VICTORY IS BIG CHALLENGE — BERNARD MORNARH (Page 14)

Story: Benjamin Xormam Glover, Bolgatanga


THE General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Bernard A. Mornarh, has described his victory in last Saturday’s national delegates congress as a huge challenge imposed on him by the delegates and supporters of the party.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic moments after he was declared the winner in the race with two others, Mr Mornarh said, “I have contributed my quota as a National Youth Organiser of the party and the people have seen the work that I have done and entrusted to me a bigger responsibility to do better for them”.
"I have no option and I can not do otherwise than to prove to the people that I have accepted the challenge given me. I will work assiduously to ensure the success of the PNC”, he added  
Mr Mornarh who succeeded Mr Gabriel Pwamang as the General Secretary of the party polled 691 votes as against 154 votes obtained by Dr Somtim Tobiga and 106 votes by Mr Santuah Niagia. In all 24 ballots were rejected.
He said though the challenges ahead were very daunting he was committed and prepared to serve the party in humility and would be guided by the experience he had acquired over the years.
“I am ready to work to prove to the supporters that they did not just elect a youthful person, an individual who not only can mingle with the elderly but someone who can attract the support of the women and the youth in the country”.
“I will serve as an inspiration for all the young people of Ghana,” he added.
He expressed the hope that with the successful holding of the congress, all the wrangling and intra party fighting will cease to give the new team the needed support to work for the victory of the party.
“Congress is the ultimate decision making body and congress has this day taken a decision. No individual, no powers are absolute or come nearer to the decision of congress.
Therefore there should be no acrimony or rancour. The PNC is bigger than any individual”, he stressed.
Mr Mornarh said the PNC had arrived to do battle in the next general election.
“We are by this successful congress sending a signal to the elephant that its time is due. We are happy that President Kufuor is no more part of the contest, but we are encouraging all of them to begin parking and write down their handing over notes to hand over to the PNC, because the tsunami that will hit them will be far greater.
The wave that the PNC is bringing about is very thunderous and will sweep the elephant to the bush perpetually”, the new scribe of the party said.
On the unity of the Nkrumaist parties, Mr Mornarh said the PNC was still available and willing to join forces with the CPP to fight a common cause.
“ What is left is for the CPP to conclude its part of the bargain as contained in the memorandum that was signed in 2005. We in the PNC are willing to go into election 2008 jointly with the CPP and I hope this challenge will be accepted courageously because the people of Ghana are anxiously waiting for an Nkrumaist government and we can not disappoint them”.
“The MOU says that the name “CPP” be accepted and the coconut should become the symbol of the amalgamated party and the motto “Forward Ever with Honest Service”. These are the things that we agreed on in 2005, ” Mr Mornarh said.

PNC CHAIRMAN VOWS TO IMPROVE PARTY'S LOT

Daily Graphic Wednesday December 5, 2007. Page 17

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover & Samuel Abaane, Bolgatanga

THE newly elected National Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, has pledged to work assiduously to increase the fortunes of the party in the 2008 general election by strengthening its organisational structures at the various polling stations.  
“I will ensure that at every polling station, the party has foot soldiers and I will task each foot soldier to be at the centre of organisation of the polling station to stem vote rigging,” he said.
Alhaji Ramadan made the pledge at the weekend in Bolgatanga in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic during the PNC’s fifth National Annual Delegates Congress.
He polled 495 votes as against the 217 polled by his challenger, Dr Edward N. Gyader.  
The organisation of the congress was initially engulfed in internal legal wranglings between the outgoing first National Vice Chairman of the PNC, Mr John Ndebugre, and some leading members of the party. About 1,260 delegates attended the congress from the 230 constituencies, the 10 regions and the National Executive Committee (NEC).          
All the Members of Parliament (MPs) of the party also attended the congress except the MP for Zebilla, Mr John Ndebugre. The MPs were Mr David Apasera, Bolgatanga Central, Mr Moses Dani Baah, Sissala East and Mr Bayiriga Haruna, Sissala West.  
The national chairman said he would give logistics and financial support to the foot soldiers in order to enhance the fortunes of the PNC in the 2008 elections in a manner that would be unprecedented in the party’s history.
“I would also give the PNC relationship with the other Nkrumaists parties serious attention so that we can mutually accommodate each other. This will avoid suspicion and acrimony among us, the Nkrumaists,” Alhaji Ramandan said.
Alhaji Ramadan served notice to the other parties that the only party to beat in 2008 was the PNC.  
The chairman said disunity and confusion among the rank and file of the party was the main obstacle that had hindered the progress of the party and gave a pledge to unite the membership through consensus building, dialogue and mediation any time a problem arose.  
He called on the party’s functionaries and supporters to shun legal wranglings when there was any misunderstanding within the party’s hierarchy.  
 “I would team up with other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to ensure that no member dragged other members to court,” Alhaji Ramadan emphasised.
Alhaji Ramadan , however, called on members of the NEC to build a healthy working relationship with supporters of the PNC to foster unity, peace and tranquillity in it.  
He appealed to the losing candidates to fulfil their promise to support the party’s flag-bearer and the NEC to increase their fortunes in the 2008 general election by liaising with them any time there was a problem.
He urged all the Nkrumaist parties to avoid rancour, acrimony and bickering, since they all believed in the same principles and ideology.

