in the house at Gumbihini early in the morning and went to sell her wares at Sakasaka.
According to ASP Matey, the suspect picked the younger sibling of the victim, who is about two years old and sent her into his room, ostensibly to soothe her.
He further stated that the suspect later invited the victim into his room and instructed her to take her younger sister away. The suspect took advantage of the victim’s entry into his room, pulled her onto his mattress that was lying on the floor and forcibly had carnal knowledge of her.
The DOVSSU Coordinator said when the victim’s mother returned home, she noticed a change and difficulty in the walking of the victim.
Upon questioning, the victim mentioned the suspect as the one responsible for her condition.
The victim’s mother later reported the matter to the police and the suspect was arrested.
ASP Matey indicated that the suspect denied the offence in his caution statement to the police but after investigations, he was charged with defilement and subsequently arraigned before the Tamale Circuit Court.
He stated that the suspect was remanded in prison custody.
EMERGENCY RICE INITIATIVE BOOSTS PRODUCTION (PAGE 24)
FARMERS in the Northern Region have been given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully towards the cultivation of quality local rice and enhance its production levels through a programme known as the Emergency Rice Initiative (ERI).
Agriculturists in the region have described the initiative as a timely intervention in view of recent price hikes of imported rice due to a number of factors.
The factors include the depreciation in the value of the cedi against the dollar and the high interest rates on bank loans granted to importers of rice.
It is also expected that if the ERI is successful, it would curb the importation of rice and rather boost local rice production in northern Ghana in particular and the country at large.
As part of the ERI, a seed fair was recently organised at Fuu in the East Gonja District for beneficiaries of the programme who are mainly small scale farmers.
It is heartwarming to note that 1,630 farmers in the region are benefiting from the two-year ERI programme and are contributing towards its successful implementation.
A projected 10,000 rice farmers identified as those who suffered losses due to drought last year. are expected to benefit from the ERI.
Under the initiative, farmers’ access to such improved rice seeds as GR-18 and Jasmine 85, has been enhanced while 12 kilogrammes of fertilisers per half an acre of farm land have been provided to each of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiary farmers would also undergo training on integrated rice management technology in addition to listening to and watching rural radio and television broadcasts on improved rice technologies to improve on their rice production techniques.
As part of the initiative, 24 demonstration farms to be located at the beneficiary farming communities in the region would be facilitated by the implementers of the ERI.
The beneficiaries have, however, been categorised into viable and vulnerable farmers. The viable farmers are expected to pay half the cost of both the seeds and fertilisers while the vulnerable ones would enjoy such facilities free-of-charge.
It is significant to note that during an interaction with beneficiary farmers at the seed fair at Fuu, they pointed out to the facilitators of the programme that all farmers in the northern Ghana were vulnerable and that they should be allowed to enjoy the facilities under the vulnerable category.
The initiative is being implemented in four West African countries, namely Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the programme at a cost of $5 million.
It was the brain child of the African Rice Centre in Benin, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development Services (IFDC). Other partners in the implementation of the ERI include the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Agro Input Dealers Association (GAIDA).
It is envisaged that in the next two years, a total of 30,000 tonnes of rice paddy will be produced by the beneficiary four West African countries.
Statistics at the Northern Regional Offices of the MoFA, shows that the Northern Region produced 105,496 tonnes of rice during the 2008 cropping season but the figure is expected to increase significantly over the next two years if beneficiary farmers of the ERI programme remained committed to the objectives of the initiative.
The 2007 regional total average production figures for rice per hectare for instance was 1.70 tonnes. It is worthy to note that with the new initiative, the regional total average of rice production will increase significantly in the years ahead and thereby enhance food security in northern Ghana.
The acting Director of the CSIR-SARI, Dr Stephen Nutsugah stated that the ERI was a participatory programme where rice farmers were expected to share their experiences with scientists and agricultural extension officers.
Dr Nutsugah who is also the National Coordinator of the ERI programme, said in the course of the cropping season, experts would visit the various farms of the beneficiary farmers to offer technical advice to them.
A Senior Research Fellow at the IFDC, Dr Wilson Dogbe stated that the initiative would bring inputs closer to the doorsteps of rice farmers.
The Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Sylvester Adongo, mentioned low patronage of improved seeds by farmers and inefficient marketing of certified seeds by stakeholders as some of the challenges affecting the quest for increased production in food crops.
The East Gonja District Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Robert Akologo observed that the seed fair for farmers at Fuu was a timely intervention and relevant, considering the fact that this year’s farming season was about to begin.
He explained that under the ERI, each beneficiary farmer was expected to produce 10 bags of quality paddy rice per half an acre of land.
Agriculturists in the region have described the initiative as a timely intervention in view of recent price hikes of imported rice due to a number of factors.
The factors include the depreciation in the value of the cedi against the dollar and the high interest rates on bank loans granted to importers of rice.
It is also expected that if the ERI is successful, it would curb the importation of rice and rather boost local rice production in northern Ghana in particular and the country at large.
As part of the ERI, a seed fair was recently organised at Fuu in the East Gonja District for beneficiaries of the programme who are mainly small scale farmers.
It is heartwarming to note that 1,630 farmers in the region are benefiting from the two-year ERI programme and are contributing towards its successful implementation.
A projected 10,000 rice farmers identified as those who suffered losses due to drought last year. are expected to benefit from the ERI.
Under the initiative, farmers’ access to such improved rice seeds as GR-18 and Jasmine 85, has been enhanced while 12 kilogrammes of fertilisers per half an acre of farm land have been provided to each of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiary farmers would also undergo training on integrated rice management technology in addition to listening to and watching rural radio and television broadcasts on improved rice technologies to improve on their rice production techniques.
As part of the initiative, 24 demonstration farms to be located at the beneficiary farming communities in the region would be facilitated by the implementers of the ERI.
The beneficiaries have, however, been categorised into viable and vulnerable farmers. The viable farmers are expected to pay half the cost of both the seeds and fertilisers while the vulnerable ones would enjoy such facilities free-of-charge.
It is significant to note that during an interaction with beneficiary farmers at the seed fair at Fuu, they pointed out to the facilitators of the programme that all farmers in the northern Ghana were vulnerable and that they should be allowed to enjoy the facilities under the vulnerable category.
The initiative is being implemented in four West African countries, namely Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding the programme at a cost of $5 million.
It was the brain child of the African Rice Centre in Benin, the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development Services (IFDC). Other partners in the implementation of the ERI include the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Agro Input Dealers Association (GAIDA).
It is envisaged that in the next two years, a total of 30,000 tonnes of rice paddy will be produced by the beneficiary four West African countries.
Statistics at the Northern Regional Offices of the MoFA, shows that the Northern Region produced 105,496 tonnes of rice during the 2008 cropping season but the figure is expected to increase significantly over the next two years if beneficiary farmers of the ERI programme remained committed to the objectives of the initiative.
The 2007 regional total average production figures for rice per hectare for instance was 1.70 tonnes. It is worthy to note that with the new initiative, the regional total average of rice production will increase significantly in the years ahead and thereby enhance food security in northern Ghana.
The acting Director of the CSIR-SARI, Dr Stephen Nutsugah stated that the ERI was a participatory programme where rice farmers were expected to share their experiences with scientists and agricultural extension officers.
Dr Nutsugah who is also the National Coordinator of the ERI programme, said in the course of the cropping season, experts would visit the various farms of the beneficiary farmers to offer technical advice to them.
A Senior Research Fellow at the IFDC, Dr Wilson Dogbe stated that the initiative would bring inputs closer to the doorsteps of rice farmers.
The Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Sylvester Adongo, mentioned low patronage of improved seeds by farmers and inefficient marketing of certified seeds by stakeholders as some of the challenges affecting the quest for increased production in food crops.
The East Gonja District Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Robert Akologo observed that the seed fair for farmers at Fuu was a timely intervention and relevant, considering the fact that this year’s farming season was about to begin.
He explained that under the ERI, each beneficiary farmer was expected to produce 10 bags of quality paddy rice per half an acre of land.
Monday, June 15, 2009
DISCHARGE DUTIES WITH HONESTY (GRAPHIC, JUNE 9, PAGE 15)
THE Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Abdulai Haruna, has called on persons appointed to serve in various capacities in any elected government to exhibit modesty and honesty in discharging their duties.
He stated that since they held such positions in trust for the people, they must remember to exercise the authority given them to meet the aspirations of the people.
Alhaji Haruna stated this in a solidarity message to commemorate the June 4 celebration in Tamale.
He entreated members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and youth groups within the party to work as a team to ensure effective implementation of the party’s manifesto.
The MCE also urged them to put the past behind them to help recapture power in the 2012 general election and help consolidate the gains so far made in the country’s democratic dispensation.
“We believe that June 4 was significant and still relevant as all forms of suppression, oppression, corruption and discrimination that were eliminated had resurfaced during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration,” Alhaji Haruna stated.
He urged Ghanaians to rally behind President John Evans Atta Mills and his vice, Mr John Mahama, to lead the party to effectively implement the party’s manifesto, as well as consolidate the gains made as a result of the June 4 and the 31st December revolution.
“We are again urging the cadres to identify themselves with the united cadre front, as well as work themselves into the mainstream of the structures at all levels in the party to ensure that ideas and principles they believed in were adhered to,” Alhaji Haruna stated.
He said, “As a result of these antecedents, we are held to a higher standard of accountability than our political opponents; the principles of June 4 and 31st December revolution are the basis for our present democratic system.“
He stated that since they held such positions in trust for the people, they must remember to exercise the authority given them to meet the aspirations of the people.
Alhaji Haruna stated this in a solidarity message to commemorate the June 4 celebration in Tamale.
He entreated members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and youth groups within the party to work as a team to ensure effective implementation of the party’s manifesto.
