THE development of five tourist attractions located in and around the Mole National Park in the Northern Region has been boosted further with the injection of $250,000 into the sector by the Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation.
The attractions are located at Larabanga, Mognori, Sonyor, Kulmasa and the Mole Park itself. It is envisaged that about 2,400 people in the tourist attraction sites would directly benefit from the project.
In that regard, a Savannaland Destination Management Team (SDMT) has been inaugurated in Tamale to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the project.
Giving an overview of the project, the Tourism Advisor of the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), Madam Cynthia Awuni, stated that ST-EP was providing funding for tourism development in the south-western parts of the Savannaland destination.
According to her, the ST-EP was a partnership of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the SNV to help alleviate the poverty of a projected 20,000 people through direct employment and income earned in the tourism sector.
Madam Awuni stated that under the SDMT, the capacity of relevant stakeholders in planning and co-ordination of tourism development would, among other objectives, be strengthened.
She said the key implementing agencies were the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), West Gonja, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole District Assemblies.
The rest were the Mole National Park, the Ghana Tourist Board, beneficiary communities, the private sector, A. Rocha, Ghana and SNV.
Madam Awuni said the SDMT would help plan, facilitate and create an enabling environment for the beneficiary communities and the private sector to manage and invest in tourism.
The Project Manager of A. Rocha, Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, Mr Daryl Bosu, for his part, expressed optimism that access to tourism destination areas would be improved in the near future, as well as increase tourist arrivals to the destinations.
According to him, that would be achieved through investment in infrastructure stimulated by tourism and tax or levy on tourism income or profit proceeds benefiting the poor.
The Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, observed, “This is a novelty initiative intended to market our tourism potential”.
He urged District Chief Executives to collaborate with the stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the project.
Alhaji Idris stressed the need for the stakeholders to include traditional rulers and representatives of the security services in the management of the project to ensure its smooth implementation.
The Regional Manager of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), Mr William Ayambire, who lauded the project, said effective tourism development required a multi-sectoral approach.
The Bole District Chief Executive, Mr Jerry Yakubu Yahaya, commended the SNV for providing support to district assemblies in the region since 2005 for them to develop their tourism potentials.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
MSG CALLS FOR POLICY ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT (PAGE 3)
THE Medical Superintendents Group (MSG) of Ghana has called for a national disaster policy with a holistic approach to effectively deal with disasters and mass casualty incidents in the country.
It also advocated the introduction of a postgraduate programme in emergency medicine that would look at the entire system of disaster, instead of only emergency case management.
According to the group, the establishment of a strategic stockpile of medicines and equipment in at least two vantage points of the country was imperative for the effective management of disasters.
Making the call at the 7th annual general conference of the MSG in Tamale, its president, Dr George Acquaye, stressed the need for a well-organised system that would cover issues such as a review of land use, state funding and laws enhancing the mobilisation of resources to manage disasters promptly.
The conference had the theme, “Disasters here, disasters there. How prepared are we? Hospitals and emergency preparedness”.
The three-day conference discussed issues such as policy review on emergency preparedness in Ghana, experiences from the northern floods of 2007, an approach to handling disaster and mass casualty incidents, procurement under disasters, as well as identification and management of the critically injured patient.
Dr Acquaye noted that “a holistic national emergency response approach should involve individuals, communities, organisations, hospitals and public health institutions in an organised, well-established system of managing disasters and mass casualty incidents”.
He mentioned overcrowding in health institutions, with no available space to handle the initial upsurge of victims, obsolete equipment, inadequate staff and financial constraints as major challenges to ensuring effective disaster management in the health sector.
A Deputy Minister of Health, Mrs Gladys Norley Ashitey, noted that recently a gloomy picture of the country’s emergency preparedness was exhibited when a landslide occurred near Adukrom in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region.
According to her, such a situation was a wake-up call on stakeholders to ensure that emergency preparedness was taken to a higher level.
“The time has now come for us to move from conscientisation to policy action and implementation I, therefore, challenge my outfit and its partners to commit more resources and the political will to make emergency preparedness an easy task in healthcare delivery,” Mrs Ashitey said.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr George Amofa, bemoaned the poor attitude to emergencies on the part of some health personnel.