IT'S NO. 4 FOR MAHAMA ...But Ndebugre slams the election

Daily Graphic Monday, December 3, 2007 Front Page

Story: Benjamin Glover & Samuel Abaane, Bolga

THREE-TIME People’s National Convention (PNC) presidential candidate, Dr Edward Mahama, was last Saturday given yet another mandate to contest the 2008 presidential election on the ticket of the party.At the party’s national delegates congress held at the Catering Rest House in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the medical practitioner polled 534 votes to beat his only challenger, Professor Yakubu Saaka, who had 400 votes. Thirty-six of the ballots were rejected.But Mr John Ndebugre, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla and National Vice-Chairman of the PNC, has slammed the election, describing it as a sham,reports Mary Mensah.He said he did not recognise the forum in Bolga where the “so-called elections were held because it was not a duly constituted congress”.Mr Ndebugre told the Graphic yesterday that he was elected First National Vice-Chairman alongside other executives on May 29, 2004, to hold office for four years, adding that “so obviously for anybody to hold a congress to elect people to replace us is contrary to the provisions of the party’s constitution”.Explaining his position further, Mr Ndebugre said, Dr Edward Mahama was barred by the party’s constitution from contesting for the fourth time on the party’s ticket and “for all these reasons among others some party members are in court against Dr Mahama and other members of the party concerning the holding of the so called congress”. He stated that Dr Mahama and the other officers were aware of the court proceedings and yet went ahead to hold the congress in absolute contempt of the Court of Appeal and the High Court.“In any case genuine party members and I do not recognised what happened yesterday, therefore neither Dr Mahama nor any of the persons who were purportedly elected to various offices should expect any co-operation from me or any other genuine member of the party,” he concluded. In the election for national officers, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan polled 495 votes, against the 252 obtained by Mr Thomas Akun Yong, to become the National Chairman of the party. Dr E.N. Gyader placed third with 217 votes, while 16 votes were rejected. The former Youth Organiser, Mr Bernard A. Mornarh, succeeded Mr Gabriel Pwamang as the new General Secretary of the party. He polled 691 votes, against the 154 obtained by Dr Somtim Tobiga and 106 by Mr Santuah Niagia. Twenty-four ballots were rejected. The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Mr David Apasera, polled 660 votes to become the National Treasurer of the party. His only challenger, Mr David Nibi, had 264 votes, while 58 ballots were rejected. Mr Bayiriga Haruna won the position of National Organiser with 362 votes to defeat Messrs Abubakari Kwashie Ebla and Godly Baba Ali, who had 318 and 250 votes, respectively with 31 of the ballots being rejected. Hajia Ajara Ali received 634 votes to become the Women’s Organiser of the party, while her challenger, Patricia Kanji, managed 291 votes, with 55 ballots being rejected. Mr Emmanuel Wilson was elected the new National Youth Organiser of the PNC. He polled 710 votes, against the 215 obtained by Mr Iddrisu Andani Mu-azu. Forty-three ballots were rejected. The contest for the post of Vice Chairman was deferred as the party failed to secure the required number of aspirants. At the close of nomination, only two persons, namely, Messrs Gabriel Pwamang and Alhaji Abdul Moomen, had filed. Party officials told newsmen that three persons were needed to vie for the post. Dr Mahama, in a post-victory speech, said the success of the congress signified a brighter future for the party. “The party has been traumatised by self-inflicted wounds, but I can say that with this congress and elections, we have healed the wounds and can look forward to a more vibrant, more potent and politically mature party that will be ready to take over the reins of government of this nation,” the renowned gynaecologist said. With his wife, Comfort, firmly standing by him on the stage and applauding him, Dr Mahama said despite the numerous court suits, the PNC had behaved like a true democratic party and that had gone a long way to deepen democracy, not only in the party but also the country as a whole. Dr Mahama, who congratulated the staff of the Electoral Commission (EC) on conducting the polls efficiently, despite the short notice, and security personnel on maintaining the peace, also commended the media for providing the party with what he termed “unprecedented publicity before and during the congress”. “Our opponents are not the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) but sometimes the media, who misrepresent us. But I can say that in this election year, so far the coverage has been more than perfect and if they continue like that, the good people of Ghana will see the programmes and policies of the PNC and give us the mandate, come December 2008,” he said. For his part, Professor Saaka conceded defeat and congratulated Dr Mahama on his victory“I came into this election believing very seriously that I will win. But in a competition somebody wins and somebody loses,” the former minister in the Limann administration stated. He, however, pledged his commitment and readiness to work with the winning candidate and the party to ensure electoral victory in the 2008 general election. The polls started at about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and ended at about 1.00 a.m. on Sunday but that did not deter supporters who had braved the entire process and had become tired and weary into bursting into wild jubilation after the results had been released by the EC at 2:30 a.m. Earlier, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) had engaged in a marathon session to deliberate on the way forward for the party. Everything was done in an atmosphere of mutual respect, love and unity, as winners and losers joyfully embraced one another for a contest which was described as having been well fought. The election was supervised by a team of officials from the EC, led by its Upper East Regional Director, Mr Adam Iddrisu Mahama.

