LET'S UNITE FOR VICTORY IN 2012...Says Aliu Mahama (PAGE 12, NOV 25, 2010)

The immediate past Vice-President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has charged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region to bury their differences, come together and work in unity if the party is to succeed and recapture power in the 2012 general elections.

Speaking to party executive,  members, elders and other functionaries of the NPP in the region, the former Vice-President  said the greatest threat facing the party, especially in northern Ghana, was the lack of unity.

He advised members of the party to resolve to work together, set aside their differences and redirect their effort at helping, build a stronger and united party.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama was in the region for a day’s visit in what he described as "touching base with the party members with the view to initiate a vibrant move towards rebuilding the party and helping it recapture power in 2012”.

As part of his visit, he paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Bolgatanga, Naba Martin Abillba III and the Chief of Zuarungu, Naba Charles Ayamga.

Addressing party executive and elders at a separate forum, Alhaji Aliu Mahama cautioned party members from the northern part of the country to refrain from all unhealthy acts and lack of unity among the ranks which he said could have the potential to undermine the unity of the party.

“One major challenge facing we northerners is the fact that there is so much pettiness among us, especially we politicians. The pull-him-down attitude is too much. One of the things that cost us power was the lack of support for our compatriots. Instead of rallying behind our people, some of us were seeking to satisfy individual parochial interest and we paid for it dearly,” he said.

He also blamed the elite politicians for the woes of northern Ghana, “Instead of uniting the people, they end up dividing the people so that they can continue dribbling in their quest for authority,” he said.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama, having tasted power and finding itself in opposition,said members of the party have tasted the “two-worlds”, adding that it is better to be a messenger in a ruling party than languish in opposition. 

 He  therefore, urged members of the party to work hard and hold together to ensure the early return of the party into power.

He reminded the party faithful that it was important to highlight the good things of the NPP in power and engage in issue-based campaigns to counter the failings of the ruling NDC so that the public will be well-educated and make better judgements as to which of the two parties deserved to rule the nation.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama later invited two persons, a Christian and a Muslim to lead all present in a prayer of unity for the party. 

He urged all to rally behind the presidential candidate for the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and support him in his campaign.

The Upper East Regional Chairperson of the NPP, Mrs Agnes Chigabatia, said the party was doing all it could to ensure that there was total unity in the party and position itself for victory in the 2012 elections.

She reiterated her appeal to all past executive members, elders, former office holders in the Kufuor Administration to join hands and support the current executive members to deliver the region to the party in the 2012 elections.

LET'S UNITE FOR VICTORY IN 2012...Says Aliu Mahama (PAGE 12, NOV 25, 2010)

The immediate past Vice-President of Ghana, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, has charged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region to bury their differences, come together and work in unity if the party is to succeed and recapture power in the 2012 general elections.

Speaking to party executive,  members, elders and other functionaries of the NPP in the region, the former Vice-President  said the greatest threat facing the party, especially in northern Ghana, was the lack of unity.

He advised members of the party to resolve to work together, set aside their differences and redirect their effort at helping, build a stronger and united party.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama was in the region for a day’s visit in what he described as "touching base with the party members with the view to initiate a vibrant move towards rebuilding the party and helping it recapture power in 2012”.

As part of his visit, he paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Bolgatanga, Naba Martin Abillba III and the Chief of Zuarungu, Naba Charles Ayamga.

Addressing party executive and elders at a separate forum, Alhaji Aliu Mahama cautioned party members from the northern part of the country to refrain from all unhealthy acts and lack of unity among the ranks which he said could have the potential to undermine the unity of the party.

“One major challenge facing we northerners is the fact that there is so much pettiness among us, especially we politicians. The pull-him-down attitude is too much. One of the things that cost us power was the lack of support for our compatriots. Instead of rallying behind our people, some of us were seeking to satisfy individual parochial interest and we paid for it dearly,” he said.