The MCE also urged them to put the past behind them to help recapture power in the 2012 general election and help consolidate the gains so far made in the country’s democratic dispensation.
“We believe that June 4 was significant and still relevant as all forms of suppression, oppression, corruption and discrimination that were eliminated had resurfaced during the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration,” Alhaji Haruna stated.
He urged Ghanaians to rally behind President John Evans Atta Mills and his vice, Mr John Mahama, to lead the party to effectively implement the party’s manifesto, as well as consolidate the gains made as a result of the June 4 and the 31st December revolution.
“We are again urging the cadres to identify themselves with the united cadre front, as well as work themselves into the mainstream of the structures at all levels in the party to ensure that ideas and principles they believed in were adhered to,” Alhaji Haruna stated.
He said, “As a result of these antecedents, we are held to a higher standard of accountability than our political opponents; the principles of June 4 and 31st December revolution are the basis for our present democratic system.“
FLOODS — HOW PREPARED IS THE NORTHERN REGION (GRAPHIC JUNE 8, PAGE 7)
FLOODS are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters in terms of their devastating effects on the lives of victims and human settlements.
Inadequate educational campaigns on flood preparation and inability to predict floods are one of the major challenges some countries worldwide face.
It is on record that an estimated 1.6 million deaths for instance occurred globally within one year due to the failure of affected countries to address effectively such challenges. An Internet search on floods using Wikipedia also reveal that the deadliest floods in the world, with death tolls ranging between 100,000 and 3.7 million occurred in China in 1887, 1911, 1931, 1938 and 1975.
As far back as 1530 The Netherlands recorded one of the deadliest floods while North Vietnam also had her share of the disaster in 1971.
As a result of Typhoon Nina and the subsequent Banqiao Dam failure, approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died later from various forms of diseases in China in 1975.
Dozens of villages were equally inundated when rain pushed the rivers of northwestern Bangladesh over their banks in early October 2005.
What is a flood?
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, which overflows, with the result that some of the water escapes its normal boundaries.
While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation, it is not a significant flood unless such escapes of water endangers land areas used by man like a village, city or other inhabited area.
Undoubtedly, flood damage can be virtually eliminated by moving away from rivers and other water bodies. Times without number, people have lived and worked along some water bodies for economic gains.
Types of floods include riverine, estuarine, coastal, catastrophic and muddy floods.
A slow kind of riverine flood occurs when there is runoff from sustained rainfall or rapid snow melt exceeding the capacity of a river’s channel. Causes of this situation include heavy rains from monsoons, hurricanes and tropical depressions.
The primary effect of floods include casualties as some people and livestock die due to drowning.
The secondary effect includes contamination of water resulting in cholera outbreak and related water borne diseases. Food shortage due to loss of entire harvest is equally experienced in some communities. The tertiary effects are economic hardship, rebuilding costs, price increases in food stuff among others.
Northern Region
Experience in 2007
The destructive effect of floods on human settlements and economic activities in the Northern Region between August and September 2007 is still fresh on the minds of many residents of the region.
Figures recorded by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the region show that 20 people died in the floods that hit the region between August and September in 2007.
Additionally, 22 health facilities, 18 school structures and 1,499.7 kilometres of roads were destroyed in the same year. Two hundred and twenty-four thousand two hundred and twenty-six people were displaced while 9,707 houses were destroyed by the floods in the region. Eighty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty acres of farmland were washed away by the floods, including food crops and livestock that resulted in approximately 243,378 metric tonnes of projected shortfall in food production. These happenings would certainly never be forgotten considering the level of destruction that occurred.
It is also worthy to mention that 19 deaths reportedly occurred during a cholera outbreak in August 2007 as a result of the floods in the region and a total of 157 cases of the disease were recorded during the same period.
Following that sad occurrence, a 13-member Cholera Epidemic Committee was set up to help monitor the situation rigidly and by the close of August 2007, only two persons were said to be on admission at the Tamale West Hospital as the incidence reduced from 12 per cent to 10 per cent.
In September 2007, the water intake point at Nawuni in the Tolon Kumbungu district recorded as high as 34.70 feet in water level, the highest ever registered in recent times according to Engineers of the Ghana Water Company Limited. As a result of the floods sand bags were put around the pumping machine to prevent water from entering certain vital components of the machine.
An assessment of the impact of the floods on various sectors in the three northern regions by NADMO and other stakeholders indicated that an estimated 98.25 million Ghana cedis was needed urgently to help reconstruct facilities in the regions.
Out of that amount, Northern Region alone required about 51.27 million Ghana cedis to put the necessary infrastructure in place. Reconstruction efforts were needed in such sectors as education, roads, water, sanitation and hygiene, provision of shelters, and sustainable livelihood programmes.
Interventions
Heartwarmingly, interventions came from both donor agencies and organisations within the country. The World Bank for instance pledged to provide $10 million to rebuild sectors like nutrition and malaria control, education, agriculture, economic growth, private sector development and roads.
During the initial stages of the floods, the German government provided one million Euros as an emergency relief package for flood victims and later made available 900 thousand Euros as a follow-up emergency aid to rehabilitate bridges, and dams in the Northern Region.
United Nations agencies like the World Food Programme(WFP),UN Children Education Fund(UNICEF),UN Fund for Population Activities(UNFPA),UN Development Programme(UNDP) and Department for International Development(DFID) were among those agencies that contributed their quota to bringing relief to disaster victims.
The distribution of relief items to victims encountered some challenges as some district chief executives in the region allegedly claimed they did not have the needed resources to make the exercise successful. Subsequently, the Northern Regional Minister at that time, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, gave a one week ultimatum to the various DCEs to distribute the items, no matter the problems they encountered. Eventually the distribution process started and some victims heaved s of relief.
Why it occurred?
Statistics from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) in the Northern Region indicate that rainfall figures were higher in 2008 than in 2007. However, the negative impact of the floods in the region was felt more in 2007 than in 2008.
A critical look at the effects of the floods in 2007 shows that there was inadequate preparation and intensive public educational campaigns hence the devastating effects of the floods on victims. It must be noted that the major cause of the floods was attributed mainly to torrential rains. However some analysts of the 2007 flood including meteorologists acknowledge that adequate preparation and increased public awareness could have possibly averted such occurrence.
Statistics by the GMA indicate that in 2007, rainfall figures recorded did not exceed 300 millimetres for any given month or station in the region while in 2008 it went beyond the figure. In August 2008 for instance, the GMA recorded 334.6 millimetres as the highest for Tamale Metropolis. However, In September 2007, the GMA recorded 278.9 millimetres as the highest rainfall figure for Tamale yet the disruptive effects of the floods was experienced more in 2007. Why?
The Northern Regional Meteorologist, Mr Dominic Pokperlaar, explained that the level of awareness on preparation against floods was higher in 2008 than in 2007 hence the destructive effects of torrential rains leading to floods was minimal in the former than the latter.
Forecasts for the main rainy season between July and September 2009 in the northern part of the country, according to the meteorologist, suggest that there is 45 per cent probability of experiencing normal rainfall while the probability for getting above normal rainfall is projected to be 40 per cent. The probability of experiencing below normal rainfall is 15 per cent.
How prepared is the
Northern Region this year?
The Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Alhaji Alhassan Mahamoud, intimated that a number of activities including educational campaigns on the need for farmers to cultivate their crops early and harvest them before July this year, for instance were being carried out by stakeholders.
Additionally, a stakeholders meeting will be held in due course to brainstorm on how best to manage floods to avert their recurrence this year. This is refreshing and it must be sustained because never again should the region relapse into that era where families lost their relatives and farm produce through floods.
Indeed, in 2008, the NADMO and other stakeholders set up committees whose members went round the various disaster-prone areas in the region to educate people that eventually led to the minimal destruction of property during the rainy season.
It is expected that such efforts would be improved and sustained this year and in the future.
Some suggestions have been put forward by the NADMO Coordinator. These include the need for people to consider the option of moving upland instead of living along river banks. Another option is that the region must consider seriously rainwater harvesting which is critical for flood control and to boost crop production. Unfortunately, some people consider the former suggestion not to be feasible considering some beliefs they have that whenever they attempted to relocate misfortunes like deaths befell them.
It is, therefore, necessary for consistent and intense public education to help change the mindset of those who have such beliefs to forestall future disasters. Political will is equally needed in that direction.
The region’s reconstruction effort is ongoing and there are indications that most of the road projects including the construction of broken down culverts would be completed in due course. However, the Regional Economic Planning Officer, Mr Gregory Addah, intimated that some contractors are behind schedule and that a meeting is being organised to impress upon the contractors to speed up work on roads and culverts destroyed by the floods in 2007.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the region has also intensified its educational campaigns in communities, particularly flood-prone areas with the formation of District Environmental Management Committees (DEMCs).
According to the Regional Director of the EPA, Mr Abu Iddrisu, the sensitisation programme of his outfit had been strengthened this year to avoid a recurrence of the disaster in the region. Additionally, communities are being supported with seedlings to embark on afforestation programmes under the EPA’s Natural Resources Management Programme.
Experiences from other countries
Lessons from many countries across the world show that rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs and weirs are used to prevent rivers from bursting their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags or portable inflatable tubes are used. Reducing the rate of deforestation should improve the incidence and severity of floods.
In Egypt for instance the establishment of both the Aswan High Dam in 1976 and the Aswan Dam in 1902 has controlled various amounts of flooding along the Nile River.
Inadequate educational campaigns on flood preparation and inability to predict floods are one of the major challenges some countries worldwide face.
It is on record that an estimated 1.6 million deaths for instance occurred globally within one year due to the failure of affected countries to address effectively such challenges. An Internet search on floods using Wikipedia also reveal that the deadliest floods in the world, with death tolls ranging between 100,000 and 3.7 million occurred in China in 1887, 1911, 1931, 1938 and 1975.