“I am aware of the multi-faceted factors which prevent proper planning and especially the execution of an effective emergency preparedness system, but our major concern is the unacceptable part our poor attitude to work plays in all these,” he further stressed.
According to him, the apparent inaction and lack of a sense of urgency and concern by some staff were marring the dedicated work being done by the majority of the staff.
Dr Amofa equally expressed concern about the mal-distribution of health staff, especially doctors, in the country.
“We are particularly concerned about the manner in which housemen and specialists from the teaching and regional hospitals and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons find their way to various hospitals after their training,” he stated.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, urged health personnel to accept posting to the region to help improve on health indicators in the area.
It also advocated the introduction of a postgraduate programme in emergency medicine that would look at the entire system of disaster, instead of only emergency case management.
According to the group, the establishment of a strategic stockpile of medicines and equipment in at least two vantage points of the country was imperative for the effective management of disasters.
Making the call at the 7th annual general conference of the MSG in Tamale, its president, Dr George Acquaye, stressed the need for a well-organised system that would cover issues such as a review of land use, state funding and laws enhancing the mobilisation of resources to manage disasters promptly.
The conference had the theme, “Disasters here, disasters there. How prepared are we? Hospitals and emergency preparedness”.
The three-day conference discussed issues such as policy review on emergency preparedness in Ghana, experiences from the northern floods of 2007, an approach to handling disaster and mass casualty incidents, procurement under disasters, as well as identification and management of the critically injured patient.
Dr Acquaye noted that “a holistic national emergency response approach should involve individuals, communities, organisations, hospitals and public health institutions in an organised, well-established system of managing disasters and mass casualty incidents”.
He mentioned overcrowding in health institutions, with no available space to handle the initial upsurge of victims, obsolete equipment, inadequate staff and financial constraints as major challenges to ensuring effective disaster management in the health sector.
A Deputy Minister of Health, Mrs Gladys Norley Ashitey, noted that recently a gloomy picture of the country’s emergency preparedness was exhibited when a landslide occurred near Adukrom in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region.
According to her, such a situation was a wake-up call on stakeholders to ensure that emergency preparedness was taken to a higher level.
“The time has now come for us to move from conscientisation to policy action and implementation I, therefore, challenge my outfit and its partners to commit more resources and the political will to make emergency preparedness an easy task in healthcare delivery,” Mrs Ashitey said.
The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr George Amofa, bemoaned the poor attitude to emergencies on the part of some health personnel.
“I am aware of the multi-faceted factors which prevent proper planning and especially the execution of an effective emergency preparedness system, but our major concern is the unacceptable part our poor attitude to work plays in all these,” he further stressed.
According to him, the apparent inaction and lack of a sense of urgency and concern by some staff were marring the dedicated work being done by the majority of the staff.
Dr Amofa equally expressed concern about the mal-distribution of health staff, especially doctors, in the country.
“We are particularly concerned about the manner in which housemen and specialists from the teaching and regional hospitals and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons find their way to various hospitals after their training,” he stated.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, urged health personnel to accept posting to the region to help improve on health indicators in the area.
CLAMPDOWN ON FIREARMS...To ensure peaceful elections — EU (LEAD STORY)
European Union (EU) diplomats in Ghana have joined the call for a clampdown on illegal firearms as a pre-requisite for peaceful elections in December.
For the effective mopping up of the illegal weapons in civilian hands, the ambassadors of EU countries in Ghana also recommended a strong collaboration between the various political parties and the security agencies.
At the end of a two-day tour of the Northern Region, the envoys noted that such a measure would ultimately help to ensure violence-free elections and encourage aggrieved parties to seek redress at the law courts, instead of resorting to the violent use of firearms to settle scores.
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, stated this at a press conference in Tamale to round off the tour.
The visit afforded the delegation the opportunity to get first-hand information on political activities in the region, particularly the Tamale metropolis, in the run-up to the general election.
The eight-member delegation met with representatives of political parties, the Electoral Commission (EC), the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), religious leaders, chiefs and civil society groups.