He also blamed the elite politicians for the woes of northern Ghana, “Instead of uniting the people, they end up dividing the people so that they can continue dribbling in their quest for authority,” he said.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama, having tasted power and finding itself in opposition,said members of the party have tasted the “two-worlds”, adding that it is better to be a messenger in a ruling party than languish in opposition. 

 He  therefore, urged members of the party to work hard and hold together to ensure the early return of the party into power.

He reminded the party faithful that it was important to highlight the good things of the NPP in power and engage in issue-based campaigns to counter the failings of the ruling NDC so that the public will be well-educated and make better judgements as to which of the two parties deserved to rule the nation.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama later invited two persons, a Christian and a Muslim to lead all present in a prayer of unity for the party. 

He urged all to rally behind the presidential candidate for the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and support him in his campaign.

The Upper East Regional Chairperson of the NPP, Mrs Agnes Chigabatia, said the party was doing all it could to ensure that there was total unity in the party and position itself for victory in the 2012 elections.

She reiterated her appeal to all past executive members, elders, former office holders in the Kufuor Administration to join hands and support the current executive members to deliver the region to the party in the 2012 elections.

THREE COMBINE HARVESTER OPERATORS DIE IN ACCIDENT (SPREAD, NOV 13, 2010)

THREE trainees in the use of combine harvesters died in a road accident on the Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway yesterday when a vehicle on which they were travelling skidded off the road and crashed into a tree.

The deceased were returning from Tamale where they had undergone training on how to operate combine harvesters meant to assist in the harvesting of rice in the Fumbisi and Gbedembilisi rice valleys.

Details of the accident were very sketchy, according to the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the incident.

He consoled the bereaved families for the loss of their relatives and said the accident could also affect the early harvesting of mature rice which was still standing in the fields.

Mr Woyongo said already, some combine harvesters had been allocated to the region to support the harvesting of the rice in the valleys, while efforts were underway to get crawler combine harvesters capable of operating in soggy fields to join in the effort.

He pointed out that the death of the three operators of the machines was a big blow to the farmers.

It would be recalled that following a visit to the rice farms in the Gbedembilisi Valley, near Fumbisi in the Builsa District of the Upper East Region, the Upper East Regional Minister appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to ensure that the crawler combine harvesters were brought in quickly to assist in the harvesting of mature rice in the farms.

The training of the operators ahead of the dispatch of the machine was seen as a first step towards addressing the situation and their death is considered a big blow to the efforts at salvaging the situation.

POLICE, SUSPECT UNDER MOB ATTACK (PAGE 3, NOV 18, 2010)

THE premises of the Bawku Circuit Court turned into a battle ground yesterday when a group of people hurled stones at the police and a man standing trial at the court for allegedly writing a letter challenging the legitimacy of the sitting Paramount Chief of Bawku.
The action of the mob followed the decision by the court to grant bail to one Abdul Rahaman-Suleman Afoli, a Bawku-based trader, who is standing trial after the police arrested him and charged him with offensive conduct likely to breach peace and publication of false news with the intent to cause fear and alarm.
Afoli is said to have circulated a letter challenging the legitimacy of the current Bawku Naba.
He made his first appearance in court last week and was remanded, but on his second appearance yesterday the court granted him bail and adjourned the case to November 22, 2010.
Some youth who disagreed with the position of the court allegedly started pelting the police and the suspect with stones at the end of the proceedings.
The Bawku Divisional Police Command said the police had to resort to the firing of warning shots to scare away the mob and ensure that sanity prevailed.
The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Musa Abdulai, told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview that a taxi was burnt as a result of the disturbance in town, but indicated that the security agencies were in control of the situation to ensure that peace was restored in the area.
According to the police, on October 18, 2010, the accused wrote a letter, headed, “Attention: Public Notification of the Chieftaincy Act of 2008 (Act 759) and the Chieftaincy Bulletin, Vol. 1, of November, 2009”, in which he said the present Bawku Naba “is not the Chief of Bawku” and put it into circulation.
According to the police, the action of the accused person was capable of disturbing or tampering with the relative peace prevailing in Bawku.
The police said available records showed that the present Bawku Chief, Zurang Naba Abugrago Asigri Azoka II, was enskinned on April 24,1984 and was gazetted in the Local Government Bulletin of September, 1986.