As far back as 1530 The Netherlands recorded one of the deadliest floods while North Vietnam also had her share of the disaster in 1971.
As a result of Typhoon Nina and the subsequent Banqiao Dam failure, approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died later from various forms of diseases in China in 1975.
Dozens of villages were equally inundated when rain pushed the rivers of northwestern Bangladesh over their banks in early October 2005.
What is a flood?
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, which overflows, with the result that some of the water escapes its normal boundaries.
While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation, it is not a significant flood unless such escapes of water endangers land areas used by man like a village, city or other inhabited area.
Undoubtedly, flood damage can be virtually eliminated by moving away from rivers and other water bodies. Times without number, people have lived and worked along some water bodies for economic gains.
Types of floods include riverine, estuarine, coastal, catastrophic and muddy floods.
A slow kind of riverine flood occurs when there is runoff from sustained rainfall or rapid snow melt exceeding the capacity of a river’s channel. Causes of this situation include heavy rains from monsoons, hurricanes and tropical depressions.
The primary effect of floods include casualties as some people and livestock die due to drowning.
The secondary effect includes contamination of water resulting in cholera outbreak and related water borne diseases. Food shortage due to loss of entire harvest is equally experienced in some communities. The tertiary effects are economic hardship, rebuilding costs, price increases in food stuff among others.
Northern Region
Experience in 2007
The destructive effect of floods on human settlements and economic activities in the Northern Region between August and September 2007 is still fresh on the minds of many residents of the region.
Figures recorded by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the region show that 20 people died in the floods that hit the region between August and September in 2007.
Additionally, 22 health facilities, 18 school structures and 1,499.7 kilometres of roads were destroyed in the same year. Two hundred and twenty-four thousand two hundred and twenty-six people were displaced while 9,707 houses were destroyed by the floods in the region. Eighty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty acres of farmland were washed away by the floods, including food crops and livestock that resulted in approximately 243,378 metric tonnes of projected shortfall in food production. These happenings would certainly never be forgotten considering the level of destruction that occurred.
It is also worthy to mention that 19 deaths reportedly occurred during a cholera outbreak in August 2007 as a result of the floods in the region and a total of 157 cases of the disease were recorded during the same period.
Following that sad occurrence, a 13-member Cholera Epidemic Committee was set up to help monitor the situation rigidly and by the close of August 2007, only two persons were said to be on admission at the Tamale West Hospital as the incidence reduced from 12 per cent to 10 per cent.
In September 2007, the water intake point at Nawuni in the Tolon Kumbungu district recorded as high as 34.70 feet in water level, the highest ever registered in recent times according to Engineers of the Ghana Water Company Limited. As a result of the floods sand bags were put around the pumping machine to prevent water from entering certain vital components of the machine.
An assessment of the impact of the floods on various sectors in the three northern regions by NADMO and other stakeholders indicated that an estimated 98.25 million Ghana cedis was needed urgently to help reconstruct facilities in the regions.
Out of that amount, Northern Region alone required about 51.27 million Ghana cedis to put the necessary infrastructure in place. Reconstruction efforts were needed in such sectors as education, roads, water, sanitation and hygiene, provision of shelters, and sustainable livelihood programmes.
Interventions
Heartwarmingly, interventions came from both donor agencies and organisations within the country. The World Bank for instance pledged to provide $10 million to rebuild sectors like nutrition and malaria control, education, agriculture, economic growth, private sector development and roads.
During the initial stages of the floods, the German government provided one million Euros as an emergency relief package for flood victims and later made available 900 thousand Euros as a follow-up emergency aid to rehabilitate bridges, and dams in the Northern Region.
United Nations agencies like the World Food Programme(WFP),UN Children Education Fund(UNICEF),UN Fund for Population Activities(UNFPA),UN Development Programme(UNDP) and Department for International Development(DFID) were among those agencies that contributed their quota to bringing relief to disaster victims.
The distribution of relief items to victims encountered some challenges as some district chief executives in the region allegedly claimed they did not have the needed resources to make the exercise successful. Subsequently, the Northern Regional Minister at that time, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, gave a one week ultimatum to the various DCEs to distribute the items, no matter the problems they encountered. Eventually the distribution process started and some victims heaved s of relief.
Why it occurred?
Statistics from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) in the Northern Region indicate that rainfall figures were higher in 2008 than in 2007. However, the negative impact of the floods in the region was felt more in 2007 than in 2008.
A critical look at the effects of the floods in 2007 shows that there was inadequate preparation and intensive public educational campaigns hence the devastating effects of the floods on victims. It must be noted that the major cause of the floods was attributed mainly to torrential rains. However some analysts of the 2007 flood including meteorologists acknowledge that adequate preparation and increased public awareness could have possibly averted such occurrence.
Statistics by the GMA indicate that in 2007, rainfall figures recorded did not exceed 300 millimetres for any given month or station in the region while in 2008 it went beyond the figure. In August 2008 for instance, the GMA recorded 334.6 millimetres as the highest for Tamale Metropolis. However, In September 2007, the GMA recorded 278.9 millimetres as the highest rainfall figure for Tamale yet the disruptive effects of the floods was experienced more in 2007. Why?
The Northern Regional Meteorologist, Mr Dominic Pokperlaar, explained that the level of awareness on preparation against floods was higher in 2008 than in 2007 hence the destructive effects of torrential rains leading to floods was minimal in the former than the latter.
Forecasts for the main rainy season between July and September 2009 in the northern part of the country, according to the meteorologist, suggest that there is 45 per cent probability of experiencing normal rainfall while the probability for getting above normal rainfall is projected to be 40 per cent. The probability of experiencing below normal rainfall is 15 per cent.
How prepared is the
Northern Region this year?
The Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Alhaji Alhassan Mahamoud, intimated that a number of activities including educational campaigns on the need for farmers to cultivate their crops early and harvest them before July this year, for instance were being carried out by stakeholders.
Additionally, a stakeholders meeting will be held in due course to brainstorm on how best to manage floods to avert their recurrence this year. This is refreshing and it must be sustained because never again should the region relapse into that era where families lost their relatives and farm produce through floods.
Indeed, in 2008, the NADMO and other stakeholders set up committees whose members went round the various disaster-prone areas in the region to educate people that eventually led to the minimal destruction of property during the rainy season.
It is expected that such efforts would be improved and sustained this year and in the future.
Some suggestions have been put forward by the NADMO Coordinator. These include the need for people to consider the option of moving upland instead of living along river banks. Another option is that the region must consider seriously rainwater harvesting which is critical for flood control and to boost crop production. Unfortunately, some people consider the former suggestion not to be feasible considering some beliefs they have that whenever they attempted to relocate misfortunes like deaths befell them.
It is, therefore, necessary for consistent and intense public education to help change the mindset of those who have such beliefs to forestall future disasters. Political will is equally needed in that direction.
The region’s reconstruction effort is ongoing and there are indications that most of the road projects including the construction of broken down culverts would be completed in due course. However, the Regional Economic Planning Officer, Mr Gregory Addah, intimated that some contractors are behind schedule and that a meeting is being organised to impress upon the contractors to speed up work on roads and culverts destroyed by the floods in 2007.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the region has also intensified its educational campaigns in communities, particularly flood-prone areas with the formation of District Environmental Management Committees (DEMCs).
According to the Regional Director of the EPA, Mr Abu Iddrisu, the sensitisation programme of his outfit had been strengthened this year to avoid a recurrence of the disaster in the region. Additionally, communities are being supported with seedlings to embark on afforestation programmes under the EPA’s Natural Resources Management Programme.
Experiences from other countries
Lessons from many countries across the world show that rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed. Defences such as levees, bunds, reservoirs and weirs are used to prevent rivers from bursting their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags or portable inflatable tubes are used. Reducing the rate of deforestation should improve the incidence and severity of floods.
In Egypt for instance the establishment of both the Aswan High Dam in 1976 and the Aswan Dam in 1902 has controlled various amounts of flooding along the Nile River.
MORE MATCHES FOR STARS IN TAMALE (GRAPHIC SPORTS, JUNE 5, BACK PAGE)
The Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Fred Pappoe, has stated that the GFA will take a second look at its programmes to ensure that more international matches are played at the Tamale Sports Stadium in the future.
He noted that the high sense of commitment and massive support exhibited by football fans in Tamale for the Black Stars in their international friendly against the Cranes of Uganda were “very impressive”.
Speaking in a post-match interview with newsmen, Mr Pappoe further explained that the high attendance recorded at the stadium demanded that Tamale was given the chance to host more international games.
“We would certainly look at our policy and see how best to fine tune it in order to ensure that Tamale hosts more of such games in the future”, he stressed.
Hundreds of sports enthusiasts from the Upper regions and the Metropolis trooped to the stadium hours before the match began in the evening. The stadium, with a seating capacity in excess of 20,000, was filled, with no seats available for prospective spectators, and by the time the match began scores of enthusiastic supporters were still found outside the gates of the stadium struggling to buy tickets to enter.
A combined team of the police and military had a herculean task controlling the crowd who were determined to catch a glimpse of the likes of Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari who unfortunately were not able to make it due to various reasons.
The thunderous shouts and cheers in the stadium throughout the game were enough to tell the story about the enthusiasm displayed by the fans.
Indeed, the car park provided at the stadium was equally filled with vehicles, while the streets around the stadium were also filled with motorbikes and vehicles.
Three sports enthusiasts, Mohammed Mumin, Anas Adam and Ms Abdallah Mutiatu entreated sports authorities to ensure that more high level matches were played in Tamale.
