ISD OFFICIALS EDUCATE PEOPLE OF UE ON GOVT POLICIES ( D/G Monday August 4,2008 PAGE 40)

THE Upper East Regional Office of the Information Services Department (ISD) has undertaken a 14-day public education campaign aimed at disseminating government policies, programmes, plans and activities to the people.
The campaign covered all the nine municipalities/districts in the region, namely the Bolgatanga and Bawku Municipalities, Bongo, Builsa and Talensi-Nabdam districts.
Others are Kassena-Nankana, Garu-Tempane, Bawku West and Kassena-Nankana West Districts.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic , the Regional Information Officer, Mr Akwasi Amankwa, said in all, 650 communities through out the region and about 58,240 audiences were captured during the campaign.
He listed some of the beneficiary communities as Garu-Nating, Gagberi, Auosum, Kugrago, Denugu and Meliga, all in the Garu-Tempane District. Others were Manchoro, Gwenia, Kologu, Naguagnia, Kalvio and Tampola in the Kassena-Nankana district. The rest are Sandema, Wiaga, Fumbisi, Doninga and Kori, all in the Builsa District.
Mr Amankwa stated that in the Bolgatanga Municipality, the team covered communities such as Yikene, Tanzue, Zorbiisi, Gambibgo and Yorogo.
According to Mr Amankwa, government policies and programmes that were disseminated to the members of the community included the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the School Feeding Programme, Northern Development Fund, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Capitation Grant, Female Genital Mutilation and five-pronged initiative of the President to mitigate hardships facing Ghanaians.
Municipal and District Assemblies development projects and programmes were also incorporated in the education campaign.
Mr Amankwa stated that, to ensure effective impact of the campaign on the residents, local dialects, such as Gurune, Kassem, Nankni, Buli and Kusal were used as a tool of communication.
Jingles, local cassette music, talks and film shows were also used. Markets, open places, lorry parks and chiefs’ palaces were targeted as educational dissemination spots.
The Regional Information Officer added that varied reactions, observations and comments were made by the inhabitants in the affected communities.
He stated that farmers at the Vea Irrigation site in the Bongo District commended the government for reducing import duties on major food items , waiving levies on some petroleum products and subsidies on fertilisers and tractors.
They, however, appealed for further reduction of prices of tractors to enable as many farmers as possible to purchase them.
“As peasant farmers, our income from agricultural produce is woefully inadequate to enable us to purchase tractors at the current price,” remarked by one of the farmers.