BAWKU CENTRAL CPP CANDIDATE ACCUSES SITTING MP (Daily Graphic, Wednesday October 29, 2008 PAGE 17)

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) parliamentary candidate for Bawku Central, Ms Rodaline Imoro Ayarna, has accused the sitting MP for the area for failing to fulfil his promises to the electorate, urging them to vote him out.
"For me, I think Mahama Ayariga has failed the people. He made promises he has not delivered. Promises of employment for the youth, as well as general development which has not been honoured and I think its time for a change," she said.
While conceding that the work of a parliamentarian is not to provide infrastructure, she said it behoved the MP to use his or her influence to lobby all sides for development projects.
"It takes a good lobbyist to be able to bring the kind of development that Bawku needs and I can assure you that when elected as the next MP for Bawku, the area will see rapid development," she said.
She catologued the growing youth unemployment, poor sanitation and lack of potable water as some of the major setbacks to the development of the Northern Region.
According to Ms Ayarna there was virtually no economic activity available to the youth.
"Bawku is one place that is supposed to be the second largest revenue earner for the country after Aflao because of the enormous activities between Ghana and her Sahelian neighbours, yet the people of the area are impoverished".
The CPP aspirant, who was speaking to journalists in Bolgatanga, said when elected, she would reverse the trend.
On sanitation, she said when elected she would lead her people to ensure regular clean-up exercises to keep the place clean and eradicate illnesses such as malaria and cholera.
She appealed to her constituents to see how conflict had destroyed all facets of life in Bawku, and urged them to eschew all forms of violence and embrace peace before, during and after the December 2008 general election .

GH¢287.030 BAWKU WATER PROJECTS NEAR COMPLETION (Daily Graphic,Monday, October 27, 2008 PAGE 40)

WATER and sanitation projects for some communities in the Bawku Municipality in the Upper East Region are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The projects are estimated at GH¢287,030.
One of the projects, known as the Bazua Small Town Water System, has sanitation component, which includes the construction of five institutional latrines and 120 household latrines at Bazua in the Bawku Municipality. The project is being executed by China Henan Geo Construction.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Abdulai Abanga, announced this at the first ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the Bawku Municipality Assembly at Bawku.
He said Oxfam, a British non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Zuuri Organic Vegetable Farmers Association, had also constructed 13 hand-dug wells fitted with hand pumps for seven deprived communities in the Binduri area.
The beneficiary communities include Narang Song, Kumpalgogo Tebako and Komnatinga.
Others are Apomyamiri, Tansala and Zuuri.
"It is hoped that in the not too distant future, all communities without potable water will be provided with some as plans are underway under the President's priority projects," he added.
The MCE further stated that over the past one year, the assembly had spent GH¢917,689,64 on development projects.
Mr Abanga said even though peace and security were prerequisite for development, the municipality began the 2008 on a very bad note as a result of the Bawku communal conflict, which shattered the Assembly’s development aspirations by throwing the assembly's budget out of gear.
He noted that the communal violence that engulfed the municipality at the beginning of the year had brought a lot of hardships not only on the people of Bawku, but more especially on the assembly as it had to channel all its resources in restoring peace.
"While other districts have made judicious use of funds allocated to them by the central government to the benefit of society, our share of the funds and even those from other sources were used to maintain law and order to ensure that the integrity of the municipality is protected ," Mr Abanga said.
According to the MCE, a total of more than GH¢300,000 was spent to manage the turbulent situation in order to restore peace which is very vital for socio-economic.
He said despite all the initiatives at ensuring peace, a lot more depended on the people of Bawku to ensure that never again should they restore to violence.
"We must be peacemakers ourselves and bring peace back. We love and want peace but do not want to embrace it willingly.
Let us therefore try to bury the differences of yesterday, halt the problems of today
and move with the opportunities of tomorrow to bring Bawku back to its rightful place in the national sphere," Mr Abanga stressed.
The Presiding Member of the Assembly, John Agobre, descried the Bawku conflict as the darkest period in the municipality and hoped never again would such a thing happen there.

5 UE DAMS TO BE REHABILITATED (Daily Graphic,Monday, October 27, 2008 PAGE 40)

FIVE dams in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region are to be rehabilitated under the 2007 Northern Floods Rehabilitation Project.
They are the Boya Kpalsako, Yarigu, Goziesi, Sakom and Sapelliga dams.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Desmond Bugbilla, announced this at the assembly’s second ordinary meeting this year at Zebilla, the district capital.
He said work on the project, which had already been advertised, would soon commence to bring relief to the people.
Mr Bugbilla said in addition to the dams’ rehabilitation, 11 boreholes and 17 hand-dug wells had been awarded on contract for disinfection and rehabilitation.
He was happy about the rapid development of the area, which he attributed to the hard work and dedication of the assembly members and the decentralised departments.
The DCE also commended the government for providing Bawku West District with its fair share of development projects.
According to him, two projects had been approved for execution in the district under the second phase of the sixth European Union Micro-Projects Programme.
He said the projects were the construction of a three-unit classroom block with office, store and toilet facilities at Yelwoko and a teachers’ quarters at Kpantarigu.
He advised assembly members of the beneficiary communities to impress upon their people to co-operate with the contractors undertaking the projects to ensure their early completion.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Very Reverend (Dr) Jacob Ayeebo, said all development projects being undertaken in the area were progressing steadily due to the practical support offered by the entire membership of the assembly.
"Development, as we all know, is a co-operative work and, for that reason, let us continue to pursue the many opportunities lying ahead," he said.
The Very Rev. Ayeebo called on his colleague Assembly members to continue with their vision to build a district rooted in peace and reconciliation, justice and support for the poor and vulnerable in society.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr John Ndebugre, entreated all and sundry to “let us debate issues and not hurl insults at each other," he stressed.

BAWKU GEARS UP FOR PEACEFUL ELECTION (Daily Graphic, Monday, October 27, 2008 PAGE 40)

Caption
Flashback: In the heat of the communal violence in Bawku, members of the National Peace Council were in the municipality to hold consultations with the various factions. It is the prayer of all and sundry that the peace process that has been initiated will lead to permanent peace in Bawku.