“As you can see for yourself there was no seat for many residents who were prepared to watch the match, that should tell you that we are prepared to pay and watch such matches,” they pointed out.
When the match ended, hundreds of supporters still waited patiently within the periphery of the stadium and saw the Stars enter their bus and drive off to the GETFund Hotel where they lodged for the match. The Black Stars beat the Cranes by two goals to nil.
Touching on the match itself, Mr Pappoe who is also the Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee, acknowledged that the Ugandans played a lot of possessive football and stated that “this is the kind of opposition we wanted to face to prepare us for the Ghana-Mali match”.
According to him, as a nation “we are going to fight the Malians tooth and nail because we would do everything possible to with the match”.
He noted that the high sense of commitment and massive support exhibited by football fans in Tamale for the Black Stars in their international friendly against the Cranes of Uganda were “very impressive”.
Speaking in a post-match interview with newsmen, Mr Pappoe further explained that the high attendance recorded at the stadium demanded that Tamale was given the chance to host more international games.
“We would certainly look at our policy and see how best to fine tune it in order to ensure that Tamale hosts more of such games in the future”, he stressed.
Hundreds of sports enthusiasts from the Upper regions and the Metropolis trooped to the stadium hours before the match began in the evening. The stadium, with a seating capacity in excess of 20,000, was filled, with no seats available for prospective spectators, and by the time the match began scores of enthusiastic supporters were still found outside the gates of the stadium struggling to buy tickets to enter.
A combined team of the police and military had a herculean task controlling the crowd who were determined to catch a glimpse of the likes of Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari who unfortunately were not able to make it due to various reasons.
The thunderous shouts and cheers in the stadium throughout the game were enough to tell the story about the enthusiasm displayed by the fans.
Indeed, the car park provided at the stadium was equally filled with vehicles, while the streets around the stadium were also filled with motorbikes and vehicles.
Three sports enthusiasts, Mohammed Mumin, Anas Adam and Ms Abdallah Mutiatu entreated sports authorities to ensure that more high level matches were played in Tamale.
“As you can see for yourself there was no seat for many residents who were prepared to watch the match, that should tell you that we are prepared to pay and watch such matches,” they pointed out.
When the match ended, hundreds of supporters still waited patiently within the periphery of the stadium and saw the Stars enter their bus and drive off to the GETFund Hotel where they lodged for the match. The Black Stars beat the Cranes by two goals to nil.
Touching on the match itself, Mr Pappoe who is also the Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee, acknowledged that the Ugandans played a lot of possessive football and stated that “this is the kind of opposition we wanted to face to prepare us for the Ghana-Mali match”.
According to him, as a nation “we are going to fight the Malians tooth and nail because we would do everything possible to with the match”.
PAINSTIL UPBEAT ABOUT STARS CHANCES (GRAPHIC SPORTS, JUNE 5, PAGE 11)
Black Stars defender, John Painstil, last Sunday declared that the team will shock Mali in Bamako on Sunday.
Speaking to the Graphic Sports after their friendly international game against the Cranes of Uganda, the Fullham defender said the team was fired up for the kill.
“Our determination is to qualify for the World Cup and we are prepared for the fight”, he said.
He expressed satisfaction about the performance of the team and the enthusiasm of some of the new players.
Paintsil urged Ghanaians to pray for the Stars to win the game and subsequent ones.
He lauded the wonderful support by the fans since the team’s arrival in Tamale, saying the best way to reciprocate the wonderful gesture was to win the match in Mali.
Coach of the Cranes of Uganda, Mr. Sam Simbwa, has debunked the notion that his team lost the international friendly encounter with the Black Stars at the Tamale Sports Stadium on Sunday because their Coach Robert Williamson was shown the red card in the first half of the game.
He noted that the inability of the team to call up all its professional players to handle key positions in the game was the major cause of their defeat, stressing that “We fielded only three professional players and the rest were local boys”.
The Black Stars humbled the Cranes by two goals to nil.
He observed that the Stars deserved to win the game because they were a better side.
“Although Ghana played well, I must admit that there were a few mistakes in officiating but on the whole it was good,” he pointed out.
Coach Simbwa stressed that he was not disappointed about the performance of the Cranes, adding that “they gave a good account of themselves despite losing the game”.
He further intimated that the friendly match was beneficial as it had taught them a lot of lessons. He, however, indicated that he was “happy with the performance of the Ghanaian team”.
Speaking to the Graphic Sports after their friendly international game against the Cranes of Uganda, the Fullham defender said the team was fired up for the kill.
“Our determination is to qualify for the World Cup and we are prepared for the fight”, he said.
He expressed satisfaction about the performance of the team and the enthusiasm of some of the new players.
Paintsil urged Ghanaians to pray for the Stars to win the game and subsequent ones.
He lauded the wonderful support by the fans since the team’s arrival in Tamale, saying the best way to reciprocate the wonderful gesture was to win the match in Mali.
Coach of the Cranes of Uganda, Mr. Sam Simbwa, has debunked the notion that his team lost the international friendly encounter with the Black Stars at the Tamale Sports Stadium on Sunday because their Coach Robert Williamson was shown the red card in the first half of the game.
He noted that the inability of the team to call up all its professional players to handle key positions in the game was the major cause of their defeat, stressing that “We fielded only three professional players and the rest were local boys”.
The Black Stars humbled the Cranes by two goals to nil.
He observed that the Stars deserved to win the game because they were a better side.
“Although Ghana played well, I must admit that there were a few mistakes in officiating but on the whole it was good,” he pointed out.
Coach Simbwa stressed that he was not disappointed about the performance of the Cranes, adding that “they gave a good account of themselves despite losing the game”.
He further intimated that the friendly match was beneficial as it had taught them a lot of lessons. He, however, indicated that he was “happy with the performance of the Ghanaian team”.
NAHID IS MISS POLY (SHOWBIZ, JUNE 11, PAGE 9)
By Vincent Amenuveve
NAHID Dimmua, a first-year student of the Accountancy Department of the Tamale Polytechnic was last weekend crowned Miss T-Poly 2009 at the Center for National Culture (CNC), Tamale.
Rafatu Mohammed of the Department of Secretaryship and Management Studies came second and Dora Bigor from the Department of Accountancy took the third position.
For grabbing the crown, Nahid rode away a new “Mapouka” motorbike. Rafatu received a 20-inch colour television set and a digital video compact disc player while Dora took home a table-top refrigerator.
The three winners were among eight contestants who competed for the crown. They went through eight stages but the most interesting segment was the talent hunt. Here, the beauty queens sang, recited poems and danced.
That was not all. Patrons were also entertained to a variety of performances such as rap, traditional, hiplife, highlife and hip-hop music as well as choreographed dance pieces by some of the students.
Beaming with smiles after she was crowned, Nahid told Graphic Showbiz that she felt “great and honoured but humbled by my achievement”. She said all her contenders equally had the potential to be crowned stressing that “It is just that I am the lucky one”.
Nahid pledged to help promote unity among her colleagues and the entire people of the north during her reign.
Some patrons of the pageant expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the event but wondered why the organisers demanded additional GHc1 after they had earlier paid GHC5 for the show which failed to come off last two weeks.
The beauty pageant encountered some technical challenges on May 23, the date originally scheduled for it to happen. The Entertainment Committee was therefore compelled to re-schedule the programme. Patrons who had come to watch the pageant returned home disappointed by the turn of events on that day.
The Entertainment Secretary of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Thomas Ndenab, apologised to the entire students' body for the inconvenience caused them and hoped future events would not encounter such challenges.
The pageant was organised by the Polytechnic's Entertainment Committee and sponsored by Spendlove Boutique, Motor King, Vodafone, Megzet Beauty Clinic, Charles Fashion, Bigiza Court Hotel and Big Bite Catering Services.
NAHID Dimmua, a first-year student of the Accountancy Department of the Tamale Polytechnic was last weekend crowned Miss T-Poly 2009 at the Center for National Culture (CNC), Tamale.
Rafatu Mohammed of the Department of Secretaryship and Management Studies came second and Dora Bigor from the Department of Accountancy took the third position.
For grabbing the crown, Nahid rode away a new “Mapouka” motorbike. Rafatu received a 20-inch colour television set and a digital video compact disc player while Dora took home a table-top refrigerator.
The three winners were among eight contestants who competed for the crown. They went through eight stages but the most interesting segment was the talent hunt. Here, the beauty queens sang, recited poems and danced.
That was not all. Patrons were also entertained to a variety of performances such as rap, traditional, hiplife, highlife and hip-hop music as well as choreographed dance pieces by some of the students.
Beaming with smiles after she was crowned, Nahid told Graphic Showbiz that she felt “great and honoured but humbled by my achievement”. She said all her contenders equally had the potential to be crowned stressing that “It is just that I am the lucky one”.
Nahid pledged to help promote unity among her colleagues and the entire people of the north during her reign.
Some patrons of the pageant expressed satisfaction with the organisation of the event but wondered why the organisers demanded additional GHc1 after they had earlier paid GHC5 for the show which failed to come off last two weeks.
The beauty pageant encountered some technical challenges on May 23, the date originally scheduled for it to happen. The Entertainment Committee was therefore compelled to re-schedule the programme. Patrons who had come to watch the pageant returned home disappointed by the turn of events on that day.
The Entertainment Secretary of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Thomas Ndenab, apologised to the entire students' body for the inconvenience caused them and hoped future events would not encounter such challenges.
The pageant was organised by the Polytechnic's Entertainment Committee and sponsored by Spendlove Boutique, Motor King, Vodafone, Megzet Beauty Clinic, Charles Fashion, Bigiza Court Hotel and Big Bite Catering Services.