It included the Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi; the British High Commissioner in Accra, Dr Nicholas Westcott; the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Julia Olmo, and the Czech Republic Ambassador, Mr Miroslav Krenek.
Mr Hurtut, who is also the spokesperson for the ambassadors, urged the flag bearers and the parliamentary aspirants of the various parties to entreat all their activists to refrain from violence and intimidation to ensure free and fair elections.
“Irresponsible rhetoric should be avoided, as well as inflammatory language that usually exacerbates passions without gaining more supporters to one side or another,” he pointed out.
According to Mr Hurtut, the ambassadors “acknowledge the deep need for justice expressed on many occasions by our interlocutors and rules must be applied impartially”.
“Our objective is simply to support Ghana in having a peaceful and transparent election; a very encouraging sign in this respect is that all our interlocutors expressed the wish for an EU electoral observation mission to Ghana,” he stressed.
He urged political parties to assist the EC to ensure a clean voters register by entreating their supporters to check on their particulars and “deposit challenges, if necessary”.
“We had very fruitful exchange of views with the different actors in the electoral process and we are pleased to hear that all parties recognise that fraud and violence will be detrimental to the whole process, as well as Ghana’s image,” the ambassador intimated.
Mr Sebregondi, for his part, observed that the delegation had a fair idea of the security situation in the region and stressed that the illegal possession of firearms was a challenge to the area in its quest to ensure violence-free elections.
Mr Westcott commended religious leaders and civil society groups for their hard work and commitment to ensure peaceful elections.
“We also gathered that the stakeholders, particularly the political parties, acknowledge that peace is more important than the acquisition of power, since elections are not a question of life or death,” he stated.
For the effective mopping up of the illegal weapons in civilian hands, the ambassadors of EU countries in Ghana also recommended a strong collaboration between the various political parties and the security agencies.
At the end of a two-day tour of the Northern Region, the envoys noted that such a measure would ultimately help to ensure violence-free elections and encourage aggrieved parties to seek redress at the law courts, instead of resorting to the violent use of firearms to settle scores.
The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, stated this at a press conference in Tamale to round off the tour.
The visit afforded the delegation the opportunity to get first-hand information on political activities in the region, particularly the Tamale metropolis, in the run-up to the general election.
The eight-member delegation met with representatives of political parties, the Electoral Commission (EC), the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), religious leaders, chiefs and civil society groups.
It included the Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi; the British High Commissioner in Accra, Dr Nicholas Westcott; the Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Julia Olmo, and the Czech Republic Ambassador, Mr Miroslav Krenek.
Mr Hurtut, who is also the spokesperson for the ambassadors, urged the flag bearers and the parliamentary aspirants of the various parties to entreat all their activists to refrain from violence and intimidation to ensure free and fair elections.
“Irresponsible rhetoric should be avoided, as well as inflammatory language that usually exacerbates passions without gaining more supporters to one side or another,” he pointed out.
According to Mr Hurtut, the ambassadors “acknowledge the deep need for justice expressed on many occasions by our interlocutors and rules must be applied impartially”.
“Our objective is simply to support Ghana in having a peaceful and transparent election; a very encouraging sign in this respect is that all our interlocutors expressed the wish for an EU electoral observation mission to Ghana,” he stressed.
He urged political parties to assist the EC to ensure a clean voters register by entreating their supporters to check on their particulars and “deposit challenges, if necessary”.
“We had very fruitful exchange of views with the different actors in the electoral process and we are pleased to hear that all parties recognise that fraud and violence will be detrimental to the whole process, as well as Ghana’s image,” the ambassador intimated.
Mr Sebregondi, for his part, observed that the delegation had a fair idea of the security situation in the region and stressed that the illegal possession of firearms was a challenge to the area in its quest to ensure violence-free elections.
Mr Westcott commended religious leaders and civil society groups for their hard work and commitment to ensure peaceful elections.
“We also gathered that the stakeholders, particularly the political parties, acknowledge that peace is more important than the acquisition of power, since elections are not a question of life or death,” he stated.