Two Organisations holds dialogue with public officials

Daily Graphic Saturday, November 24, 2007 Page 23

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Garu

THE Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) in collaboration with IBIS, a non-governmental organization has convened a dialogue between citizens and their public officials as part of the Governance Issues Forum (GIF) in three districts of the Upper East Region.
The forum which was on the theme, ”Strengthening Civic Participation, Gender Mainstreaming and Public Accountability in Local Governance was aimed at strengthening and enhancing civic participation, women involvement and public accountability in local governance.
The first phase of the GIF programme was held between the years 2005 and 2006 and involved 26 districts in 7 of the 10 regions of the country.
They included four Popular Participation in Local Governance (PPLG) districts in the North.
The recent dialogues held in the Garu-Tempane, Bawku Municipality and Bawku West Districts brought citizens and their local authorities together, to build consensus on the allocation of district resources to issues of priority such as youth unemployment and basic social service delivery.
According to the Head of Training and Interface Unit of IDEG, Dr. Lee Tlou, Ghana's decentralization process was initiated with the aim of fostering popular participation in Governance, particularly at the local level.
She, however, stated that was a persisting perception of a lack of local ownership which has been attributed to low levels of civil society engagement in the planning and implementation process.
“It's against this backdrop that IDEG initiated the GIF program in 2004 which encompasses a number of strategies including public deliberation and skills training around the country”, she said.
Dr Lee noted that certain challenges in the system, including a weak institutional framework and a lack of an effective monitoring and evaluation framework, resulted in the inability of the GIF networks to effectively track and monitor the progress of district programs aimed at solving these identified social and economic problems.
She said IDEG has recorded some successes so far with the GIF program. They include the improvement of relations between state and non-state actors, the empowerment of citizens to proactively engage in the policy-making process, the decision for some GIF network members to contest district assembly elections decisions arrived at as a result of confidence gained through the program.
Presenting a position paper on basic social service delivery in the Gar-Tempane District, a member of GIFNET, Mr. Edward Daramani said though the assembly has done tremendously well, much more remains to be done to improve the lives o f the people.