MISS POLY RUNS AGROUND (SHOWBIZ, MAY 28, PAGE 3)
By Vincent Amenuveve
Patrons last weekend returned to their various homes disappointed when the 7th Tamale Polytechnic Beauty Pageant failed to come off.
The programme could not come off as scheduled due to technical problems and apparently patrons, some of whom came from Wa in the Upper West region to watch the programme at the auditorium of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) were abashed by the turn of events.
However, the Entertainment Committee, the organisers of the pageant has given the indication that the programme will be organised this weekend.
The Entertainment Secretary of the Student’s Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Thomas Ndenab explained to Graphic Showbiz in Tamale that the programme encountered technical challenges as the three sets of machines that were brought for the function got damaged.
He explained that when the authorities went in for a set of machines for the fourth time to start the function, patrons whose patience had ran out dispersed and efforts to get them back for the programme proved futile.
Mr. Ndenab indicated that the programme could have received the highest patronage if it had been successfully held.
“I can assure you that the students are sympathising with us and are not threatening to do anything untoward” he stated.
He entreated residents and students to patronise the re-scheduled programme.
Eight contestants were billed to compete to be crowned Miss “T” Poly. The winner would take home a “Mapouka” motorbike while the second receives a 20inch colour television set and digital video disc player. The third takes home a table-top refrigerator. The remaining five contestants would receive souvenirs like T-shirts and certificates from sponsors of the programme.
The pageant is sponsored by Motor King, Vodafone, Megzet Beauty Clinic, Charles Fashion, Bigiza Court Hotel and Big Bite Catering Services.
Patrons last weekend returned to their various homes disappointed when the 7th Tamale Polytechnic Beauty Pageant failed to come off.
The programme could not come off as scheduled due to technical problems and apparently patrons, some of whom came from Wa in the Upper West region to watch the programme at the auditorium of the Centre for National Culture (CNC) were abashed by the turn of events.
However, the Entertainment Committee, the organisers of the pageant has given the indication that the programme will be organised this weekend.
The Entertainment Secretary of the Student’s Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Thomas Ndenab explained to Graphic Showbiz in Tamale that the programme encountered technical challenges as the three sets of machines that were brought for the function got damaged.
He explained that when the authorities went in for a set of machines for the fourth time to start the function, patrons whose patience had ran out dispersed and efforts to get them back for the programme proved futile.
Mr. Ndenab indicated that the programme could have received the highest patronage if it had been successfully held.
“I can assure you that the students are sympathising with us and are not threatening to do anything untoward” he stated.
He entreated residents and students to patronise the re-scheduled programme.
Eight contestants were billed to compete to be crowned Miss “T” Poly. The winner would take home a “Mapouka” motorbike while the second receives a 20inch colour television set and digital video disc player. The third takes home a table-top refrigerator. The remaining five contestants would receive souvenirs like T-shirts and certificates from sponsors of the programme.
The pageant is sponsored by Motor King, Vodafone, Megzet Beauty Clinic, Charles Fashion, Bigiza Court Hotel and Big Bite Catering Services.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
CIVIL SERVANTS WANT HOUSING UNITS RENOVATED (PAGE 25)
CIVIL servants in the Tamale metropolis have expressed concern about the poor accommodation facilities and the unconducive working environment in some government departments.
They noted that such challenges hindered them in their quest to work hard to increase productivity in the metropolis.
The workers told the Daily Graphic in Tamale during a workers’ durbar organised by the Civil Servants Association (CSA) that the high rents that were deducted from their salaries at source had allegedly not been used to renovate the buildings they occupied for several years now.
Refurbishment of a single government housing unit in the metropolis is estimated to cost a whopping GH¢20,000 due to the level of deterioration of the buildings.
Most of the housing units were built 50 years ago and have since not been renovated.
Figures available at the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (NRRC) indicate that there are about 607 government housing units located in such suburbs as Sakasaka, Choggu, Bagabaga, Kalpohini, Vitting, Attaasibi, Nyohini and Airport areas.
About 300 of such houses have been earmarked for sale.
The level of deterioration of the housing units is so massive that most occupants cannot afford to renovate the structures by themselves.
Some of the workers argued that even if they took loans to renovate the buildings, their monies might not be refunded to them. The workers, therefore, called for the housing units to be renovated, and that someone should take charge of the project as the metropolis was growing faster and faster with higher demands for more workers to be posted to the metropolis. Investigations by this reporter showed that times without number, workers had trooped to the offices of the NRCC to request for accommodation, which they never obtained. The workers also entreated the government to expedite action on the provision of more housing units to cater for the increasing demands of workers.
They, however, noted that the much talked about policy to eliminate corruption among public and civil servants would become a thing of the past if workers were paid realistic salaries.
In a related development, the acting Executive Secretary of the CSA, Mr James Amissah, told workers that the association was doing its best in negotiating salaries civil servants as there had been an 18 per cent increase in the daily minimum wage.
According to him, the executive of the CSA were also negotiating with the government to ensure that civil servants also enjoyed ex gratia after serving the nation diligently.
The National Vice-President of the CSA, Mr Tennyson Foli, called on members to fully support activities of the association in order to sustain it.
Mr Foli expressed concern about the seeming lip-service being paid to the growth of the Co-operative, Labour and the Public Works departments (PWD) and called on the government to urgently help revamp them.
He also expressed concern about the trying conditions under which civil servants worked in implementing the policies and programmes of the government of the day.
The Regional Chairman of the CSA, Mr Gilbert Sebik, urged civil servants to take issues of welfare seriously by contributing to sustain the scheme.
They noted that such challenges hindered them in their quest to work hard to increase productivity in the metropolis.
The workers told the Daily Graphic in Tamale during a workers’ durbar organised by the Civil Servants Association (CSA) that the high rents that were deducted from their salaries at source had allegedly not been used to renovate the buildings they occupied for several years now.
Refurbishment of a single government housing unit in the metropolis is estimated to cost a whopping GH¢20,000 due to the level of deterioration of the buildings.
Most of the housing units were built 50 years ago and have since not been renovated.
Figures available at the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (NRRC) indicate that there are about 607 government housing units located in such suburbs as Sakasaka, Choggu, Bagabaga, Kalpohini, Vitting, Attaasibi, Nyohini and Airport areas.
About 300 of such houses have been earmarked for sale.
The level of deterioration of the housing units is so massive that most occupants cannot afford to renovate the structures by themselves.
Some of the workers argued that even if they took loans to renovate the buildings, their monies might not be refunded to them. The workers, therefore, called for the housing units to be renovated, and that someone should take charge of the project as the metropolis was growing faster and faster with higher demands for more workers to be posted to the metropolis. Investigations by this reporter showed that times without number, workers had trooped to the offices of the NRCC to request for accommodation, which they never obtained. The workers also entreated the government to expedite action on the provision of more housing units to cater for the increasing demands of workers.
They, however, noted that the much talked about policy to eliminate corruption among public and civil servants would become a thing of the past if workers were paid realistic salaries.
In a related development, the acting Executive Secretary of the CSA, Mr James Amissah, told workers that the association was doing its best in negotiating salaries civil servants as there had been an 18 per cent increase in the daily minimum wage.
According to him, the executive of the CSA were also negotiating with the government to ensure that civil servants also enjoyed ex gratia after serving the nation diligently.
The National Vice-President of the CSA, Mr Tennyson Foli, called on members to fully support activities of the association in order to sustain it.
Mr Foli expressed concern about the seeming lip-service being paid to the growth of the Co-operative, Labour and the Public Works departments (PWD) and called on the government to urgently help revamp them.
He also expressed concern about the trying conditions under which civil servants worked in implementing the policies and programmes of the government of the day.
The Regional Chairman of the CSA, Mr Gilbert Sebik, urged civil servants to take issues of welfare seriously by contributing to sustain the scheme.
ENCOURAGE FEMALES TO GO INTO THE ARTS (PAGE 25)
THE Executive Director of Rural Women and Children Development Organisation (RWCDO), Mr Abdulai Dannah, has expressed concern that some parents in the Tamale metropolis restrict their children, particularly girls, from offering courses related to the arts industry.
He noted that music, drama, visual arts and other vocations in the industry served as a source of income, poverty reduction criterion and a way for unearthing the full potential of children towards national development.
Mr Dannah stated this in Tamale during the celebration of this year’s SWAN’s Day in the Northern Region.
The day is set aside to recognise the importance of women’s participation in the art industry globally.
“Females must be given the mandate or free will to choose their respective careers,” Mr Dannah said.
He stressed that Ghana was part of the global village, and that parents must discard all negative practices that hindered the development of women and turned back the clock of progress in society.
“Let us make the best use of this occasion as a day we can use to promote our art works. This, in my opinion, will help unearth more talents among women, as well as promote the sharing of ideas to develop our art industry,” the director stated.
He entreated women artistes “to be courageous, believe in yourselves that you can make it and do not be deterred by discouraging statements from friends, relatives and the challenges of the environment”.
Mr Dannah said the celebration of the day was geared towards putting women artistes in the limelight and to expose their contributions towards the development of the arts industry.
“It is about time women were given the fullest recognition and encouragement to unearth their potential in the arts industry,” the director noted.
The Regional Director of the Department of Women of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mr Patrick Issahaku Zakari-Saa, urged women in the arts industry not to “run away from challenges, because every one of them you confront and overcome can be a major stepping stone to your greatness”.
He appealed to women to make use of the media, so that they could market their potential to the outside world.
Mr Zakari-Saa further advised women artistes to form formidable associations to help scout for opportunities and promote the welfare of its members, particularly women.
He noted that music, drama, visual arts and other vocations in the industry served as a source of income, poverty reduction criterion and a way for unearthing the full potential of children towards national development.
Mr Dannah stated this in Tamale during the celebration of this year’s SWAN’s Day in the Northern Region.