THE once sprawling commercial hub of the Upper East Region, Bawku, woke up to an unfortunate scene of violence at dawn early this year.
The Bawku conflict, which started on January 1, 2008 as a result of differences between two of Ghana's most endowed ethnic groups, the Kusasis and the Mamprusis, has already claimed several lives, while property worth several thousands of Ghana cedis has been lost.
Following that unfortunate incident, the government imposed a curfew on Bawku and its environs. The curfew is still in force and it is reviewed at regular intervals in anticipation that permanent peace will return to the area.
The conflict in Bawku has made it difficult for the people to lobby for development projects for the municipality and the entire region.
Resources meant for development projects are used for peacekeeping. The educational, health and other sectors of the economy of the municipality collapsed in the heat of the conflict.
The conflict attracted the attention and sympathy of many Ghanaians. For example, President John Agyekum Kufuor himself invited the traditional rulers of the two traditional areas to the Osu Castle to talk peace.
The National Peace Council went over to Bawku, Bolgatanga and Kongo to hold peace talks with the various stakeholders, including the minority tribes and civil society organisations.
In addition to the deployment of security personnel to Bawku to maintain law and order, the government also provided logistic support for the people.
One cannot also ignore the visit by the ministers of the Interior and of Defence, as well as the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, to the area to assess the security situation there, with the view to finding a lasting solution to the conflict.
Some concerned women of Bawku, unable to bear the pain, also added their voices to the need for peace by embarking on mass peace marches to impress upon their husbands and the youth to put an end to the senseless carnage.
Religious groups, namely, Christians and Moslems, also got actively involved in peace-making activities, while several peace jingles were produced in the various languages and played back on the various FM radio stations to sensitise the people to the need to embrace peace.
Public education and sensitisation campaigns on peace by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) have all contributed to the maintenance of peace in Bawku.
The NCCE has, as part of its planned activities, been holding group discussions in several communities, schools and marketplaces to educate the citizens on constitutional provisions and also seek their views on how to sustain the prevailing peace in and around Bawku.
With the approach of the general election, the general concern one picks up from the streets of Bawku is whether the relative peace being enjoyed in the area will be jeopardised.
Election 2008 comes at a time when Bawku has gone through difficult times due to the conflict, with the attendant hostilities among its inhabitants.
This is one concern that has driven the Bawku Literary Society (BLS) to map out an innovative approach through a series of activities to ensure peace and violence-free elections, particularly in Bawku and its environs.
As part of the society's contribution towards peaceful and violence-free elections, it has, among other things, planned to engage key stakeholders by organising radio discussions, community outreach programmes and parliamentary forums, all aimed at educating the people in Bawku on the need to maintain peace and enhance understanding of the electioneering process among the people to enable Bawku to go through the elections peacefully.
The main objective of the project, according to the society, is to strive for a conducive atmosphere to prevail in Bawku to pave the way for smooth and peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.
The General Secretary of the BLS, Mr Abdul-Rahman Winimi, is of the view that the implementation of the project will go a long way to educate the people of Bawku on the need for peace and enhance their understanding of the electioneering so that Bawku can go through the elections peacefully.
Peaceful elections in Bawku will demonstrate to the people of Ghana and the world at large that the people of Bawku, contrary to public perception, are capable of sustaining the relative peace currently prevailing in the area.
Bawku must not burn because of the upcoming general election. So many resources have already been sunk into the search for peace for the once lovely town, and the time has come for all and sundry to join hands with the BLS, the Bawku Municipal Assembly and the government to ensure that peace, unity and harmony exist in Bawku.
The Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, has already entreated all political parties to feel free to extend their campaigns to Bawku but warned them to be wary of the kind of messages they preach on the campaign platforms, since his traditional council would not support any political party that would preach the politics of division.
The new Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, has emphasised that his outfit will deal ruthlessly with anybody who threatens the peace of the area.
Already, the Bawku Municipal Assembly, under the leadership of its young Chief Executive, Abdulai Abanga, has outlined some good plans for the rapid development of the area, including the resuscitation of the brick and tile factory at Mognori and the construction of a modern multi-purpose abattoir at Bawku, stressing that violence should be the last thing to thwart those efforts.
Bawku has come a long way and the time has come for Ghanaians, including politicians, to support it to overcome the unending conflict.

COURT REMANDS 4 RIOTERS (Daily Graphic, Friday, October 24, 2008 PAGE 31)

THE Bolgatanga Magistrate’s Court has remanded four persons in police custody for their alleged involvement in the rampage at Kongo in the Talensi-Nabdam District in the Upper East Region on Tuesday.
The four, Raphael Azong, 18, a laboratory assistant, Bangin Raymond, 17, a student, Martin Mbugre, 30 and Agandaah Roger, 22, are to re-appear on November 6, 2008, to answer charges of causing damage to state property.
The four were among a group of persons alleged to have dug trenches across some sections of the Bolgatanga-Bawku Highway in Kongo.
In all, a total of 21 trenches, each measuring one metre wide and one metre deep, were dug by the youth ostensibly to make the road impassable.
Their action was in protest against an accident along the highway which claimed the life of the assistant Headmaster of the Kongo Senior High School, Mr Clement Ayindire Adazabra and injured a teacher, Mr Andrew Dagbamah.
As a result of that, a group of young men in the Kongo township went on rampage, smashing car windscreens and injuring a number of police officers.
Despite the presence of the police, including the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama and the Regional Road Safety Officer, Mr Alex Ayeta, in the community to seek an amicable settlement to the issue, the youth would not budge as they reportedly blocked the road and dug more trenches.
They also went ahead to smash the rear windscreens of about four vehicles, including that of the official vehicle of the Regional Commander with registration number GP 30, the official vehicle of Mr Ayeta, a police operations vehicle and a Metro Mass bus bound for Bawku.

63 CANDIDATES FILE IN UPPER EAST (Daily Graphic, Friday, October 24, 2008 PAGE 16)

Sixty-three people, including six women, have filed their nomination in the Upper East Region to contest the 2008 Parliamentary elections, four more than the number that contested the 2004 parliamentary elections.
Figures obtained from the offices of the Electoral Commission (EC) indicated that seven political parties and three independent candidates would contest the elections in the region.
Of the political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) topped the filing list with 13 candidates each, followed by the Conventions People’s Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC) with 12 candidates each.
The Democratic People's Party (DPP) filed four candidates, six candidates for Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) while three candidates filed as Independent candidates, one in Chiana-Paga Constituency and two in the Bawku West.
There was no nomination for Great Consolidated People's Party (GCPP) and Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD).
The Builsa South, Bolgatanga Central, Zebilla, and Binduri constituencies recorded the highest number of six candidates each; Chiana-Paga, Bawku Central and Garu-Tempane recorded five candidates each, while Builsa North, Navrongo Central, Bongo, Pusiga, Talensi, and Nabdam constituencies had four candidates each.
Of the six women contesting for Parliamentary seats in five out of the 13 constituencies in the Upper East Region for this year’s election 2008, two are contesting in the Bolgatanga Central, with one each in the Builsa North, Builsa South, Bawku Central and Talensi constituencies.