BAWKU WEST ON PATH OF PROGRESS (PAGE 54, NOV 15, 2010)

THE Bawku West District Assembly has completed a number of development projects to enhance the socio-economic life in the district.
The district assembly has in the past 20 months executed various projects on education, health and agriculture to improve upon the lives of the people.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Anabah Adam Moro announced this at the “Meet the press” series introduced by the Upper East Regional Minister to give a platform for assemblies to showcase what they had achieved during their tenure in office.
The DCE said contrary to the practice where projects initiated by a previous government were abandoned, his administration had upon assuming office, completed the construction of a six-unit classroom block with ancillary room such as office, store and kindergarten at Kusanaba.
It has also completed two three-unit teachers’ bungalows at Gore and Tanga as well as two three-unit classroom blocks at Atarikom and rehabilitated a six-unit classroom block at Timonde, as well as the completion of teachers’ quarters at Kpantarigu.
Mr Moro said within the 20 months of the current administration, the assembly had constructed a six-unit classroom block for the Soogo Primary School, a three-unit classroom block with an office and a store at the Lamboya Model School and a two-unit workshop at the Kusanaba Vocational centre.
The DCE said in its quest to boost agricultural productivity for enhanced income, 273 acres of rice were cultivated in three communities, namely Tilli, Lamboya and Samblongo, under the block farm programme introduced by the government.
He stated that to date, a total of 100 farmers, comprising 75 males and 25 females had benefited from the venture.
Mr Moro said under the same programme, 549 acres of soya bean were cultivated in four communities, Tilli, Apotdabogo, Bulungu and Zongoyire, benefitting a total of 322 farmers.
Additionally, Mr Moro said 182 acres of maize were cultivated under the block farm programme.
He stressed that the self-help spirit of the people had been rekindled and that had led to the execution of more than 11 projects spread across the district.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, promised that every effort was being made to source for funds to asphalt the Bolgatanga-Zebilla-Bawku road to facilitate smooth travel and economic activities on that corridor.
He also announced that an aggressive rural electrification programme had been rolled out to ensure that more than 500 communities were hooked to the national grid.
Mr Woyongo also announced that the government had instituted a scholarship scheme for 40 brilliant, needy students in the second-cycle and tertiary educational institutions in each district and urged members in the communities to take advantage of the scheme.

AFRIKIDS MEDICAL CENTRE IN BOLGATANGA EXPANDED (PAGE 54, NOV 15, 2010)

A BOLGATANGA-BASED Child welfare non-governmental organisation (NGO), AfriKids Ghana has handed over an expanded structure to the administration of AfriKids Medical Centre in Bolgatanga.
The new structure, a 28 bed facility will accommodate the children’s and female surgical wards. Other facilities include office administration, consulting rooms and a yet to be complete X-Ray unit. This will bring to 50 the number of wards in the facility.
Funds for the first phase of the expansion programme valued at GH¢339,000, were secured through the external partnership with Afrikids UK. Through a tripartite partnership with the Ghana Health Service, AfriKids Ghana and Southampton University Hospital Trust (GHAS), the facility has received some hospital equipment to enhance its service delivery.
Speaking at a brief handing over ceremony at Bolgatanga, the Head of Information Technology at Afrikids Ghana, Mr Sebastian Ayaaba, who stood in for the Country Director of the NGO, said the Medical Centre would continue to play its role of providing quality health care in the region.
The acting director stated that the centre was part of an elaborate scheme to make AfriKids Ghana self-sustainable come the next eight years by which time management intended to close its fund-raising office in the UK.
Mr Ayaaba expressed appreciation to Mr Nick Eastcott, a retired health care manager from the UK, who had devoted his time over the years to help the centre to improve its services.
The administrator of AfriKids Medical Centre, Mr Ibrahim Issah said the increasing number of out-patients at the centre over the years necessitated the expansion works.
He stated that since AfriKids took over the management of the centre from its original owners in 2007, more than 40,600 people had received health care from the facility.
Mr Issah said the centre received its accreditation as a primary hospital in June 2009 when it met the requirements of a primary hospital.
He stated that three resident doctors would be posted to the centre by November, this year while the number of nurses would also increase from the present 12 to 21.