The day is set aside to recognise the importance of women’s participation in the art industry globally.
“Females must be given the mandate or free will to choose their respective careers,” Mr Dannah said.
He stressed that Ghana was part of the global village, and that parents must discard all negative practices that hindered the development of women and turned back the clock of progress in society.
“Let us make the best use of this occasion as a day we can use to promote our art works. This, in my opinion, will help unearth more talents among women, as well as promote the sharing of ideas to develop our art industry,” the director stated.
He entreated women artistes “to be courageous, believe in yourselves that you can make it and do not be deterred by discouraging statements from friends, relatives and the challenges of the environment”.
Mr Dannah said the celebration of the day was geared towards putting women artistes in the limelight and to expose their contributions towards the development of the arts industry.
“It is about time women were given the fullest recognition and encouragement to unearth their potential in the arts industry,” the director noted.
The Regional Director of the Department of Women of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mr Patrick Issahaku Zakari-Saa, urged women in the arts industry not to “run away from challenges, because every one of them you confront and overcome can be a major stepping stone to your greatness”.
He appealed to women to make use of the media, so that they could market their potential to the outside world.
Mr Zakari-Saa further advised women artistes to form formidable associations to help scout for opportunities and promote the welfare of its members, particularly women.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
DON'T SPARE BAD CONTRACTORS (PAGE 20)
THE Northern Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Nayina, has entreated implementers of the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) to deal swiftly with any contractor or consultant who would be found wanting in the execution of projects under the intervention.
He noted that the situation whereby “programme managers fail to take action regarding non-performance of contractors and consultants can no longer be tolerated, because it makes the region and for that matter the entire country lose valuable funds and time”.
Mr Nayina, who stated this in Tamale during the inauguration of the NRGP for the Northern Region, equally appealed to the programme managers to ensure that the highest qualified contractors and consultants were selected through the procurement processes to ensure that quality work was done on time.
The NRGP was aimed at increasing incomes and reducing poverty among farmers in rural communities of northern Ghana on a sustainable basis. The programme was earlier inaugurated by the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, for the entire northern Ghana in Tamale in April this year.
The $104.34 million programme would benefit a total of 372,000 rural farming households in the Northern, Upper East and West and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region over an eight-year period. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is implementing it while the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the government, financial institutions and private investors are jointly funding the programme. Mr Nayina, however, pointed out that good-performing contractors should be commended and recommended and their information shared with other public institutions, stressing that the same should be done for the non-performing ones. The minister called for increased expansion in irrigation schemes to help modernise agriculture and ensure an all-year-round cultivation of crops by farmers.
The National Project Co-ordinator, Mr Roy Ayariga, emphasised that the NRGP would place emphasis on Water Resource Development and Management (WRDM) component of the programme. He further explained that water resource development was critical “for multi-purpose agriculture that holds the key to profitable agro-business and poverty reduction in the north”.
He intimated that under the WRDM, dams for irrigation purposes, fish farming and livestock, as well as water pumping schemes, would be provided to support beneficiary farmers.
Mr Ayariga indicated that on-farm water harvesting techniques to mitigate the effects of drought and floods in the rainy season would also be developed under the WRDM.
“The NRGP addresses the priorities of the government in pursuit of poverty reduction, bridging the north-south divide, women’s welfare and contributing to achieving the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals,” he stressed.
The co-ordinator announced that 800 kilometres of farm tracks, 600 kilometres of feeder roads, 270 culverts, 10 bridges and the upgrading of 348 kilometres of trunk roads would be done under the NRGP.
The Northern Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Sylvester Adongo, hoped managers of the NRGP would form partnership with other programmes to provide the needed panacea to the poverty situation in the region. He noted that many residents in the region were still worried about the prevalence of poverty, ignorance and disease, in spite of the many interventions in the area.
He noted that the situation whereby “programme managers fail to take action regarding non-performance of contractors and consultants can no longer be tolerated, because it makes the region and for that matter the entire country lose valuable funds and time”.
Mr Nayina, who stated this in Tamale during the inauguration of the NRGP for the Northern Region, equally appealed to the programme managers to ensure that the highest qualified contractors and consultants were selected through the procurement processes to ensure that quality work was done on time.
The NRGP was aimed at increasing incomes and reducing poverty among farmers in rural communities of northern Ghana on a sustainable basis. The programme was earlier inaugurated by the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, for the entire northern Ghana in Tamale in April this year.
The $104.34 million programme would benefit a total of 372,000 rural farming households in the Northern, Upper East and West and parts of the Brong Ahafo Region over an eight-year period. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture is implementing it while the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the government, financial institutions and private investors are jointly funding the programme. Mr Nayina, however, pointed out that good-performing contractors should be commended and recommended and their information shared with other public institutions, stressing that the same should be done for the non-performing ones. The minister called for increased expansion in irrigation schemes to help modernise agriculture and ensure an all-year-round cultivation of crops by farmers.
The National Project Co-ordinator, Mr Roy Ayariga, emphasised that the NRGP would place emphasis on Water Resource Development and Management (WRDM) component of the programme. He further explained that water resource development was critical “for multi-purpose agriculture that holds the key to profitable agro-business and poverty reduction in the north”.
He intimated that under the WRDM, dams for irrigation purposes, fish farming and livestock, as well as water pumping schemes, would be provided to support beneficiary farmers.
Mr Ayariga indicated that on-farm water harvesting techniques to mitigate the effects of drought and floods in the rainy season would also be developed under the WRDM.
“The NRGP addresses the priorities of the government in pursuit of poverty reduction, bridging the north-south divide, women’s welfare and contributing to achieving the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals,” he stressed.
The co-ordinator announced that 800 kilometres of farm tracks, 600 kilometres of feeder roads, 270 culverts, 10 bridges and the upgrading of 348 kilometres of trunk roads would be done under the NRGP.
The Northern Regional Director of Food and Agriculture, Mr Sylvester Adongo, hoped managers of the NRGP would form partnership with other programmes to provide the needed panacea to the poverty situation in the region. He noted that many residents in the region were still worried about the prevalence of poverty, ignorance and disease, in spite of the many interventions in the area.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AFFECTS EDUCATION OF GRILS (PAGE 11)
THE Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, has expressed concern about the unfriendly learning environment in schools that do not encourage girls to acquire the knowledge that would enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the country.
He noted that such negative practices as sexual harassment, discriminatory teaching methods, negative attitudes and some unprofessional acts by teachers and school authorities had over the years worsened the plight of girls in their quest to educate themselves.
Mr Tettey-Enyo stated this at the first Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Tamale Girls Senior High School. The occasion was on the theme “Educating the girl child: Key to national development”.
The minister entreated school heads to help ensure a conducive learning environment in schools to promote girl-child education, which was necessary in ensuring that they contributed meaningfully to national development.
He urged parents to send their girls to school at the right age and support them throughout their educational career as long as their brains would take them.
“The girl-child cannot wait any longer; as long as we deny them their education, we are only prolonging the vicious cycle of poverty in their respective homes and communities,” Mr Tettey-Enyo noted.
He expressed regret that in spite of their role in nation building, girls continued to be discriminated against at home, at workplaces and among the larger society, relegating them to the background in decision making.
“Women constitute about 51 per cent of the country’s population, and so they deserve to be treated fairly and not to be abandoned to their faith,” the minister stressed.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Nayina, advised parents not to leave the moral and social training of their wards, particularly the girls, in the hands of teachers alone.
“Stakeholders should have a clear focus, vision and target and you should be able to get benchmarks to determine the growth of the school which is reflected in the kind of students that are churned out,” Mr Nayina observed.
The Headmistress of the school, Ms Mercy Amanquandoh, paid glowing tribute to Alhaji Rahimu Gbadamoshi and the late Alhaji B.A. Fuseini for their immense contribution towards the establishment of the school.
According to her, the school was started in 1998 through the collaboration of the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council, the Ghana Education Service and Rains/Camfed, a non-governmental organisation.
Ms Amanquando disclosed that the school started with 64 girls, but currently had a student population of 850, with 54 teaching and non-teaching staff.
The headmistress expressed joy that the academic performance of the school in the WASSSCE had improved from nine per cent in 2002 to 99 per cent in 2008.
A Lecturer at the University for Development Studies, Dr Hajia Ramatu Alhassan, who chaired the function, observed that the “effectiveness of girls school in educating the girl-child depends on a healthy relationship between students, parents, school authorities and policy makers”.
He noted that such negative practices as sexual harassment, discriminatory teaching methods, negative attitudes and some unprofessional acts by teachers and school authorities had over the years worsened the plight of girls in their quest to educate themselves.
Mr Tettey-Enyo stated this at the first Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Tamale Girls Senior High School. The occasion was on the theme “Educating the girl child: Key to national development”.
The minister entreated school heads to help ensure a conducive learning environment in schools to promote girl-child education, which was necessary in ensuring that they contributed meaningfully to national development.
He urged parents to send their girls to school at the right age and support them throughout their educational career as long as their brains would take them.
“The girl-child cannot wait any longer; as long as we deny them their education, we are only prolonging the vicious cycle of poverty in their respective homes and communities,” Mr Tettey-Enyo noted.
He expressed regret that in spite of their role in nation building, girls continued to be discriminated against at home, at workplaces and among the larger society, relegating them to the background in decision making.
“Women constitute about 51 per cent of the country’s population, and so they deserve to be treated fairly and not to be abandoned to their faith,” the minister stressed.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Nayina, advised parents not to leave the moral and social training of their wards, particularly the girls, in the hands of teachers alone.
“Stakeholders should have a clear focus, vision and target and you should be able to get benchmarks to determine the growth of the school which is reflected in the kind of students that are churned out,” Mr Nayina observed.