YOUNGMEN IN KONGO GO ON RAMPAGE (D/G Thursday October 23, 2008 PAGE 14)

A group of young men in the Kongo Community in the Talensi-Nabdam District yesterday went on rampage, smashing car windscreens and injuring a number of police officers, following a road accident which claimed the life of the Assistant Headmaster of the Kongo Senior High School, Clement Ayindire Adazabra.
The troubles were reportedly sparked by a group of young persons , following the accident on the Bolgatanga-Bawku Highway in which the assistant headmaster was killed and a teacher of the school, Mr Andrew Dagbamah, sustained injuries.
At about 4p.m. last Tuesday, a Bolgatanga-bound public transport was reported to have knocked down two people on a motorbike around the Kongo Market along the Bolgatanga-Bawku Highway.
The two were identified as Adazabrah and Dagbamah following which the youth were said to have responded by destroying some parts of the road by digging trenches on it.
In all, a total of 21 trenches, each measuring one metre wide and one metre deep, were dug by the youth ostensibly to make the road impassable.
Some policemen, led by the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, arrived on the scene to restore order but the youth would not budge as they reportedly blocked the road and dug more trenches.
Speaking to reporters in Bolgatanga, DCOP Mahama said when he arrived at the scene; he saw the youth rampaging and destroying public property.
He said he immediately approached the chief of the community to prevail on his subjects to put a stop to their actions.
"While I was diplomatically negotiating with the chief and other opinion leaders to resolve the issue, the youth, apparently under the influence of alcohol and instigated by some two persons, started attacking the police cars, including my official vehicle, the operational vehicle, and the vehicle of the Regional Road Safety Officer, with sticks, rocks and other implements and in the process destroyed the rear windscreens of the cars," DCOP Mahama said.
Also damaged by the rampaging youth was the rear windscreen of a Metro Mass Bus with registration number AS 8167 Y, which was heading for Bawku.
Five police personnel sustained injuries in the riot.
According to him, at a point in time he asked all his men, including personnel of the Rapid Deployment Force from Bawku, to withdraw in a bid to assure the people that the police were in for peace, but the youth would still not be bothered as they continued digging trenches across the highway.
He said later in the evening the police managed to arrest four persons and placed them in custody in Bolgatanga.
The names of the four, who are to be processed for court, are Raphael Azong, 18, a laboratory assistant, Bangin Raymond, 17, a student, Martin Mbugre,30 and Agandaah Roger,22.
He said the injured, including DSP Richard Appiah, who suffered head injuries, and Andrew Dagbamah, who sustained leg injuries, are on admission at the Bolgatanga Hospital.
Meanwhile the Regional Police Commander has declared that he would not allow intolerance and lawlessness to take root the region.
Consequently, his administration has taken steps to contain all forms of extremism and violence in the region." We are determined to enforce the law and to protect state property," DCOP Mahama said.
The regional police commander gave the warning at the Regional Police Headquarters at a meeting with representatives of the Kongo community, including the sitting MP, Mr Moses Asaga and aspiring MP, Boniface Gambila, as well as the security agencies following the incident.
During the deliberation, both Mr Asaga and Gambila conceded that the incident was rather unfortunate and needed not have occur.
They, however, said for the past years some motorists had been knocking down or killing innocent persons, hence the spontaneous reaction.
They both expressed the need for the Ghana Highway Authority to construct a number of speed ramps on the road to curtail future occurrence of accidents

.

PAGA CHIEF HEADS UPPER EAST HOUSE OF CHIEFTS (D/G Monday October 10, 2008.PAGE 53)

THE Paramount Chief of the Paga Traditional Area, Pe Charles Awiah Awampaga II, has been elected President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs for a four-year term.
Pe Awampaga, who was elected unopposed, succeeds the late Kologo Naba, Simon Ayidana Asobayire, who died in February this year.
The position of Vice-President of the house went to the Naaga Naba, Orlando A. Awuni III, who was also elected unopposed.
Four other chiefs were elected to represent the house at the National House of Chiefs. They were Naba Sigri Bawong, the Sakoti Naba; Naba Baba Salifu Aleemyaarum Atamale, the Paramount Chief of Bongo; Pe Joseph Afagachie II, the Paramount Chief of Nakong, and Pe Oscar B. Tiyiamu II, the Paramount Chief of Kayoro.
The elections were conducted by the Electoral Commission.
Addressing the house after the elections, the newly elected president called for support and co-operation from members.
He said his task, in the meantime, was to ensure that all vacant skins in the house were filled with substantive paramount chiefs to ensure the efficient and effective work of the house.
Eight skins, out of the 17-member Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, are presently vacant.
The newly elected president hinted that in the not-too-distance future, regents would not be allowed to attend meetings of the house. They would also not be paid any monthly allowances.
He also promised to pursue the plan to elevate more divisional chiefs to the status of paramount chiefs.
"The Regional Research Committee will vigorously review the list of divisional chiefs for elevation submitted to the National House of Chiefs for consideration," he said.
The Paga Pio said the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs needed to be expanded from its present membership of 17 to about 40.
He promised to work closely with the regional minister and the regional co-ordinating council to ensure that peace was constantly maintained in the region, especially in Bawku, to accelerate the rapid development of the region.
He urged his colleague chiefs to lead their people in efforts to ensure peaceful elections in December.
He said although the Ministry of Food and Agriculture had predicted good harvest, there were some communities such as Sandema, Bawku and Paga that were likely to experience poor harvest and, therefore, called on the government to assist people in those communities when the time came.
The Supervising High Court judge in the Upper East Region, Mr Justice Godwin A. Kwasi-Kumah, who swore in the new president and the vice–president of the house, spoke about the spate of communal, ethnic and political violence in some parts of the country and noted that majority of them had elements of chieftaincy dispute.
He, therefore, urged members of the house to create an atmosphere of peace to enhance the development of the region.