UK NGO TRAINS CARE GIVERS (PAGE 54, NOV 15, 2010)

A UK-BASED non-governmental organisation (NGO), Street Invest has trained a number of care givers who have taken up the challenge of working with street children in the region.
The training took the form of capacity building workshops for the participants selected from some institutions and organisations working in the interest of street children.
The beneficiaries were equipped with knowledge of approaching street children and how to seek their opinions on interventions tailored towards supporting them. They were also tasked to impart the knowledge to other people who are working in the same field.
Two of the beneficiaries, Mr Silas Ayaaba and Mr Abass Abubakari, staff of Afrikids Ghana, a child welfare NGO based in Bolgatanga in an interview with Daily Graphic, commended the organisers for instituting the training programme, which had given them an insight into how to handle street children.
Mr Ayaaba bemoaned the attitude of some social workers who did not consider the opinions of the children they were supposed to be helping.
He, therefore, encouraged them to change their attitude towards the children since any intervention that did not have any input from the children would not be successful.
Mr Ayaaba was sad at the current trend where people were no more interested in the welfare of other people’s children.
He blamed the situation on the nuclear family system and advised the public to consider other people’s children as theirs in order to build a better society.

TIME TO RECOGNISE EFFORTS OF THE RURAL WOMAN (PAGE 54, NOV 15, 2010)

SINCE time immemorial, women have been innovative. They have always found new solutions to the problems they face to ensure the survival of humanity. Rural women have had to confront countless challenges and their successes lie in their ability to overcome substantial obstacles.
October 15, each year is celebrated as “World Rural Women’s Day.” The annual celebration is considered a practical way of obtaining recognition and support for the multiple roles that rural women play.
Women in rural areas play the role of farmers and small entrepreneurs. In fact, they are the key in food production and food security, and generally they contribute immensely to the well-being of their families and the total development of rural economies.
To mark the day in the Upper East Region, Farmers Organisation Network in Ghana (FONG), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in collaboration with other national farmers’ organisations in Ghana converged at Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
As part of the celebration, they held a forum to discus challenges facing women and what support the government could offer to ameliorate their sufferings.
Thirteen women’s groups from the Talensi-Nabdam District and seven women’s groups from the Bolgatanga Municipality deliberated on the theme: “Building a sustainable future for rural women.”
The leader of FONG in charge of the Northern Zone, Madam Grace Anafo said apart from drawing attention to the plight of rural women, the organisation was also to deliberate on how they could be supported in view of the unique role they played in society.
A set of recommendations adopted after the event called on the government to create an enabling environment that would fully develop and sustain women’s capacities in rural areas.
They also called for a more balanced representation of women and men in decision making in order to give greater attention to women’s needs at all levels.
The recommendations also advocated that the status of women farmers should be legally recognised and protected to facilitate their work. “Gender-friendly policies are needed to ensure that women are included in policy dialogues, policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation at the district, regional, national, and international levels.”
Other recommendations included the need for provision of infrastructure in rural areas, such as water, schools, and irrigation systems, health services and other public services to enhance the livelihoods of women farmers and their families.
According to the women, female farmers were largely involved in maintaining eco-systems through the sustainable management of natural resources, landscape or biodiversity hence there was the need to remunerate them with incentives to enable them to progress towards sustainability and enhance agricultural production.
The recommendations called for access to financial services by women farmers at affordable rates to provide an environment that would encourage investment and sustainable production.
Karen Serres, President of the International Federation of Agriculture Producers (IFAPO) Committee of Women Farmers noted in a statement to mark the day, the necessity to support and encourage women farmers was a crucial issue that concerned everybody because it was directly linked to the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population by increasing production while considering climate change and environmental protection.
“Today, more than ever before, humanity needs a balanced and fair approach regarding rural women and the role they play in worldwide challenge,” Karen Serres stated.