Friday, October 10, 2008
FORMULATE STRATEGIES TO STEM VIOLENT CONFLICTS ...In Northern Region (PAGE 20)
THE President of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, Nayiri Na Bohagu Abdulai Mahami Sheriga, has entreated the Regional Security Council and District Security Committees in the region to, as a matter of urgency, formulate effective strategies to stem violent conflicts in the area.
The region, he stressed, needed peace and, therefore, urged all stakeholders to join in the peace efforts to make the region a safe haven for investment and accelerated development.
“I register my displeasure at the recent political clashes in Tamale and Gushiegu, which resulted in the loss of lives and property,” Na Sheriga stressed.
The Nayiri expressed the concern at a meeting of the house in Tamale during which issues such as peace efforts, development challenges and chieftaincy matters were discussed.
He urged the police to act professionally by bringing the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
According to Na Sheriga, the media, political parties, the security agencies, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Electoral Commission, religious bodies, chiefs and the government had a stake in the peace process.
He noted that traditional rulers in the region would spare no efforts to help the government and the security agencies in the maintenance of peace.
“It is a truism that no meaningful development can take place in an area without peace and stability; we need development and must work to achieve peace to ensure progress,” he noted.
Na Sheriga stated that the seriousness he attached to peace in the region “propelled me to create a forum for discourse recently with some stakeholders, including political parties, the youth chiefs, the police, the Electoral Commission and religious leaders”.
He announced that the House had been able to dispose of one case this year, that is, the Buipe Skin issue, adding that there were seven other cases pending before it.
Na Sheriga, however, stated that funding for judicial committees was a major challenge to the House.
The Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, advised the chiefs to live above partisan politics and rather be development oriented.
“Na President, chiefs should unite their people to fight against the common enemies of poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment; in that regard, I would encourage the traditional rulers to serve as catalyst to identify their development needs and source funding to execute them,” Alhaji Idris stressed.
He urged traditional rulers to be judicious in land management, emphasising, “Our chiefs should be wary of the activities of quack surveyors who are contributing to the spate of disputes in land administration”.
Touching on the Dagbon chieftaincy issue, the regional minister made a passionate appeal to the two gates in the chieftaincy divide to exercise restraint and adhere to the road map to peace drawn up by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs.
The region, he stressed, needed peace and, therefore, urged all stakeholders to join in the peace efforts to make the region a safe haven for investment and accelerated development.
“I register my displeasure at the recent political clashes in Tamale and Gushiegu, which resulted in the loss of lives and property,” Na Sheriga stressed.
The Nayiri expressed the concern at a meeting of the house in Tamale during which issues such as peace efforts, development challenges and chieftaincy matters were discussed.
He urged the police to act professionally by bringing the perpetrators of the heinous crime to book.
According to Na Sheriga, the media, political parties, the security agencies, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Electoral Commission, religious bodies, chiefs and the government had a stake in the peace process.
He noted that traditional rulers in the region would spare no efforts to help the government and the security agencies in the maintenance of peace.
“It is a truism that no meaningful development can take place in an area without peace and stability; we need development and must work to achieve peace to ensure progress,” he noted.
Na Sheriga stated that the seriousness he attached to peace in the region “propelled me to create a forum for discourse recently with some stakeholders, including political parties, the youth chiefs, the police, the Electoral Commission and religious leaders”.
He announced that the House had been able to dispose of one case this year, that is, the Buipe Skin issue, adding that there were seven other cases pending before it.
Na Sheriga, however, stated that funding for judicial committees was a major challenge to the House.
The Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, advised the chiefs to live above partisan politics and rather be development oriented.
“Na President, chiefs should unite their people to fight against the common enemies of poverty, ignorance and underdevelopment; in that regard, I would encourage the traditional rulers to serve as catalyst to identify their development needs and source funding to execute them,” Alhaji Idris stressed.
He urged traditional rulers to be judicious in land management, emphasising, “Our chiefs should be wary of the activities of quack surveyors who are contributing to the spate of disputes in land administration”.
Touching on the Dagbon chieftaincy issue, the regional minister made a passionate appeal to the two gates in the chieftaincy divide to exercise restraint and adhere to the road map to peace drawn up by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs.