Barclays Bank donates to Bolga Hospital

Daily Graphic Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Page 20

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga
THE staff of the Bolgatanga branch of the Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd, have presented assorted items worth millions of cedis to the Children’s Ward of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in the Upper East Region as part of this year’s “Make a difference Day,(MADD) celebration.
The bank has set the day aside to provide in each year assistance to needy institutions in communities where it operates.
The items included a refrigerator, a 21-inch colour television set, 4 ceiling fans, a detergents, disinfectants, hand gloves and packs of fruit drinks and biscuits.
Presenting the items, the Retail Manager of the bank, Mr. Robert Pusabaduap said the programme was organized by the bank in collaboration with Community Service Volunteers, a charitable organization to promote voluntary work.
“Barclays Bank is not only interested in only making profits but was also believes in the need to share whatever gains it has made with members of the community particularly those who are deprived,” he said.
The acting Matron of the hospital, Madam Valeria Kumile on behalf of the hospital management thanked the donors for the gesture.
In another development, the Bolgatanga Branch of Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd, has decided to financially assist a 12 year old boy on admission at the Children’s Ward of the hospital.
The patient, Matthew Azuure a Class Three pupil of Bolga Sirigu Primary School is paralyzed from the waist down to the feet, making him bed-ridden.
According to the Medical Officer in charge of the hospital, Dr. Nicholas N. Yembila, Matthew is suffering from Spinal Cord paralysis and needs to see a neurosurgeon at either the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, or the Komfo-Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Mr. Pusabaduap said the bank has asked management of the hospital to submit a detailed report to the bank for consideration.
He later led staff of the bank to conduct a clean-up exercise in the ward.

Assembly puts up Children’s Ward for hospital

Daily Graphic Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Page 20

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bawku
The Bawku Municipal Assembly has committed GH c 60,000 (c 600 million) towards the construction of a new ward for the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital.
Similarly, Members of Parliament from the five constituencies in the Bawku area, namely, Bawku Central, Pusiga Polimakom, Binduri, Zebilla and Garu-Tempane, have contributed a total of GH c 2,500 (c25 million) towards the project.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr. Abdul Rahman Gumah and the MP for Bawku Central, Mr. Mahama Ayariga announced this at Bawku on Saturday during the golden jubilee anniversary of Presbyterian management of the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital.
The anniversary, on the theme: “50 years of collaborative quality health care delivery: the way forward”, was to offer management and stakeholders the opportunity to thank God for the past 50 years of their stewardship in health care delivery in Bawku. They also mapped out strategies for the years ahead.
Citizens of Bawku from all walks of life, as well as expatiates who have served in the hospital over the years, attended the ceremony.
Speaking at the function, the MCE said though a municipal hospital, the facility lacks and do not receive the adequate support from the government in terms of resources because it was being manage by the Presbyterian Church.
He said the assembly would continue to use all available means to ensure that the necessary resources needed to enable the facility performed optimally for the benefit of the people.
The MP for Bawku Central, Mr. Mahama Ayariga praised the management of the hospital and the Presbyterian Church for their invaluable contribution to the health needs of the people of Bawku.
“Although a mission hospital operating in a predominately non-Christian environment, it has rendered its services without discrimination”, Mr. Ayariga said.
He said he and his colleague MPs in the Bawku area were prepared to constitute themselves into a powerful lobby group to advocate for increased funding for the hospital to enable it meet its obligation to the people.
Mr. Ayariga commended the various individuals including expatriate from Europe and Cuba who have defied all odds to serve the people of Bawku in addressing their health care needs.
He also praised the management of the Hospital for the introduction of the nursing training college which has brought about increase in the training of nurses.
The MP, however urged the authorities to review its admission policy by ensuring that many natives with the requisite qualification were enrolled.
He said further that that would encourage a large number of the nurses to stay back and serve their people since they better understood the needs of the people.
Mr. Ayariga stated that Bawku was now peaceful and debunked assertions that the area was conflict prone, stressing that the era of conflict has been relegated to the pages of history.
He warned that anybody who does anything to disturb the peace currently existing in the municipality will be dealt with by the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Help Bawku Hospital to become centre of Excellence