Maternal, child health campaign begins today (D/G Thursday, October 16, 2008 Page 17

...............In another development the Upper East Directorate of the GHS, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, has launched the campaign with a call on parents to partner the GHS in improving the well-being of women and children, reports Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga.
In the Upper East Region a total of 550, 123 children under-five years will receive polio vaccination, Vitamin A supplementation and de-worming treatment, while long lasting insecticide-treated nets will be provided for children less than one year.Again a total of 40, 750 pregnant mothers will be de-wormed and given vitamin A supplementation.Launching the campaign, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, said since the launch of the campaign the country had not recorded any death resulting from measles , while measles cases dropped drastically from 34,671 in 1994 to 434 cases in 2005.He called on all Municipal and District Assemblies, heads of households, chiefs and community opinion leaders to help mobilise their communities for a successful programme.He commended World Vision International, the Red Cross and UNICEF which has given GH c 13,000 towards the training of Community Based Agents and providing 40,000 bed nets for distribution.

POLIO-FREE PROGRAMME SUFFERS SETBACK (D/G Monday October 20, 2008.PAGE 32)

GHANA’S quest to become a polio-free society has been hit by a setback following the detection of a wild polio virus in the Yendi District of the Northern Region.
The case was detected last Thursday, October 9, 2008 and presently a team of officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is in the district to conduct further investigations.
The Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, who disclosed this in Bolgatanga at the launch of this year’s Integrated Maternal and Child Health (IMCH) campaign, said, “If confirmed, Ghana’s programme to eradicate polio would have suffered a severe drawback for a few more years.”
He said prior to the detection of the virus in the Yendi District, the nation was poised for the final push to attain polio eradication.
“Ghana was on the verge of certification as a polio-free country and, therefore, news of the emergence of the virus is unfortunate,” he said.
In 1988, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA 41.28, which committed the WHO to the global eradication of polio by the year 2000 by providing immunisation exclusively with oral polio vaccine (OPV).
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. It can strike at any age, but mainly affects children under five through contaminated water.
The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs).
Among those paralysed, 5–10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised. Although paralysis is the most visible sign of polio infection, fewer than one per cent of polio infections ever result in paralysis.
Since September 2003 there has not been any reported case of wild polio virus (WPV) in Ghana, mainly due to the successful National Immunisation Day campaigns and improved routine immunisation.
According to Dr Awoonor-Williams, in spite of all that, the threat of polio importation persisted and Ghana could not be left out of that threat.
He said as of December 31, 2007, only 367 WPV cases had been confirmed in five countries, including Nigeria, DR Congo, Angola, Chad and Niger, showing a 70 per cent case reduction in the total number of cases reported in 2006.
He said as of March 5, 2008, 37 WPV cases had been confirmed in four countries in the Africa Region — 32 in Nigeria, three in Niger, three in Angola and one in Chad.
The Regional Director of Health Services said based on those threats, there was an urgent need to step up maternal and child health campaigns.
Launching the campaign, Dr Awoonor-Williams called on all municipal and district assemblies, heads of households, chiefs and opinion leaders to help mobilise their communities for a successful programme.
The nation-wide campaign, to be held from October 16-18, is on the theme, “Healthy mothers and children make a better Ghana”.
In the Upper East Region, a total of 550,123 children under five will receive polio vaccination, Vitamin A supplementation and de-worming treatment, while long-lasting insecticide-treated nets will be provided for children less than one.
Again, 40,750 pregnant mothers will be de-wormed and given vitamin A supplementation.
UNICEF, World Vision International and the Red Cross Society are assisting the GHS towards the success of the programme in the Upper East Region.
UNICEF has committed GH¢13,000 to the effort towards the training of community-based agents, in addition to the provision of 40,000 insecticide-treated nets for distribution freely to children under the age of one.

NANDOM YOUTH BEMOAN POOR ROAD NETWORK (D/G Monday October 20, 2008. PAGE 47)

The Bolgatanga branch of Nandom Youth and Development Association (NYDA) has called for the immediate reconstruction of the road linking the Upper East Region to the Upper West Region to facilitate the easy movement of goods and services.
According to the group, any meaningful poverty reduction strategy in the Upper West Region would require good road networks.
The group raised these concerns in a statement issued at Bolgatanga and signed by Mr John Dery and Mrs Mary Sobsaar, Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively of the Bolgatanga branch of NYDA.
According to the NYDA the deplorable condition of roads linking the Upper East and Upper West regions had been a source of worry to the chiefs and people for a very long time but the time had come for something concrete to be done to stop the inconveniences they posed to travellers.
“We are particularly saddened that for some months now-since July, travellers from Bolgatanga to the Upper West Region have to go through Tamale in the Northern Region because the road between Chuchuliga in the Upper East Region and Tumu in the Upper West Region, the only route linking the two regions, has been cut off due to excessive rains,” the statement said.
It added that “a journey that should take four hours from Bolgatanga to Wa now takes about 12 hours since one has to go through the Northern Region”.
According to the statement, apart from the long hours, one has to pay about twice the fare to get to Wa, the Upper West Regional capital. “Going through Tumu, instead of paying GHc6.00, a passenger on board the Metro Mass Transport bus now pays GHc10.00 travelling by the same bus to Wa through Tamale”.
According to NYDA, “the desperate effort by government to improve on the development and the socio-economic fortunes of the people in Northern Ghana would become a fiasco as long as serious attention is not given to the poor road network in the area.”
The NYDA pointed out that the two Upper regions had suffered serious socio-economic setbacks as a result of the poor road networks since most investors and business organisations were reluctant to do business in such areas.
“We have taken cognisance of successive governments’ efforts at providing some basic amenities such as electricity, potable water, market centres, educational and health facilities for the people, but the very critical issue of a good road network is yet to be addressed”, the statement noted.
It recalled a GNA report on May 13, 2008 at Wa, in which a Minister of State in charge of Transportation, Mr Godfred Bayon Tangu, was quoted as announcing that a total of 207 kilometres of roads would be tarred in the Upper West Region this year.
“According to the minister, the roads include the Nadowli-Lawra-Hamile road and the Han-Tumu-Chuchuliga road, which links the region to the Upper East Region.”
“However, with just three months for the year to end, we wonder whether this promise by the minister would be fulfilled”, the statement said.
The Bolgatanga branch of NYDA, therefore, called on the government and the district assemblies of the affected areas to go to the plight of the people by finding a lasting solution to this problem of poor road network linking the two Upper regions.
“It must be put on record that the Upper West Region is the only region in the country that is not linked to any other region by tarred road”, the statement said.