BOLGA FANS HAIL D'FLEX (SHOWBIZ, PAGE 7, NOV 11, 2010)

By Benjamin Glover

Musician D flex, real name Abubakar Sadiq,  was billed to perform last  September at the  Bolgatanga Catering Rest House as part of the post- Ramadan festive celebrations but the show was called off due to unruly crowd behaviour at the venue.

He, however , got the opportunity again last Thursday and he explored it to the maximum. Under improved security measure put in place at the Miss Upper East @ 50 beauty pageant, he delivered a good performance.

From the moment he mounted the stage till he left, the Tamale-based hiplife Hausa singer held his audience spellbound with songs from his repertoire. The crowd sung along with him and joyfully interacted with him on stage.

D’Flex, who has had stints with artistes such as  K. K. Fosu and Ofori Amponsah, obviously excited with the chemistry between himself and the audience, went to the extent of pleading with the security agencies deployed to restore order at the venue to allow his fans to come closer to him on stage, a request which was obliged by the police personnel.

Also on the bill was Tamale-based dancehall artiste, Iwan. He who electrified the venue with his collection of songs. Bolgatanga-based gospel musician, Ernest Acheampong was also on hand to entertain the well- patronised event which dragged on well into the wee hours of Friday.

The competition to select Miss UE @ 50 itself was a keen one. At the end of it all, the three judges for the night awarded the coveted crown to 24-year-old Bolgatanga Polytechnic student, Ms. Bernice Laariba Kumassey.

FARMERS APPEAL FOR COMBINED HARVESTERS (BACK PAGE, NOV 12, 2010)

RICE farmers in the Fumbisi and Gbedemblisi valley in the Builsa District of the Upper East Region have sent a distress call to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoFA), to assist them with combined harvesters to reap and evacuate their matured rice.

They said as a result of prolonged rains, most of their matured rice remained in soggy fields, a situation which had rendered harvesting very difficult.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, added his voice to the call by the farmers when he went on a familiarisation tour of the farmlands cultivated under the government’s block farming and Youth-in-Agriculture Programme in Doninga, Gbedemblisi, Yagaba and Kom farming communities.

In all, 1771.71 acres have been cultivated in the four communities.

The minister said the early release of crawler combine harvesters capable of operating in soggy fields would go a long way to aid harvesting of the produce and save farmers from incurring losses.

Mr Woyongo also identified the lack of storage facilities and processing mills as another challenge that could hamper the government’s commitment to ensuring food security.

Currently the warehouses of the Buffer Stock Company in Tamale and the Irrigation Company of the Upper Region (ICOUR) in Navrongo are both filled with paddy ready for milling and, therefore, do not have the capacity to store additional rice.

The minister appealed to investors to consider investing in rice mills in the region to aid government efforts at ensuring food security.

He also called on the Ghanaian consumer to develop a taste for locally produced rice since such preference would help keep local farmers in business. 

The National Co-ordinator of the Youth in Agriculture Block Farming Programme, Mr Emmanuel Akuna, said the yield this year had been very encouraging and was hopeful that within the next week or two, modern machinery would be made available to ensure the harvesting of the rice.

Concerning storage, he said his outfit was making efforts to rehabilitate the old FASCOM warehouses located at various places in the district to serve as temporary holding places for the rice before they were transported to the Buffer Stock Company in Tamale.

NDC NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANISER FOLDS CONSTITUENCY FORA (PAGE 13, NOV 10, 2010)

THE National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Ludwig Hlodze, has urged the youth in the party to continue to rally behind the leadership of the NDC and work hard to retain it in power.