Daily Graphic Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Page 20

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bawku
THE MANAGEMENT of the Northern Presbyterian Health Services has renewed its appeal to the government and other stakeholders to be more committed and supportive of its resolve to making the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital a centre of excellence in healthcare delivery.
It said, “Since the hospital was constructed over 50 years ago, it has never seen any serious renovation except piece meal approach to painting the buildings.
“Another major challenge is the use of obsolete equipment such as anesthetic machines, distilling plants among others, which frequently break down”, the Management stated.
The Acting General Manager of the Northern Presbytery Health Services, Mr. John Abugri made the appeal at a special durbar to climax the hospital’s golden jubilee anniversary, which was on the theme: “Fifty years of collaborative quality health care delivery, the way forward”.
He said by virtue of its location, the hospital serves as a ‘sub-regional hospital’, because apart from attending to the health needs of the people of Bawku area and providing some specialist services to the entire Region, it also provides healthcare assistance to neighbors in Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Mr. Abugri said accommodation for doctors and other critical staff was also a big problem facing management and limit its efforts to engage more doctors and others critical staff., adding that bed capacity was also becoming inadequate.
He noted that after 50 years of existence, the hospital cannot boast of an administrative block, or a conference hall for in-service training and meetings. This has compelled managers to scatter in various rooms, some of which do not befit the status of an office.
The Acting General Manger observed that another area of concern to management was the collapsing fence wall, which has made security of property, and sometimes staff uncertain.
According to Mr. Abugri, in spite of the numerous problems, the hospital according to Mr. Abugri, has chalked many success in the areas of health care delivery and human resource development through the establishment of Bawku Nurses Training School and introduction of proactive human resource development policy through which staff were sponsored for further studies either locally or abroad.
“Guided by the policy of comprehensive healthcare, the hospital has over the years demonstrated this in various respects. Its services have been varied and extensive in coverage. These include specialist services such as eye care, orthopedics, physiotherapy, dental care, psychiatry and audiology, in addition to the general medical care and public health activities”, he said.
Mr. Abugri stated that bio-statistics of the hospital has within the past five years recorded a total of 505,304 out patient attendance and 92,573 admissions, 9,474 deliveries with 15,876 operations.
He said the number of eye patients during the same period was 98,726 out of which 12,445 underwent surgery to restore their sights, to mention a few.
Mr. Abugri stated that malaria was the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Bawku area.
He mentioned that out of the total number of out-patients attendance within the past five years, malaria cases accounted for 20 per cent of attendance, 40 per cent admissions and 22 per cent of all deaths.
He outlined a number of projects the hospital intended to execute as part of the church’s three-year health plan between 2007 and 2009. They included the construction of a modern operation theatre, a two-storey administrative block/conference hall as a jubilee project, refurbishment of the water and sanitation system as well as the pharmacy unit to produce some medicines locally.
The Minister of Health, Major (Rtd) Courage Quashiegah in a speech read on his behalf commended the management of Northern Presbyterian health Services and the staff of the Bawku Hospital as well as the Presbyterian Church for doing their best to maintain the hospital since it took over five decades ago.
“The government is very appreciative of what the churches are doing in education, health and other social services which the government alone could not have provided especially in the rural areas”, he said
Major Quashiegah commended the hospital authorities for implementing the National Health Insurance Scheme which had brought about increase in hospital attendance and urged all who matter to spread the good news of the scheme and to take advantage by enrolling in it.
He said health care was key to development and the Ministry would do everything possible to address the challenges enumerated to enhance health care delivery.
The health minister appealed to the people of Bawku to see the hospital as their property and contribute towards its sustenance.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr. Yaw Frimpong- Manso in a speech read on his behalf by the Chairman of the Northern Presbytery Rev. Kwesi Addai-Naami said although the prime objective of Christianity is to win souls for Christ that can not be done without taking care o fthe social needs of the people.
“A rotten and unhealthy body may not be safe haven for the soul. Therefore it behoves all of us to remind ourselves about the dangers of sickness such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and other diseases which constitute a great threat to our society”, he advised.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Alhassan Samari, who was represented by the Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr. Abdul Rahman Gumah and the MP for Bawku Central, Mr. Mahama Ayariga all commended the management of the hospital and the Presbyterian Church for their contribution to the well being of the people.