BUSAC FUND OFFERS ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS (D/G Saturday October 18, 2008. PAGE 22)

THE Tono Small-Scale Farmers Association has received assistance from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund to undertake a programme that would help members to access and make timely repayment of loans.
The nine-month programme was facilitated by the Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) of the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) in the Kassena-Nankana District, Mr Hippolyte Alua, and other service providers.
The BUSAC Fund, sponsored by the Danish International Development Agency, the UK's Department for International Development and the United States Agency for International Development, aims at strengthening capacity of organisations in the private sector to advocate pro-business sector reform in Ghana, and in the long-run, support the Ghanaian economy and contribute to poverty reduction.
The Chairman of the Tono Small-Scale Farmers Association, Mr Stephen Kampeh, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana District after a meeting of the executive of the association.
He said under the GH¢10,515 contract, the farmers provided 10 per cent, while BUSAC provided the remaining 90 per cent contractual support.
Mr Kampeh explained that the farmers consulted the Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) of GAWU to develop a proposal to source the funds on their behalf after they encountered a problem with their bankers, the Naara Rural Bank.
Consequently, he said, the IRO drafted the proposal and wrote the application, which was duly accepted by BUSAC.
He noted that as a result of the training programme, the farmers were now kept abreast of banking procedures and were better equipped on how to assess and ensure timely payment of loans.
Mr Kampeh said as a result of the training, the association had re-established relations with the bank, which was prepared to assist the farmers with loans to enhance their activities.
He appealed to the Regional the Co-ordinating Council and the management of Irrigation Company in the Upper East Region to ensure effective monitoring of rehabilitation works at the Tono Irrigation Dam site to ensure its early completion.
Mr Kampeh said while they were happy with the ongoing rehabilitation works at the Tono Irrigation Dam site, they were dissatisfied with the progress of work.
He, therefore, called for effective monitoring towards the early completion of the project to boost farming in the area and help improve on the lives of the people.
On behalf of the members of the association, Mr Kampeh stressed the need for the government to review the fertiliser coupon system, adding that the system was being abused by some suppliers.
He further implored the government to subsidise the price of fertiliser and also make it available on the open market throughout the country.
The IRO of GAWU, Mr Hippolyte Alua, told the Daily Graphic that members of the association obtained loans from the Naara Rural Bank, but after sometime, the local farmers experienced some difficulties in terms of repayment.
A Technical Officer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mr Martin Pwayidi, urged the farmers to use whatever financial assistance they obtained wisely to avoid embarrassment in the future.

PEACE TRAIN STARTS FROM BOLGA (SHOWBIZ, Thursday, October 16 - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 PAGE 4)

By Benjamin Xornam Glover
The Ghana First Peace Train, a nationwide campaign for peace and national unity, took off in the Upper East Region last week-end with shows in Bolgatanga, the regional capital and Bawku which is recovering from violent conflict. Musicians on board the train included Shasha Marley, Adane Best and Sherifatu Gunu as well as up-and -coming ones like Kitchen, Blaq Swede and Spirit.They were complemented by the Mozak Sounds and a Bolga-based live band. They thrilled the sparse audience at the Bolgatanga Jubilee Park to some good music interspersed with peace messages last Friday night. After an introductory performance by Kitchen and scintillating dance moves by Sherifatu Gunu, Adane Best and Shasha Marley electrified the atmosphere with some popular tunes. Adane Best did Maafio and Shasha sung some reggae tunes from Lucky Dube and Bob Marley. He capped his performance with his famous Boom Boom Waa Waa and Martha Family songs. Nana Adwoa Awindor, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Productions, is the coordinator of the Ghana First Peace Train. She emphasised to Showbiz that the peace train aims at communicating through music, the need for all to embrace peace and eschew all acts that lead to violence. "This particular election is viewed by many as very crucial and the kind of exuberance with which the politicians are approaching it is there for all to see. If the excesses are not checked, we can end up experiencing conflict. It is necessary for us to cross over smoothly so that we do not disrupt the development process.” she said. The peace train had a wonderful programme in Bawku . After a courtesy call on the Bawku Naaba, Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, members of the peace train were joined by some citizens of Bawku on a peace walk. They later watched a football match between teams made up of members of the various ethnic groups in the area. There was a massive musical concert at the forecourt of the community center later in the evening. Nana Adwoa Awindor called on the people of Bawku to realise that Ghanaians do not need strangers to come and and streamline things in our own country for us. "We should find ways to solve our problems so that together we will move the developmental agenda to the next level," she said. The Ghana First Peace Train is scheduled to visit other locations around the country and its final event is slated for Independence Square, Accra on November 29.

COMPANY DONATES CEMENT TO POLICE TRAINING SCHOOL (D/G Monday October 13, 2008 PAGE 36)

PROVIDENT Life Assurance Company has donated 40 bags of cement worth GH¢400 to the Upper East Regional Police Training School at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region.
The donation is to support the development of the school.
Presenting a cheque for the purchase of the cement at a ceremony at Pwalugu, Mr Isaac Agyenim-Boateng, a marketing executive of the company, said the donation was part of the company's efforts to improve conditions at the school to ensure effective training of police personnel.
The Officer Commanding the school, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) S. Kofi Ghampson, who received the donation, commended the donor for the gesture.
He appealed to individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the school.

NGO ORGANISES PEACE FOOTBALL MATCH AT BAWKU (D/G Monday October 13, 2008.PAGE 36)

AS part of events to mark the United Nation's International Day of Peace and Ceasefire, a non-governmental organisation — Young People We Care — has organised a special football match at Bawku involving players from the various ethnic groups to promote peace and unity.
The ethnic diversity of Bawku was represented in the two clubs, namely, Winamzua and the Daduri Catholic Park teams, for this symbolic match.
The match was played at the Winamzua park and prior to kick-off, the Programmes Director of Young People We Care, Mr Godwin Yidana, explained the rationale behind the event.
Directing his words towards the two teams, he cautioned that “the game is an opportunity for you to come together as brothers. We're playing 15 minutes a side. The football represents "conflict" and the goals are "peace". You are not on the pitch to compete against each other. It doesn't matter who scores a goal or who wins; in this game, everyone is a winner.”
Despite the ominous storm clouds rolling overhead, students, local residents and keen spectators enjoyed the beautiful game devoid of violence.
Contrary to expectations, the game proceeded without a hint of violence or even a curse word.
Finally, the referee blew his whistle on a one-all draw and gathered the players together around one goal post for the penalty shoot-out.
The crowd jostled for positions as the two teams lined up with children standing on bicycle seats to get a better view of the game.
Winamzua team was declared the winner and the players of both sides came together with handshakes and friendly pats on the back.
In a post-match briefing, Mr Yidana, who is also a founder member of the Bawku Literary Society, introduced his partner, Ms Gayle Pescud, an Australian, through whose personal initiative the games were held.
Ms Pescud said “we decided to hold the match here and prove a point that Bawku is not as deadly as people are made to believe, and that the people of Bawku are good, especially the youth who are united and see one another as brothers and sisters. And that they were united as young people ready to solve their own problems”.
"We chose Bawku to mark the event because of the conflict situation that we've experienced over a good number of years now and, secondly, because of the fact that, as a result of the conflict, people think that Bawku is a deadly place and nothing friendly can take place," Ms Pescud added.
A Board Member of the Bawku Literary Society, Reverend Isaiah Joel, commended the organisers for using the game of football to bring the two sides together to climax the peace "we're yearning for". According to him, "without peace nothing we be achieve".