Addressing a foraUM for youth executives from Builsa North, Builsa South, Chiana Paga and Navrongo Central Constituencies as well as the leadership of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) from the Navrongo Campus of UDS and the St. Johns Bosco College of Education at Navrongo, Mr Hlodze advised the youth that the only way the party could retain power was for all members to remain united and rally behind the president to deliver on the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda.

The fora was part of programme outlined by the Youth Wing of the party to solicit the views of the youth at the grassroots and galvanise them to support the party. A similar fora were held in Bolgatanga and Bawku.

Mr Hlodze, who is also a Presidential Staffer, urged the youth not to be overly agitated and panicky about the current differences between Former President Rawlings and the current President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, adding that both men were committed towards building a ‘Better Ghana’.

“I can tell you that both men want the best for Ghana and are committed to building a better Ghana to ensure that the ordinary Ghanaian is able to put body and soul together, but the differences we see today among the two men rest on the approach and leadership styles of these two leaders. Our role as youth is to remain resolute in the party’s quest to retain power in 2012”, he said.

He reiterated that the way forward was for the rank and file to continue to work as a team to keep the NDC in power and avoid the media battles that had the tendency to run down the President and in the long run destroy the party.

“We have a president, who even the opposition party members can vouch for his integrity and honesty and will not dip his hands in the state coffers to loot so why  should we take delight in running him down? For those who think they are destroying him, they should know that they will end up destroying themselves.”

He said no matter the individual differences, members of the party must make teamwork their key policy. “Yes, some of our people are greedy and are grapping everything to the neglect of others and we will fight them at the right time, but as a family we should avoid running to the media at the least opportunity to wash our dirty linen in public”, Mr Hlodze said.

He blamed the resent agitation by sections of the youth in the party to the failures of  some municipal and district chief executives to open their doors to the youth and explain some of the development programmes and policies to them and appealed to the M/DCEs to relate well with the leadership of the youth and hold regular meetings with them to keep them abreast of happenings within the party.

Mr Hlodze commended the youth for working hard and said every follower of the party deserved commendation adding that at the appropriate time what would be done for them would be made known, “nobody should be downhearted”, he assured.

The National Youth Organiser said the youth wing recently organised the first-ever youth summit in Ho to develop a blue print for the development of the youth. It had also launched a fund to provide some financial assistance to the youth and said very soon, more opportunities would be given to the youth in all parts of the country to assist them.

Messrs Richard Quarshigah and Mr Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, a Propaganda Secretary and Presidential Aide at the Ministry of Information ,who accompanied the National Youth Organiser of the NDC also took turns to address the youth and said the party would do more of such engagements with the youth to communicate relevant information to them.

The Regional Youth Organiser of the NDC, Mr Robert Yeli Oni, urged the youth to educate themselves on the number of  achievements chalked by the party and gave the assurance that his office would be available at all times to assist with the relevant messages so as to help the NDC retain power.

GOVT WILL NOT PLUNDER STATE RESOURCES (SPREAD, NOV 9, 2010)

President John Evans Atta Mills has once again given the assurance that his government would not plunder state resources but rather utilise them for the common good of all Ghanaians.

He gave the assurance when he attended a church service at the Fountain Gate Chapel in Bolgatanga on Sunday, as part of activities marking the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Upper East Region.

Among the large number of guests at the church service were senior government officials, ministers of state, Members of Parliament, Members of the Council of State and municipal and district chief executives.

President Mills said those who found themselves in privileged positions in government, including himself, achieved such heights not by their own power but by the design of God.

He made a prayer request to the Lord to give him and his team of ministers the might to do what was right and pleasing in His sight and pledged to use the resources of the state for the benefit of all Ghanaians and to the glory of God.

“Our battle is not a physical one but spiritual and so we shall continue to seek the face of God to lead us,” he said and commended the head pastor of the church, Rev. Eastwood Anaba, and the entire Fountain Gate Chapel congregation for their continuous prayer and support over the years.

Preaching the sermon on the theme, “It’s our time”, Rev.  Eastwood Anaba called on the government to create a favourable atmosphere for the development of the region.