The Headmistress of the school, Ms Mercy Amanquandoh, paid glowing tribute to Alhaji Rahimu Gbadamoshi and the late Alhaji B.A. Fuseini for their immense contribution towards the establishment of the school.
According to her, the school was started in 1998 through the collaboration of the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council, the Ghana Education Service and Rains/Camfed, a non-governmental organisation.
Ms Amanquando disclosed that the school started with 64 girls, but currently had a student population of 850, with 54 teaching and non-teaching staff.
The headmistress expressed joy that the academic performance of the school in the WASSSCE had improved from nine per cent in 2002 to 99 per cent in 2008.
A Lecturer at the University for Development Studies, Dr Hajia Ramatu Alhassan, who chaired the function, observed that the “effectiveness of girls school in educating the girl-child depends on a healthy relationship between students, parents, school authorities and policy makers”.
Monday, June 8, 2009
APPRENTICE JAILED FOR POSSESSING 'WEE' (MIRROR, PAGE 27)
From Vincent Amenuveve, Tamale
When a 24-year-old apprentice electrician threatened to kill his brother with a machete during a misunderstanding at Gumbihini, a suburb of Tamale, little did he know that his intimidation would eventually lead to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment for possessing cannabis (wee).
Majeed Alhassan has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in hard labour by the Tamale Circuit Court for possessing a narcotic drug.
The facts of the case, as presented by a State Attorney, Mr Agbeko Kra, were that in the evening of May 7, 2007, Alhassan was found wielding a machete, threatening to kill his brother if he dared draw near him.
The prosecution stated that with the assistance of the other siblings in the house, the convict was arrested and taken to his room where they found large quantities of cannabis (wee) in a plastic bag.
Mr Kra said with the discovery, the siblings reported the matter to the police in Tamale, who arrested him. Upon interrogation, he claimed ownership of the substance.
Majeed had stated that he was a beggar who moved from one village to another to beg for alms, saying that anytime he got tired on his rounds he smoked the wee to make him more active.
When a 24-year-old apprentice electrician threatened to kill his brother with a machete during a misunderstanding at Gumbihini, a suburb of Tamale, little did he know that his intimidation would eventually lead to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment for possessing cannabis (wee).
Majeed Alhassan has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in hard labour by the Tamale Circuit Court for possessing a narcotic drug.
The facts of the case, as presented by a State Attorney, Mr Agbeko Kra, were that in the evening of May 7, 2007, Alhassan was found wielding a machete, threatening to kill his brother if he dared draw near him.
The prosecution stated that with the assistance of the other siblings in the house, the convict was arrested and taken to his room where they found large quantities of cannabis (wee) in a plastic bag.
Mr Kra said with the discovery, the siblings reported the matter to the police in Tamale, who arrested him. Upon interrogation, he claimed ownership of the substance.
Majeed had stated that he was a beggar who moved from one village to another to beg for alms, saying that anytime he got tired on his rounds he smoked the wee to make him more active.
REPORT HOARDING OF FUEL OF POLICE (PAGE 53)
THE Northern Regional Officer of the Ghana Standards Board (GSB), Mr Francis Luguwuu, has entreated residents of the Tamale metropolis to report suspected hoarding of fuel by filling stations to the Ghana Police Service.
He noted that issues of hoarding were criminal and that it was the duty of the police to investigate such matters.
Mr Luguwuu explained to the Daily Graphic in Tamale that his outfit embarked on periodic checks of delivery pumps at the various filling stations every six months.
According to him, the checks were to ensure that the filling stations used the required measuring standards in selling the fuel to avoid cheating unsuspecting customers.
He further intimated that it was only when people failed to be vigilant that they later complained of alleged cheating by fuel attendants.
“As far as we are concerned, the issue of hoarding is the responsibility of the police but of course we can help educate the public on what to do in case they suspect hoarding” the officer observed.
Mr Luguwuu advised residents to lodge complaints at the office of the GSB in Tamale anytime they suspected under delivery of fuel, adding that “we would give them a form to fill after which my outfit would pursue the matter and make the outcome known to the complainants”.
He, however, said the GSB had never come across a situation where any filling station had broken the seals put on the delivery pumps after they had been checked.
Some managers of filling stations have however denied hoarding but some commercial drivers in the metropolis insisted that some filling stations were hoarding fuel in anticipation of price hikes. The fuel shortage that hit the metropolis a few days ago had normalised.
He noted that issues of hoarding were criminal and that it was the duty of the police to investigate such matters.
Mr Luguwuu explained to the Daily Graphic in Tamale that his outfit embarked on periodic checks of delivery pumps at the various filling stations every six months.
According to him, the checks were to ensure that the filling stations used the required measuring standards in selling the fuel to avoid cheating unsuspecting customers.
He further intimated that it was only when people failed to be vigilant that they later complained of alleged cheating by fuel attendants.
“As far as we are concerned, the issue of hoarding is the responsibility of the police but of course we can help educate the public on what to do in case they suspect hoarding” the officer observed.
Mr Luguwuu advised residents to lodge complaints at the office of the GSB in Tamale anytime they suspected under delivery of fuel, adding that “we would give them a form to fill after which my outfit would pursue the matter and make the outcome known to the complainants”.
He, however, said the GSB had never come across a situation where any filling station had broken the seals put on the delivery pumps after they had been checked.
Some managers of filling stations have however denied hoarding but some commercial drivers in the metropolis insisted that some filling stations were hoarding fuel in anticipation of price hikes. The fuel shortage that hit the metropolis a few days ago had normalised.
COMMIT RESOURCES TOWARDS EDUCCATION OF GIRL-CHILD (PAGE 11)
THE Administrator of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Mr Sam Garba, has entreated the elite in northern Ghana to help evolve effective strategies to commit more resources towards the education of the girl-child.
He noted that the alarming rate at which girls engaged in menial jobs in southern Ghana demanded that urgent and concrete steps were taken to arrest the situation.
Mr Garba told students of the Tamale Senior High School at the weekend that “my heart bleeds anytime I see young girls from the north engaging in the ‘kayayo’ business with its attendant problems like teenage pregnancy”.
He equally attributed the high maternal and infant mortality rates in northern Ghana, partly to the high illiteracy rates among women as a result of the failure of stakeholders to send girls to school.
According to him, the plight of women in the northern part of the country might worsen if the elite did not tackle the problem urgently to ensure that streetism and the kayayo business among the girls became a thing of the past.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, observed that northern Ghana was not “short of role models”, and entreated girls to keep their dreams high and alive so that they could become responsible women in the future.
Mr Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, indicated that stakeholders must help close the historical gaps and disparities that existed between the north and the south in terms of quality education.
As his contribution to the development of girls’ education, the minister made a personal pledge ofGH¢2,000 as seed money towards the establishment of the Pang-naa Girl-Child Education Fund.
He noted that the alarming rate at which girls engaged in menial jobs in southern Ghana demanded that urgent and concrete steps were taken to arrest the situation.
Mr Garba told students of the Tamale Senior High School at the weekend that “my heart bleeds anytime I see young girls from the north engaging in the ‘kayayo’ business with its attendant problems like teenage pregnancy”.
He equally attributed the high maternal and infant mortality rates in northern Ghana, partly to the high illiteracy rates among women as a result of the failure of stakeholders to send girls to school.
According to him, the plight of women in the northern part of the country might worsen if the elite did not tackle the problem urgently to ensure that streetism and the kayayo business among the girls became a thing of the past.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, observed that northern Ghana was not “short of role models”, and entreated girls to keep their dreams high and alive so that they could become responsible women in the future.
Mr Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, indicated that stakeholders must help close the historical gaps and disparities that existed between the north and the south in terms of quality education.
As his contribution to the development of girls’ education, the minister made a personal pledge ofGH¢2,000 as seed money towards the establishment of the Pang-naa Girl-Child Education Fund.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
INVESTMENT SEMINAR ENDS IN TAMALE (PAGE 20)
THE poor infrastructural development, non existence of business partnerships and low entrepreneurial skills have been identified as some of the contributory factors to the low investment flow in the Northern Region.
According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the region had so far benefited from only 34 out of a total of 2,955 investment projects nationwide.
The situation has been described by stakeholders as unacceptable. The Upper East has two of the projects while the Upper West has eight.
The Director, Global and Regional Operations of the GIPC, Mr Augustine Otoo briefed media practitioners on the issue at a regional investment seminar in Tamale to sensitise stakeholders to the situation and to formulate strategies to address them.
He explained that the perceived lack of peace in the Northern Region and the distance of the region from ports regarding exports, were other challenges to investment promotion in the area.
Mr Otoo, therefore, stressed on the need for district assemblies to support the GIPC in its bid to identify investment potentials in the districts and package them for development.
He expressed regret that last year, appeals were made to the Regional Houses of Chiefs to release land for investment purposes but to date, nothing had been heard about that from the region.
According to him, the GIPC had so far attracted over $13 billion of both foreign and local investments.
The Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina urged the GIPC to work closely with the Regional House of Chiefs, land owners and all relevant institutions to harmonise the utilisation of lands for investment purposes.
“I believe that we the players in this region have the capacity to identify local opportunities dotted all over the place, which in concert with the GIPC, will be packaged for development and promoted both within and outside to attract win-win partnerships”, he stated.
Mr Nayina said the prominent area of investment in the region remained largely in the agricultural sector.
The Manager, Enclave and Estate Development of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Nana Kodwo Adentwi stated that as of last year, 201 companies were licensed to operate under the board.
He said five of the companies were located in the region, adding that 27,736 employment avenues had so far been created nationwide.
The Member of Parliament for Salaga, Alhaji Ibrahim Dey called on citizens of the region to help develop the area since “nobody will develop this place for us”.
According to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the region had so far benefited from only 34 out of a total of 2,955 investment projects nationwide.