TECHNOSERVE ORGANISES FIELD DAY FOR FARMERS (D/G Monday October 13, 2008.PAGE 36)

TECHNOSERVE, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, has held a field day for farmers in three communities in the Upper East Region.
The communities are Tilli in the Bawku West District, Adaboya in the Bongo District and Baseongo in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
The field day was to demonstrate improved varieties of maize, cowpea, soybeans and groundnuts to the farmers.
The improved varieties included the hybrid maize (mamaba), cowpea, (apagbaala), soybeans (enyidaso) and groundnuts (nkatiesari).
Within the past six seasons, 13 maize demonstration fields sited in 11 locations, namely Binaba, Zebilla and Googo (Bawku West District), Pwalugu and Shega (Talensi/Nabdam District), Azumsapeliga (Bawku Municipality), Songo (Garu Tempane District), Nyangania and Old Tono (Kassena Nankana District) and Chuchuliga (Builsa District), have witnessed the successful demonstration of those four varieties with their attendant high yield and nutritional value.
Addressing farmers at Tilli, the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, commended Technoserve and its partners for complementing the efforts of the government to assist farmers in line with its avowed aim of developing agriculture, one of the factors to propel the country into a middle-income status by 2015.
She urged the farmers to take advantage of the demonstration to enhance production to feed the nation.
"It is my conviction that this will certainly bring more money into your pockets and also earn the country more foreign exchange," she said.
Mrs Chigabatia encouraged the farmers to share their experience with other farmers to ensure early and total adoption of the new improved crop varieties.
The Country Director of Technoserve, Mr Nick Railston-Brown, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Mrs Ruth Wallace, the Programme Manager, said Technoserve had been involved in developing models that help rural producers to increase production in order to enjoy economic rewards.
"We at Technoserve believe that it is better and more sustainable to teach our beneficiaries how to fish rather than to give out fish; this is why we have gathered them to demonstrate to them a technology that will enable them to increase production for enhanced household food security," he said.
Mr Railston-Brown announced that Technoserve had since the beginning of the current farming season supported 500 farmers with farming inputs, including seeds, fertiliser and extension services, to plant maize, groundnuts and soybeans.
The strategy, he explained, would facilitate the adoption of improved maize production technology among the farmers, adding that the farmers receiving the support would also be assisted to market their produce through an inventory credit programme.
The District Chief Executive for Bawku West, Mr Desmond Bugbilla, urged the beneficiaries to blend the knowledge learnt with their old system of farming to increase their yield.
The officer in charge of the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute, Dr Roger Kanton, in an interview stated that the demonstration over the years had proven to be beneficial as farmers were now better exposed to better way of doing things to achieve
optimum results.
He encouraged the farmers to put the skills they had learnt into practice to enhance their farming activities.
The Deputy Regional Minister and other invited guests were later taken on an inspection tour of the fields to observe the success of the programme.

NEW HOSPITAL FOR ZEBILLA (D/G Monday October 13, 2008 PAGE 36)

AFRICAN Turning Point Foundation (ATPF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with support from Kimoyo Limited of the United States of America, is assisting the people of the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region to construct a modern hospital to meet their health needs.
The facility, known as the N'aaba Akparabilla Medical Centre, is to offer quality health care to the people of Zebilla and its surrounding communities.
Bawku West, one of the nine districts in the Upper East Region, was created out of the old Bawku East District in 1988. Zebilla is the district capital. Bawku West District shares boundaries with Burkina Faso to the north, Talensi-Nabdam District to the west and Bawku Municipal Assembly to the east.
The district covers a land area of approximately 979 square kilometres, constituting about 12 per cent of the total area of the region.
According to the 2000 population and housing census, the district has a population of approximately 80,606. One of the major challenges of the district is the limited number of enough health care facilities.
Currently, there are two health care centres in the Bawku West District, which are located in Binaba and Zebilla.
Though the government has subsidised health care cost through the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), there are a few challenges. Only a few beds are available for doctors to detain and observe patients at the health facilities.
At the moment the district hospital has only one doctor attending to an average of 20,000 persons. For that reason, critical cases are transferred to the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by ambulance services.
It is to augment the services that the ATPF established the health centre to improve the health care needs of the people. Services provided at the centre include ultrasound tests, which were hitherto not done in the district; consultation, dispensary and laboratory.
The Medical Director at the centre, Dr Celia Yamile Rodriguez, told this writer during a tour of the facility that the project would enhance the health needs of the people and improve the standard of living in the area.
"Our vision is to offer quality health care to the people of Zebilla," she said, adding that in the near future, measures would be taken to transform the facility into a centre of excellence in health care delivery.
She said ATPF was founded on April 24, 2004 with the support of their partner organisation in the United States of America, Kimoyo Limited.
Dr Rodriguez said since its establishment in May, 2008, the centre had recorded a steady increase in patients patronising the facility, adding that from an initial figure of 37 patients in May, this year, attendance had risen to 111 as of the end of September, this year.
She stated that the centre was working hard to receive approval from the Ghana Health Insurance Authority to operate the National health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in order to make the facility’s services accessible to more people.
Dr Rodriguez said apart from securing the people's health needs in the district, the centre also served as a source of job generation as some of the indigenes including, three nurses, three ward aids, a dispensary officer, laboratory assistants, two security men and a driver had been engaged to work at the centre.
She pledged the centre's commitment to the improvement of health services in the district, saying it would do everything possible to improve the health status of the people.
The ATPF Project Manager, Jenna Maclellan, for her part said in addition to the medical centre, ATPF had set up other community projects, including a micro-finance project for women, an agricultural project, a school as well as an Internet Café.
According to her, ATPF was working towards a number of grass-roots poverty alleviation projects not only in the Bawku West District, but the whole of the Upper East Region.