He was of the view that other regions in southern Ghana had taken their turn while other parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA had also done same and, therefore, “it is now or never for the Upper East Region to also take its rightful place”.

While urging the government to support the agriculture sector in the region since its people were predominantly farmers who required more assistance, Rev. Anaba called on politicians to give the people their share. “That is all that I plead for,” he said.

Rev. Anaba also stressed the need for all successful sons and daughters of the region to return  home and assist in the development of the area.

“If you can stop thinking about yourself and think about the general welfare of the people, you will be immortalised,” he said.

He commended President Mills for his continued dependence on God in the administration of the country, saying “This is not just a President, but a believer who desires to worship God at all times”. 

BOLGA POLICE ARREST WANTED CRIMINAL (PAGE 19, NOV 9, 2010)

TWO passenger vehicles, a Yutong bus and a Blue Bird, were attacked by armed robbers at a spot between Dawadawa No 1. and Atta Akuraa on the Kintampo-Tamale road in the Brong Ahafo Region on Saturday.

Numbering about seven, the armed robbers allegedly took away GH¢ 3,000.00 from a co-driver of the Yutong bus and an unspecified amount from the passengers as well as their mobile phones and other items.

They are also alleged to have collected GH¢800.00 and a mobile phone from Daniel Marfo, the driver of the Blue Bird vehicle and GH¢200.00 from a woman on the bus.

Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Kintampo Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Desmond Owusu Boampong, said the robbers became furious when the Yutong bus driver attempted to bypass the Blue Bird vehicle which they had stopped so they shot at the vehicle, injuring one passenger who is now on admission at the Kintampo Government Hospital.

Superintendent Boampong said the police had begun investigations into the incident.

Time Up For Fear Mongers(D/G Monday November 8, 2010)

President John Evans Atta Mills has restated his determination to deal “appropriately and decisively” with miscreants who will want to hold the nation hostage through the creation of fear and panic.Addressing a colourful durbar in Bolgatanga to climax the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Upper East Region on Saturday, the President gave an assurance that those who chose to indulge in fear-mongering would fail.“I want to send a message to those people: They will not succeed. Let me repeat: Those who want to destabilise the process will not succeed.I have directed the law enforcement agencies to deal appropriately and decisively with those who decide that peace is not what they want,” he said.The celebration, which was held on the theme: “Upper East @ 50-Harnessing our endowed resources for accelerated development through education”, also attracted senior government officials, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Members of the Council of State, Governors of two provinces from neighbouring Burkina Faso, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Departments, Assembly Members, the Clergy and the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Madam Trudy Keruighan.According to President Mills, the government over the past few days, was unhappy with activities of some people who had taken it upon themselves to create fear and panic in the society and engender a feeling of insecurity among the people and vowed that the state would deal with those who had taken that line of action.“We may have our own reasons for trying to instil fear in people, but at the end of the day, the lies will be unearthed and we will see the truth for what it is. Who is going to invest in a nation that has a feeling of insecurity? Who is going to bring his resources into our dear nation if indeed our people live in fear?”“People want to create panic and fear and do not want the progress of this nation even though they are preaching from the rooftops that they are interested in the development of our people. Such people are only pursuing their narrow and myopic interests and we will not allow them,” he added.President Mills noted with delight the gradual return of peace to the Bawku Municipality after several months of intermittent conflict and implored the chiefs and people of the region to continue to use dialogue to overcome their differences.“We shall review the initiatives and measures taken in Bawku and very soon, we will all begin to see people in that area joining hands and working together towards a common purpose,” he said.Touching on the pending drilling of the first oil later this year, President Mills said although the expectation was high, Ghanaians must manage those expectations, since the anticipated revenue inflow would not materialise overnight.“There are people who are thinking that come November-December, this year, Ghana will be awash with oil resources. This is not the case, we have to go gingerly.It will take us some time to be able to get the oil revenue which we are going to use in the productive sectors of the economy. We came to meet a difficult economy but we are determined to put things right to make Ghana a better place for all,” the President said.He disclosed that his recent trips to China and Japan that saw the signing of several agreements, would give a major boost to the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, commended governments, both past and present, for their immense contribution towards the development of the region.He said the current government had provided the region with an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre with 50 computers as a 50th anniversary gift.Mr Woyongo also mentioned the new street lighting project and the rehabilitation of some government buildings and urban roads as some of the efforts to give the regional capital a facelift.Mr Woyongo reminded the people of the region that it would require a peaceful atmosphere to attract investors and, therefore, urged them to eschew tribalism, sectarianism and factionalism.