ISD INTENSIFIES PUBLIC EDUCATION IN NORTHERN REGION (PAGE 20)
THE Northern Regional Director of the Information Services Department (ISD), Mr Akamboe Ayierbasia, has said the department has intensified its activities of disseminating information on government policies and programmes.
He noted that in the past, the ISD could not perform its roles and functions effectively due to some operational bottlenecks, especially due to lack of logistics and personnel.
Mr Ayierbasia stated this at a two-day training workshop in Tamale for the staff of the ISD in the three northern regions.
The 44 participants, comprising mechanics, instrument workshop staff and mobile cinema operators, were trained in the handling of vehicles and technical equipment to prolong the lifespan of the vehicles given to the department.
The ISD and PHC Motors Limited, distributors of TATA, BMC trucks, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, organised the workshop.
Mr Ayierbasia further observed that “until recently, we were operational in only eight out of the 18 districts in the region but the situation is now different, as we are currently operating efficiently in all the districts”.
According to him, the use of information service vans distinguished his outfit from other media houses, hence the need to formulate effective strategies to handle the vans and other equipment very carefully.
“Frequent breakdowns as a result of improper handling of vehicles and equipment will only drain the nation's resources,” he emphasised.
Mr Ayierbasia, therefore, urged the participants to put into practice what they had learnt, stressing that “we do not want you to use the vehicles beyond official work hours or for your personal gains”.
Messrs Kwasi Aninagyei-Bonsu and Lawrence Lemaire, the Sales Officer, Government and Public Sector, and the Deputy Finance Manager of PHC respectively, said as part of their outfit's sales services requirements, the company was to provide training to staff of the ISD on the handling of their duty vehicles and equipment.
According to them, recently, the government purchased a total of 146 cinema vans from the PHC for the ISD through the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
He noted that in the past, the ISD could not perform its roles and functions effectively due to some operational bottlenecks, especially due to lack of logistics and personnel.
Mr Ayierbasia stated this at a two-day training workshop in Tamale for the staff of the ISD in the three northern regions.
The 44 participants, comprising mechanics, instrument workshop staff and mobile cinema operators, were trained in the handling of vehicles and technical equipment to prolong the lifespan of the vehicles given to the department.
The ISD and PHC Motors Limited, distributors of TATA, BMC trucks, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, organised the workshop.
Mr Ayierbasia further observed that “until recently, we were operational in only eight out of the 18 districts in the region but the situation is now different, as we are currently operating efficiently in all the districts”.
According to him, the use of information service vans distinguished his outfit from other media houses, hence the need to formulate effective strategies to handle the vans and other equipment very carefully.
“Frequent breakdowns as a result of improper handling of vehicles and equipment will only drain the nation's resources,” he emphasised.
Mr Ayierbasia, therefore, urged the participants to put into practice what they had learnt, stressing that “we do not want you to use the vehicles beyond official work hours or for your personal gains”.
Messrs Kwasi Aninagyei-Bonsu and Lawrence Lemaire, the Sales Officer, Government and Public Sector, and the Deputy Finance Manager of PHC respectively, said as part of their outfit's sales services requirements, the company was to provide training to staff of the ISD on the handling of their duty vehicles and equipment.
According to them, recently, the government purchased a total of 146 cinema vans from the PHC for the ISD through the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
SAVELUGU PEOPLE EDUCATED ON BENEFITS OF SAVINGS (PAGE 20)
CULTIVATING the habit of saving and borrowing responsibly from financial institutions are some of the major challenges facing many rural dwellers in the Northern Region.
Most of the people, who are predominantly farmers, contend that their income levels are low due to the lack of market for their produce, hence their inability to make ends meet, let alone save with the banks. Others argue that even if they borrow, paying back is most often difficult because of their huge family responsibilities and natural disasters like floods and drought that negatively affect crop yield.
It is for these reasons that a non-governmental organisation (NGO) known as the Support Programme for Enterprise Empowerment and Development (SPEED) Ghana has taken it upon itself to sensitise rural people, through drama performances by the Abibigroma group, to the benefits of savings.
The educational campaign of SPEED, Ghana, dubbed: “The road show”, was instituted in December 2007 to encourage people to save towards a secure future.