ENTRUST GOVERNANCE TO DR MAHAMA — MORNAH (PAGE 14)

THE General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Bernard Mornah, has called on supporters of the party and Ghanaians to entrust the governance of the nation to the party’s flag bearer, Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama.
He said among the four leading aspirants vying for the presidency, three had had the chance to play leading roles in the affairs of the nation, stressing that from their performances, they had proved that they had nothing new to offer Ghanaians.
Speaking to women organisers of the party drawn from the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions, who were attending a two–day strategic workshop on effective leadership, Mr Mornah said the party's chances of regaining power in the upcoming general election were brighter than before but cautioned members against complacency.
The theme for the workshop, which was sponsored by the Netherlands Institute for Multi-party Development and the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) was “Mobilising PNC women for effective leadership”.
According to the PNC General Secretary, the two leading parties, the NPP and the NDC, had both served two consecutive terms in office and Ghanaians had seen what they could offer them.
He added that the CPP’s candidate had had the opportunity to serve in various ministerial positions and had proved what he had in stock for the nation.
He argued that the time had come for Ghanaians to try a fresh personality in the person of Dr Mahama to transform the fortunes of the nation.
Mr Mornah said the only problems facing the people from the north, especially the youth, were unemployment and poverty and said if elected into power, the PNC would tackle them and also focus on agriculture and education.
He said also that a PNC led government would change the future of the country, something which the other aspirants had failed to do during their stints in power.
The Upper East Regional Women’s Organiser of the PNC, Ms Stella Saaka, said the party was poised to win the upcoming elections and urged all supporters of the party to forge ahead in unity to campaign for votes.
Topics treated at the workshop included, “Effective communication as a tool for winning Election 08”, “What alternative policies the PNC offers” and “The power of women in Election 08”.
The speakers were the National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr Emmanuel Wilson; Ms Patricia Banton, a communications consultant, and Ms Christiana Bentie, a marketing officer.

COP RECOVERS FROM UNCONSCIOUSNESS (D/G Thursday October 9,2008.Page 47)

Police Constable Edward Antwi, who was attacked by a mob at Zebilla, after his rifle accidentally went off and hit three persons, has regained consciousness at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital. Constable Antwi, who was on guard duties at the Toende Rural Bank at Zebilla, came under attack from angry youth after the incident had occurred.
But for the timely intervention of the Regional Police Commander, ACP Hamidu Mahama, and other senior police officers in the district, the policeman would have been lynched.
Constable Antwi is reported to have been given severe beating by angry youth, but was rescued and rushed to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in critical condition.
The victims of the gunshots, Ali Atubiga, 20; Savana Siisa, 16, and Issaka Alonga, 39, who were injured on the right upper shoulder, left arm, and in the left palm respectively, are also responding to treatment at the same hospital.
Constable Antwi is reported to have accidentally pulled the trigger of his cocked rifle, resulting in injury to the three persons.
This angered the youth in the community who spontaneously pounced on the police officer and hit him at the back of his head.
The Regional Police Commander ACP Hamidu Mahama told the Daily Graphic that investigations would be conducted into the matter for appropriate sanctions to be applied wherever necessary.
He said in view of such rampant incidents, the Police Command in the region was sending all its officers handling weapons back to the Regional Police Training School for retraining to avert such situations.

EXTEND CAMPAIGN TO BAWKU MUNICIPALITY (D/G Tuesday October 7, 2008. PAGE 17)

PRESIDENTIAL aspirants of the various political parties contesting the December 7, 2008 general election have been urged to extend their campaign activities to the Bawku Municipality.They have, however, been cautioned to desist from insults and acrimony and rather explain their plans for the country to the electorate in order to win their mandate in spite of the volatile nature of the area.The Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, cautioned that his traditional area would not tolerate any politician who would use intemperate language in his campaign activities.Naba Azoka II made the appeal during a courtesy call on him by the newly appointed Upper East Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, at his palace.ACP Mahama, who was recently elevated to the position of Regional Police Commander, was in Bawku to introduce himself to the Bawku Naba.The visit was also to confer with the Bawku Naba on the strategies to adopt to improve on the relative peace prevailing in the area and ensure a smooth electioneering to avoid any violence during the December polls.He was accompanied by the Regional Security Co-ordinator, Mr Ahmed Mumuni; the Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Emmanuel Frank Adufati and other Senior Police Officers.The Bawku Naba called on political parties, who intended to campaign in the area to exhibit tolerance towards their political opponents and focus on issues that would rather unite the people and lead to development in spite of the unpleasant situation recorded over the past nine months.Conflict erupted in Bawku on January 1, this year, and had claimed the lives of several people, while several others also sustained severe gunshot wounds.Lives and property have been lost in the conflict. Bawku is currently under a dawn-to-dusk curfew and security personnel have been deployed to the area to maintain peace.Naba Abugrago Azoka II praised the police and all other security agencies for their hard work and efforts which culminated in the restoration of peace in the area and pledged his commitment to ensuring that permanent peace reigned in the area.ACP Alhaji Mahama commended Bawku Naba and his sub-chiefs for collaborating with the security agencies to control the situation in the area.He, however, called on the traditional rulers to hand over to the police anyone who threatened the peace in the area. He also appealed to the chief to support the police and the Electoral Commission to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in the area.The Police Commander urged Bawku Naba to leave an imprint in the sands of times as the Bawku Naba who brought permanent peace to Bawku.The delegation later joined members of the Muslim community in Bawku to observe their Friday prayers.Addressing the congregation in the mosque, ACP Mahama urged Ghanaians, especially the youth in the Zongo community, not to allow politicians to use them to foment trouble for their selfish gains.He advised the youth that the Islamic religion was not associated with violence and, therefore, appealed to them not to involve themselves in hooliganism and other negative behaviour.ACP Alhaji Mahama cautioned the youth that anyone caught causing or to have caused trouble prior to or on the election day, would be treated as an individual criminal and not a member of any political party.Meanwhile, the Regional Police Commander had identified teamwork, high professionalism and discipline as the core values of the police service, and stressed the need for the police personnel to act accordingly.Addressing the first batch of 81 operational personnel, out of 116 officers deployed to Bawku on peacekeeping duties, ACP Mahama urged those on relieving duties to collaborate and respect their superiors to achieve their objectives.He reminded them of the likely challenges that might confront them and urged them to psyche themselves up for the job at hand. He also assured them of the support of the police administration to ensure that their needs were met regularly to boost their morale.