Resettlement and Reconstruction suspended

The Mirror, Saturday, November 17, 2007. Page 31

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Sandema
Reconstruction of partially and completely collapsed mud and thatch houses in the flood hit areas of Sandema and other communities in the in the Builsa District has been put on hold till after the harvesting period.
Currently, displaced persons are putting up with friends while a few others have put up temporal structures with the view of receiving assistance from the government and other donors to reconstruct their homes.
This came to light when The Mirror conducted a tour of the area over the weekend, two months after the natural disaster hit the area.
Heavy torrential rains on the 24th and 25th of August this year caused floods throughout the Upper East Region and almost all the Districts in the Region were hit by the disaster as a result of the torrential rains, which hit the area.. The situation was aggravated by the opening of the spillway of the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
In the Builsa District official records have it that six persons lost their lives while a total of 5,052 houses collapsed. 15,000 people were rendered homeless while 6,000 hectares of farmlands were destroyed. About 2,180 tonnes of foodstuffs were destroyed while 27 bridges as well as 21 road network were damaged in the Sandema area Also destroyed are several hundreds of hectares of farmland, roads and bridges. Prominent among the collapsed bridges are the Kulungugu bridge on the Bawku-Burkina Faso main road, which links Ghana with neighbouring countries in the hinterland and the Tamne bridge on the Garu- Bawku road.
Following the disaster, the governments declared the region, as well as the Northern and Upper West Regions as disaster zone, while appeals were made to Government, charitable organizations, religious bodies and non-governmental organizations to make available emergency relief aid to victims of the floods in the region.
Based on these appeals, tonnnes of relief items including food and noon –food items have been pouring into region. While some people clamed they have had their fair share of the items, many other are contending that the items have not reached them.
During my rounds in the Sandema and its neighbouring communities over the weekend some locals were of the opinion that rebuilding of houses that collapse during the floods has not started, A few were of the opinion that rather than concentrating their energies on rebuilding, they prefer to give attention to salvaging what is left on their farms mainly groundnuts to feed themselves and their families.
“Basically the resources are not available to enable us reconstruct our houses and it will be appreciated if the government could come to our aid with cement and roofing sheets to enable us build firmer homes” Simon Atuk told this reporter.
Others who also spoke to the Daily Graphic said they were yet to receive any relief items from the government and related agencies. They said the items that they have received were from NGOs and religious organizations.

Floods Cause More Havoc - 31 Now Perish In UER

Saturday, NOV 17, 2007
Story by Emmanuel Bonney
& Benjamin Glover
The death toll from the floods that recently hit the Upper East Region keeps escalating, with the figure soaring to 31 from an initial eight.
A total of 19,621 houses collapsed under the ravages of the floods, with 90,703 people from all the eight districts being rendered homeless.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, gave out the figures in Bolgatanga yesterday when he briefed members of a team, led by the Interior Minister, Mr Kwamena Bartels, which was in the region to evaluate the disaster situation.

The assessment team, on board two helicopters, conducted both aerial and land surveys to have firsthand information on the situation.
Also accompanying the team were officials from the UN system, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), religious bodies, the private sector and the media.
The Bawku municipality recorded the highest number of seven deaths, while the Bongo District saw the death of one person.
The Kassena-Nankana District recorded the highest figure of displaced persons of 43,205, with the Bongo having the least figure of 2,505.
Some of the displaced persons are currently being sheltered in schools and community centres, while others are staying with friends and relatives.
Briefing the team, Mr Samari said torrential rains in the region from August 24 to August 30, this year, coupled with the opening of the spillway of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso into the White and Black Volta, and to a lesser extent human and economic activities, caused the flooding.
He said the situation had affected agriculture and food security in the region, the road network, shelter, health, water supply and the environment.
In the area of agriculture, Mr Samari said 12,220.72 hectares of farmland, with an estimated production figure of 13,880.55 metric tonnes of various crops, including rice, maize, groundnuts, millet, guinea corn, sweet potato and cowpea, had been submerged in the flood waters.
He added that 10,724 livestock, including goats, sheep, cattle, poultry and donkeys were either lost or washed away in the disaster.
He told the delegation that 39 dams, including 13 in the Talensi-Nabdam District, had been damaged as a result of the floods.
The regional minister said 29 highways, with a total distance of 427.4 kilometres, and 54 feeder roads were either washed away or partly damaged, adding that “the Garu-Tempane District is virtually cut off from the rest of the region”.
Mr Samari said the health of the people had also been adversely affected, especially the displaced persons at Sandema and Wiaga.
“Women and children are particularly vulnerable, in view of the fact that they are exposed to the elements. The situation can give rise to pneumonia, diarrhoea, typhoid, among others,” he said adding though that no report on those diseases had been received.