The latest of such educational campaigns was held at Savelugu in the Savelugu-Nanton District of the Northern Region. It was organised by SPEED, Ghana, in collaboration with STRATCOM Africa, a consultancy firm.
Patronage of the campaign among residents of Savelugu was encouraging.
The staff of the Borimanga Rural Bank at Savelugu also brought their expertise to bear on the programme, as they explained their financial transactions to the people who, hitherto, did not understand the essence of borrowing money, putting it into good use and savings.
Indeed, the residents of Savelugu admitted that for the first time in their lives they had understood what it meant to save, since most of them had negative perceptions about banks.
According to the Micro Finance Advisor of SPEED, Ghana, Mr Ken Appenteng, the campaign was to, among other objectives, assist financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, savings and loan companies, to explain their transactions to the rural people and thereby encourage them to access credit facilities and to put them to good use.
“We also provide technical assistance for micro finance institutions such as rural banks to enable them to deliver their financial services more efficiently and with greater outreach to micro, small and medium enterprises,” he stated.
Mr Appenteng said the campaign consisted of three components — micro, consumer education and financial literacy.
“With the campaigns in place, it should now be possible for the financial institutions to engage customers in their transactions. The banks must know the needs of customers and provide answers to them,” he said.
According to him, it was imperative for rural dwellers to be educated on how best to secure their future through savings, adding, “Money is like food so you can decide to eat some or leave some for the next day. No matter how small your income is, you have to save part”.
The Assistant Micro Finance Advisor of SPEED Ghana, Madam Cynthia Odonkor, observed that some customers of banks were not aware of the difference between savings and current accounts.
“At the end of the day, we want to educate the people in the whole country that they can save, as it is the only way to solve emergency problems. They should also be aware that they have to pay back the loans they owe the banks and other financial institutions,” she stressed.
The Executive Director of the Northern Rural Development Association (NORDA), Chief Yusif Kunkundana, said the programme was beneficial to financial institutions, the economy and the beneficiary people.
The acting Manager of the Borimanga Rural Bank, Mr Abdallah Abdul Rashid, observed that the programme had afforded his outfit the opportunity to educate residents of Savelugu on its operations.
He assured the customers, especially residents of the area, that the bank would carry out outreach programmes to explain its operations to the people to boost the local economy.
Most of the people, who are predominantly farmers, contend that their income levels are low due to the lack of market for their produce, hence their inability to make ends meet, let alone save with the banks. Others argue that even if they borrow, paying back is most often difficult because of their huge family responsibilities and natural disasters like floods and drought that negatively affect crop yield.
It is for these reasons that a non-governmental organisation (NGO) known as the Support Programme for Enterprise Empowerment and Development (SPEED) Ghana has taken it upon itself to sensitise rural people, through drama performances by the Abibigroma group, to the benefits of savings.
The educational campaign of SPEED, Ghana, dubbed: “The road show”, was instituted in December 2007 to encourage people to save towards a secure future.
The latest of such educational campaigns was held at Savelugu in the Savelugu-Nanton District of the Northern Region. It was organised by SPEED, Ghana, in collaboration with STRATCOM Africa, a consultancy firm.
Patronage of the campaign among residents of Savelugu was encouraging.
The staff of the Borimanga Rural Bank at Savelugu also brought their expertise to bear on the programme, as they explained their financial transactions to the people who, hitherto, did not understand the essence of borrowing money, putting it into good use and savings.
Indeed, the residents of Savelugu admitted that for the first time in their lives they had understood what it meant to save, since most of them had negative perceptions about banks.
According to the Micro Finance Advisor of SPEED, Ghana, Mr Ken Appenteng, the campaign was to, among other objectives, assist financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, savings and loan companies, to explain their transactions to the rural people and thereby encourage them to access credit facilities and to put them to good use.
“We also provide technical assistance for micro finance institutions such as rural banks to enable them to deliver their financial services more efficiently and with greater outreach to micro, small and medium enterprises,” he stated.
Mr Appenteng said the campaign consisted of three components — micro, consumer education and financial literacy.
“With the campaigns in place, it should now be possible for the financial institutions to engage customers in their transactions. The banks must know the needs of customers and provide answers to them,” he said.