THREE WOUNDED BY STRAY BULLETS (D/G Tuesday October 7, 2008. BACK PAGE)

TTHREE persons were hit by stray bullets when the rifle carried by a policeman on guard duties at the Toende Rural Bank at Zebilla in the Bawku West District accidentally went off on Sunday in the evening.
The three — Ali Atubiga, 20, Savana Siisa, 16, and Issaka Alonga, 39 — who were hit on the right upper shoulder, left arm and left palm, respectively, are on admission at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital.
Constable Edward Antwi, who was in charge of the rifle, is also on admission at the same hospital in critical condition after he was allegedly assaulted by the youth of the area.
Constable Antwi was said to have been hit on the back of the head by the angry youth who launched an attack on him after the incident.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, said the incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 5, 2008.
He said the policeman, while on duty on the bank’s premises, mistakenly pressed the trigger of the AK 47 rifle which had already been accidentally cocked.
He said that led to the bullet hitting the victims, all passers-by, adding that subsequently the youth of the area went on the rampage and assaulted the policeman in retaliation.
ACP Mahama said just as he was returning to Bolgatanga after a duty tour of the district, he received a call from Zebilla informing him that some disturbances in the area had led to the injury of three persons.
The Regional Commander said he quickly mobilised the few policemen who were present and moved to Zebilla to help calm the situation.
He said the injured were rushed to the hospital, where they were receiving treatment.
While appealing for calm in the aftermath of the shooting incident, ACP Mahama gave the assurance that there would be thorough investigations to shed light on the incident.

TASK FORCE TO CHECK VIOLENT ACTIVITIES (D/G Monday October 6, 2008. PAGE 28)

THE Upper East Regional Election Security Task Force has stated that the security agencies in the region will not sit down unconcerned for a few selfish individuals to hold the region to ransom through violent activities.
The task force will, therefore, explore various avenues to get the needed logistics for the various security agencies and solicit the co-operation of political parties to ensure a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the December 7 general election.
The Chairman of the task force, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, said this at a meeting with representatives of the various political parties and officials of the Electoral Commission at Bolgatanga.
The meeting was aimed at establishing the ground rules and arriving at a consensus on the smooth conduct of the polls in the region.
ACP Mahama, who is also the Upper East Regional Police Commander, said as part of efforts to promote a peaceful environment the task force had initiated a series of educational programmes targeting political parties, traditional rulers, the youth and women’s groups at the grass-roots level to educate them on the need to embrace peace.
He appealed to residents of the region in particular and Ghanaians in general not to take for granted the current peace and stability the region was enjoying, and appealed to political parties to throw their weight behind the initiative.
While pledging the neutrality of the police and related security agencies, Alhaji Hamaha called on leaders of the various political parties to respect the dictates of the Order Act to erase confusion and conflict from the society.
“Let us create a conducive atmosphere for all peace-loving Ghanaians to operate in,” he said, adding that “if you fail to give us adequate notification of your plans and activities to enable the security agencies to provide the needed security, all the efforts made by the state to create peace will come to naught”.
The Regional Police Commander noted that the long-standing violent conflict in Bawku notwithstanding, the task force was determined to work hard to soften the grounds in Bawku to enable all the political parties to embark on their activities there.
“We will soon open the floodgates for political activities to start in Bawku but anybody who stands in the way of peace will be cleared. We are determined that Bawku should be peaceful for all political parties to go and do whatever they want to do before elections,” he said.
The Police Commander, however, warned that the security agencies would not tolerate any intransigence and promised to deal ruthlessly with anybody who would flout the law.
The Upper East Regional Deputy Director of the EC, Mr Godwin T. Okley, briefed the political parties on the various laws on elections in Ghana and urged them to acquaint themselves with the provisions of the law to ensure a peaceful conduct of the polls.
Mr Evans Klutse, the Regional Commander of CEPS, urged the leadership of the various political parties to let the cordial relations that exist among them permeate their ranks and file, while the Regional Director of the Immigration Service, Mr Daniel Taabazuing, urged the various political parties to be civil in their utterances.
For her part, the Regional Director of Prisons, Mrs Florence Yeboah Acheampong, reminded the political parties of Ghana’s enviable position as the oasis of peace on the African continent and urged them to maintain that reputation.
Contributing to the discussion, a member of the PNC, Mr Johnson Ayine, called on the government to resource state institutions such as the National Commission for Civic Education to enable them to carry out civic education to as many people as possible so as to avoid conflicts in politics.
Other members of the task force present at the meeting were the Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Emmanuel Frank Adufati, the Regional Security Co-ordinator, Mr Ahmed Mumuni, and a representative of the Regional Chief Fire Officer.

SUPPORT WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT IN POLITICS (D/G Monday October 6, 2008 PAGE 59)

THE Upper East Regional Project Co-ordinator of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA-Ghana), Mr David Atinga, has urged Ghanaians to support and encourage women to take part in active politics.
He explained that the era when people held the view that women's participation in politics was negative was outmoded.
"Women have the right under our national and international laws to actively participate in politics like their male counterparts," he said.
Mr Atinga was addressing a day's consultative forum for some women groups in the Upper East Region in Bolgatanga on women's participation in politics.
The forum, on the theme: "We know politics: Hearing the voices of women in the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections", was organised by FIDA in collaboration with Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF, Ghana), the Hunger Project, the Gender Centre and Coalition of Women in Governance.
The overall objective of the programme was to increase women’s participation in the 2008 electioneering through strategies that will enable their voice to be heard through stimulated dialogue, awareness creation, knowledge sharing and experiences on civil and political participation as a way of increasing participation of women in political life.
Making the observation, Mr Atinga said apart from actual participation, there was the need to ensure that women’s voices were heard and their needs well captured in national policies.
He said although women constituted more than 50 per cent of the population, they held less than 20 per cent of political power and occupied only a small proportion of decision-making places in society.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Women, Madam Paulina Abayage, in her presentation, identified a lack of constituency, sustainability and political will to implement policies on affirmative actions as some of the challenges confronting women.
She also cited lack of managerial skills and know-how, a lack of confidence and fear on the part of women, as well as a lack of funding and resources for women to engage in partisan politics.
Touching on the way forward, she advocated the review of the electoral laws to ensure that all political parties presented at least 40 per cent female candidates, with the aim of achieving the AU target of 50 per cent by 2015.