The situation has been described by stakeholders as unacceptable. The Upper East has two of the projects while the Upper West has eight.
The Director, Global and Regional Operations of the GIPC, Mr Augustine Otoo briefed media practitioners on the issue at a regional investment seminar in Tamale to sensitise stakeholders to the situation and to formulate strategies to address them.
He explained that the perceived lack of peace in the Northern Region and the distance of the region from ports regarding exports, were other challenges to investment promotion in the area.
Mr Otoo, therefore, stressed on the need for district assemblies to support the GIPC in its bid to identify investment potentials in the districts and package them for development.
He expressed regret that last year, appeals were made to the Regional Houses of Chiefs to release land for investment purposes but to date, nothing had been heard about that from the region.
According to him, the GIPC had so far attracted over $13 billion of both foreign and local investments.
The Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina urged the GIPC to work closely with the Regional House of Chiefs, land owners and all relevant institutions to harmonise the utilisation of lands for investment purposes.
“I believe that we the players in this region have the capacity to identify local opportunities dotted all over the place, which in concert with the GIPC, will be packaged for development and promoted both within and outside to attract win-win partnerships”, he stated.
Mr Nayina said the prominent area of investment in the region remained largely in the agricultural sector.
The Manager, Enclave and Estate Development of the Ghana Free Zones Board, Nana Kodwo Adentwi stated that as of last year, 201 companies were licensed to operate under the board.
He said five of the companies were located in the region, adding that 27,736 employment avenues had so far been created nationwide.
The Member of Parliament for Salaga, Alhaji Ibrahim Dey called on citizens of the region to help develop the area since “nobody will develop this place for us”.
CHIEF EXECUTIVES IN NR SWORN INTO OFFICE (PAGE 13)
SEVENTEEN Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Northern Region have been sworn into office at a ceremony in Tamale with a call on them to guard against conflict of interest and corruption for the accelerated development of their respective districts.
They took the oath of office, secrecy and allegiance administered by the Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina in line with Article 243 of the 1992 Constitution and the Local Government Act 462.
There were, however, no representatives for the Savelugu-Nanton, Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo and Gushegu districts as their respective nominees had been rejected by their assemblies.
Traditional rulers, heads of departments and assembly members attended the ceremony.
Mr Nayina cautioned the MMDCEs against engaging in conflicts with Members of Parliament (MPs) and traditional rulers in their respective districts.
“You must address the needs and aspirations of the people to justify the confidence reposed in you; if any DCE wants to enter Parliament, he or she must let us know of it else we would remove you from office”, he further warned.
“MMDCEs have a responsibility to respond and address the needs of the people with dispatch and adopt an open door policy in your administration”, the minister stressed.
Mr Nayina advised the chief executives to avoid interfering in chieftaincy matters, adding that as MMDCEs, their major concern should be the maintenance of law and order.
“I also implore you to display transparency and accountability in your administration in order to win the confidence of the people and respect for yourself”, he emphasised.
The Regional Coordinating Director, Mr Joseph Dasanah, entreated MMDCEs to “stand firm and persevere until success is achieved”.
A Member of the Council of State, Kpan-Naa Mohammed Bawah, who chaired the function, congratulated the MMDCEs and urged them to help unite and mobilise the people, traditional rulers and civil society groups for the accelerated development of their respective areas.
The Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the President and the people for the confidence reposed in them.
He on behalf of his colleagues, pledged to discharge their duties effectively.
“We would live up to expectation and we are prepared to serve our people; we would not rest on our oars”, he stated.
They took the oath of office, secrecy and allegiance administered by the Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina in line with Article 243 of the 1992 Constitution and the Local Government Act 462.
There were, however, no representatives for the Savelugu-Nanton, Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo and Gushegu districts as their respective nominees had been rejected by their assemblies.
Traditional rulers, heads of departments and assembly members attended the ceremony.
Mr Nayina cautioned the MMDCEs against engaging in conflicts with Members of Parliament (MPs) and traditional rulers in their respective districts.
“You must address the needs and aspirations of the people to justify the confidence reposed in you; if any DCE wants to enter Parliament, he or she must let us know of it else we would remove you from office”, he further warned.
“MMDCEs have a responsibility to respond and address the needs of the people with dispatch and adopt an open door policy in your administration”, the minister stressed.
Mr Nayina advised the chief executives to avoid interfering in chieftaincy matters, adding that as MMDCEs, their major concern should be the maintenance of law and order.
“I also implore you to display transparency and accountability in your administration in order to win the confidence of the people and respect for yourself”, he emphasised.
The Regional Coordinating Director, Mr Joseph Dasanah, entreated MMDCEs to “stand firm and persevere until success is achieved”.
A Member of the Council of State, Kpan-Naa Mohammed Bawah, who chaired the function, congratulated the MMDCEs and urged them to help unite and mobilise the people, traditional rulers and civil society groups for the accelerated development of their respective areas.
The Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the President and the people for the confidence reposed in them.
He on behalf of his colleagues, pledged to discharge their duties effectively.
“We would live up to expectation and we are prepared to serve our people; we would not rest on our oars”, he stated.
INSTANT FINES FOR MOTORBIKE RIDERS WITHOUT HELMETS (PAGE 30)
MOTOR riders who ride into the premises of the Tamale District Court without wearing crash helmets will now pay a spot fine and will also be made to purchase helmets before their bikes are released to them.
The measure is to help instil discipline among motor riders and ensure that they adhere to road safety measures.
The District Magistrate, Mr Gabriel Mate-Teye, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that the initiative was part of the court’s contribution to reducing accidents in the metropolis.
He attributed about 95 per cent of accidents that occurred in the metropolis to the refusal of riders and their pillion riders to wear their helmets.
Mr Mate-Teye, therefore, urged the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service to intensify education campaigns on the use of crash helmets in schools and communities.
“We are taking it upon ourselves to do these things because a lot of people are dying as a result of their refusal to use the helmet”, Mr Mate-Teye pointed out.
He entreated motorbike dealers to ensure that they sold the bikes with helmets, stressing that any buyer who wanted to purchase a motorbike must be compelled to buy crash helmets.
According to the magistrate,“people who come to court must do the right thing because we cannot allow the alarming rate of accidents and deaths among riders to continue”.
The measure is to help instil discipline among motor riders and ensure that they adhere to road safety measures.
The District Magistrate, Mr Gabriel Mate-Teye, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that the initiative was part of the court’s contribution to reducing accidents in the metropolis.
He attributed about 95 per cent of accidents that occurred in the metropolis to the refusal of riders and their pillion riders to wear their helmets.
Mr Mate-Teye, therefore, urged the Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service to intensify education campaigns on the use of crash helmets in schools and communities.
“We are taking it upon ourselves to do these things because a lot of people are dying as a result of their refusal to use the helmet”, Mr Mate-Teye pointed out.
He entreated motorbike dealers to ensure that they sold the bikes with helmets, stressing that any buyer who wanted to purchase a motorbike must be compelled to buy crash helmets.
According to the magistrate,“people who come to court must do the right thing because we cannot allow the alarming rate of accidents and deaths among riders to continue”.
STUDENTS ADVISED TO REFRAIN FROM NEGATIVE ACTS (PAGE 11)
THE Northern Regional Director of Education, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza, has cautioned students against engaging in negative acts and joining bad company that could ruin their future.
She equally advised students to take their studies seriously, stressing that “you the boys must avoid smoking and the girls should desist from accepting gifts like mobile phones and watches from strangers”.
Mrs De-Souza was speaking during the presentation of a 21-inch colour television set and deck to the authorities of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale. The items were donated by the office of the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to honour the school for excelling in this year’s Regional Independence Day debate programme.
The director entreated students of GHANASCO to aim beyond the sky in all their endeavours and said “you must make your school the home of learning and remember that whatever you do here is not in vain”.
She observed that the students had the potential to aspire to the highest level in life and stressed that the holding of debates in the school was one of the activities meant to encourage them to master the art of speaking in public.
Mrs De-Souza therefore called on teachers of the school to continue to work hard to enable the school to maintain discipline and high academic performance.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah, announced that the school had been provided with 248 compact discs (CDs) on English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Chemistry and Physics under the President’s Special Initiative on Distance Learning.
She observed that GHANASCO had over the years proved that it was a force to reckon with regarding national and regional debates.
Mrs Dan-Braimah intimated for instance that in 2003, the school emerged winner of a national Independence Day debate competition.
According to her, the school also won the regional Independence Day debate competition in 2007.
She equally advised students to take their studies seriously, stressing that “you the boys must avoid smoking and the girls should desist from accepting gifts like mobile phones and watches from strangers”.
Mrs De-Souza was speaking during the presentation of a 21-inch colour television set and deck to the authorities of the Ghana Senior High School (GHANASCO) in Tamale. The items were donated by the office of the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to honour the school for excelling in this year’s Regional Independence Day debate programme.
The director entreated students of GHANASCO to aim beyond the sky in all their endeavours and said “you must make your school the home of learning and remember that whatever you do here is not in vain”.
She observed that the students had the potential to aspire to the highest level in life and stressed that the holding of debates in the school was one of the activities meant to encourage them to master the art of speaking in public.
Mrs De-Souza therefore called on teachers of the school to continue to work hard to enable the school to maintain discipline and high academic performance.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Asobayire Dan-Braimah, announced that the school had been provided with 248 compact discs (CDs) on English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, Chemistry and Physics under the President’s Special Initiative on Distance Learning.
She observed that GHANASCO had over the years proved that it was a force to reckon with regarding national and regional debates.
Mrs Dan-Braimah intimated for instance that in 2003, the school emerged winner of a national Independence Day debate competition.
According to her, the school also won the regional Independence Day debate competition in 2007.
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