According to him, it was imperative for rural dwellers to be educated on how best to secure their future through savings, adding, “Money is like food so you can decide to eat some or leave some for the next day. No matter how small your income is, you have to save part”.
The Assistant Micro Finance Advisor of SPEED Ghana, Madam Cynthia Odonkor, observed that some customers of banks were not aware of the difference between savings and current accounts.
“At the end of the day, we want to educate the people in the whole country that they can save, as it is the only way to solve emergency problems. They should also be aware that they have to pay back the loans they owe the banks and other financial institutions,” she stressed.
The Executive Director of the Northern Rural Development Association (NORDA), Chief Yusif Kunkundana, said the programme was beneficial to financial institutions, the economy and the beneficiary people.
The acting Manager of the Borimanga Rural Bank, Mr Abdallah Abdul Rashid, observed that the programme had afforded his outfit the opportunity to educate residents of Savelugu on its operations.
He assured the customers, especially residents of the area, that the bank would carry out outreach programmes to explain its operations to the people to boost the local economy.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
DEC 7 POLLS WON'T UNDERMINE GAINS — EUROPEAN UNION (SPREAD)
Ambassadors of European Union (EU) countries in Ghana have expressed optimism that the December polls will not threaten and undermine the gains Ghana has made so far in its democratic dispensation.
They noted that although the nation had recorded a number of political incidents in some parts of the country in recent times, there was no “justification for us to worry about whether or not the elections will be successful”.
They further said that Ghana was “the shining star of Africa and should not allow this year’s elections to jeopardise the confidence reposed in it by both the international community and foreign investors”.
The Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, and the French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, stated this at a press conference in Tamale yesterday during a two-day fact-finding mission to the Northern Region by an eight-member delegation of EU ambassadors to ensure peaceful elections in the area.
The visit afforded the delegation the opportunity to get first-hand information on political activities in the region, particularly the Tamale metropolis, in the run-up to the general election.
The delegation met with representatives of political parties, the Electoral Commission, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), religious leaders, chiefs and civil society groups.
They also visited some polling stations in Tamale and the Savelugu-Nanton District.
Mr Sebregondi stressed the need for transparent elections to ensure the success of the December polls.
According to him, the delegation would dialogue with stakeholders on the need to ensure peaceful elections, devoid of violence.
“We decided to come to this region because of the stiff political competition that exists here and more so we are already quite conversant with the electoral challenges that face the southern sector of the country,” Mr Sebregondi further intimated.
He announced that an EU electoral observer team was already in the country to support efforts at ensuring free and fair elections.
Mr Hurtut stated that the fact-finding mission was not directly linked to the recent political violence that occurred in Tamale and Gushiegu but to ensure peaceful elections.
They noted that although the nation had recorded a number of political incidents in some parts of the country in recent times, there was no “justification for us to worry about whether or not the elections will be successful”.
They further said that Ghana was “the shining star of Africa and should not allow this year’s elections to jeopardise the confidence reposed in it by both the international community and foreign investors”.
The Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation in Ghana, Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, and the French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Francis Hurtut, stated this at a press conference in Tamale yesterday during a two-day fact-finding mission to the Northern Region by an eight-member delegation of EU ambassadors to ensure peaceful elections in the area.
The visit afforded the delegation the opportunity to get first-hand information on political activities in the region, particularly the Tamale metropolis, in the run-up to the general election.
The delegation met with representatives of political parties, the Electoral Commission, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), religious leaders, chiefs and civil society groups.
They also visited some polling stations in Tamale and the Savelugu-Nanton District.
Mr Sebregondi stressed the need for transparent elections to ensure the success of the December polls.
According to him, the delegation would dialogue with stakeholders on the need to ensure peaceful elections, devoid of violence.
“We decided to come to this region because of the stiff political competition that exists here and more so we are already quite conversant with the electoral challenges that face the southern sector of the country,” Mr Sebregondi further intimated.
He announced that an EU electoral observer team was already in the country to support efforts at ensuring free and fair elections.
Mr Hurtut stated that the fact-finding mission was not directly linked to the recent political violence that occurred in Tamale and Gushiegu but to ensure peaceful elections.
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