Mr Samari appealed for support for dry season irrigated crop production, which commences from next month to May 2008.
“Irrigation farmers will urgently need support in terms of fertiliser and seed for the their farming activities,” he pointed out.

Choral Festival ushers in Ghana @50

Choral Festival ushers in Ghana @50
Source : Daily Graphic
              15 January 2007. Page 34.
Poor planning and low patronage characterized the celebration of Ghanaian Religious and Choral Music held at the Catholic Social Centre in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
 
The Choral festival, which forms part of the activities heralding the 50th anniversary, was organized by the Salt and Light Ministries, in collaboration with the Regional Anniversary Planning Committee.



Apart from the poor attendance, only two out of the six choirs billed to perform turned up. They were the St Cecilia Choir of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Choir and the Ebenezer Methodist Church Choir.
 
The programme took off at 6:40 p.m. and halfway into it the entire venue was plunged into darkness as a result of the ongoing load shedding exercise.
 
The organizers had to rely on an electric generator belonging to the Information Services Department in order to continue with the programme.
 
Despite those setbacks, the two choirs managed to treat the sparse audience to some melodious Ghanaian choral songs.
 
In a welcoming address, the Regional Coordinator of the Ghana @50 Choral Festival, Mr. Kwesi Mensah, noted that the country’s forefathers, by dint of hard work and selflessness, fought for independence.
 
“They are selfless because they did not think of self gain and material wealth as we see in today’s Ghanaian, “he stressed, adding that it behoved on all Ghanaians to reflect on the past and reorganize themselves as the country celebrated its Golden Jubilee to reflect on the past and reorganize themselves as the country celebrated its Golden Jubilee to make Ghana a country worth living in.
 
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Awudu Yiremiah, in an address, enumerated a number of programmes and projects to be undertaken in the region, including a Jubilee Durbar Grounds and the a visitors’ information complex, as part of the celebration and called on members of the celebration and called on members of the public to lend their support.     
 

Bawku Central NPP Resolves Impasse

Story:Benjamin Glover,Bawku 20 August, 2007
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Jibreel Ustarz Abubakar, who resigned from the party and contested the 2004 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate in the Bawku Central Constituency of the Upper East Region, has rescinded his decision and has applied for readmission into the party.

In  a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, Mr Abubakar said his decision to rejoin the party followed an amnesty granted by the party and most importantly the reconciliation meeting that took place in Bawku on August 21, 2006 under the able leadership of the national chairman.

He said it was his fervent hope and prayer that the decisions arrived at the reconciliation meeting would be carried out.

In a related development, Mr Peter Mac Manu has announced that the impasse among the executive and party members in the Bawku Central Constituency had been resolved amicably.

Mr Mac Manu told newsmen at Bolgatanga after a visit to the area that the conflict among the executive members, as well as party members, which nearly tore the party apart, was a thing of the past.

He mentioned that a new 10-member interim management committee under the chairmanship of Mr Mohammed Murtala and Mr Issah Zangego as secretary was set up to oversee the day-to-day activities of the party.

Mr Mac Manu said owing to the success in bringing the two factions together, the people of Bawku, especially supporters of the party, had imposed on him the title “Dr PUT”, which means, patience, understanding and tolerance.

He commended the efforts of the regional executive of the party, as well as Col George Minyila, Alhaji Mahama Gumah, Mr Jonathan Agme and Mr Francis Afoko for their role in helping to bring about unity in the party in the constituency.

The national chairman said major stakeholders in the party in the region, including Alhaji Yerimeah, had also hailed the reconciliation exercise as “wonderful”.

He indicated that similar reconciliation exercises would be undertaken in the Binduri, Chiana Paga and Talensi constituencies where the party had similar problems as happened in Bawku and that the party was poised to make a major turn around in its fortunes in the 2008 general elections in the Upper East Region.

Mr Mac Manu intimated that as the national chairman of the NPP, his focus was on how to secure the party from unwarranted attacks, make the party stable, and engineer it for victory in 2008.

Story by  Benjamin  Glover/Daily Graphic.