ALL SET FOR MISS UE @50 PAGEANT (GRAPHIC SHOWBIZ, PAGE 10, NOV 4, 2010)

By Benjamin Xornam Glover

AFTER weeks of preliminary competition at the municipal and district levels to select representatives to compete in the Miss UE @ 50 beauty pageant, all is now set for the grand finale  tonight, November 4 at the Bolgatanga Catering Rest House.

 Eighteen ladies, two from each of the nine municipal and districts in the region, are currently being camped and groomed in Bolgatanga ahead of the event.  The pageant forms part of activities marking the creation of the region in 1960.

 The ladies vying for the coveted crown are Paulina Pandorh and Bernice Kumassey (Bolgatanga Municipality), Persis Atubiga and Lamisi Jemima Ayiigah (Bawku Municipality), Gifty Abianica and Shiela Anaam Amoatale (Builsa District), Helen Mmalebna Bosana and Prudence Weken (Talensi-Nabdam district) and  Alberta Azumah Ayinzemi and Portia Adongo (Bongo District).

 The rest are Fulera Musah and Patricia (Kassena-Nankana East District), Regina Azuwaria and Mercy Akwolaga (Kassena-Nankana West District), Edith Atila and Angela Samari (Bawku West District) and  Marie Mohamadu and Mabel Sundong (Garu-Tempane District).

 Artistes expected to perform at the function include Iwan, D-flex and Sherifa Gunu. Prize packages for the event were yet to be announced at the time of going to press.

 Miss Upper East @ 50 is supported by PZ Cussons, Antrak Air, Soul Train Nite Club, Look Good Beauty Salon and Havilak Beauty Salon. Other sponsors are Auntie B Beauty Salon, Sera Lodge Hotel, La Paix Guest House and Power Lodge.

 Meanwhile, some local music artistes are unhappy that they had been ovelooked and not given any roles to play in the organisation of the pageant.         

 Some of them said if the objectives of organising the Golden Jubilee celebration included highlighting the achievements of the region and exposing its potentials to the outside world, the event organisers should have offered them the chance to exhibit their talents instead of spending so much money to bring down artistes from other parts of the country.

MZBEL, OTHERS WOW BOLGA PATRONS (GRAPHIC SHOWBIZ, PAGE 4, NOV 4, 2010)

By Benjamin Xornam Glover 

Sizzling  hiplife musician Nana Ekua Amoah, popularly known as Mzbel, was in Bolgatanga last weekend alongside Wutah Kobby, Reggy Zippy and Andy of TV3 Mentor fame to quench the thirst of music fans in the metroprolis who had not seen some of the best-known names in contemporary Ghanaian music perform live  for a while now.

With ‘underground’ artiste Redtimba also on the bill, the artistes rocked the ever- popular Kofi Charlie floor at the Bolgatanga Catering Rest House not only to demonstrate their musical prowess but also to help launch an ambitious project being undertaken by an entrepreneur to launch an all- female band. 

The band is being initiated by businesswoman, Mary Bozobil through her non-governmental organisation (NGO), Women Awareness Centre to encourage women to exhibit their inherent talents. 

The NGO has been operating in the region and promoting skills acquisition in dressmaking, hairdressing, textile design, carpentry, masonry and other vocational activities targeted at school dropouts. 

For a start, the NGO has acquired music instruments including a set of drums, lead and bass guitars, microphones and other necessary equipment  to help train the ladies to be recrcruited into the band. 

The foray into the musical project happens to be the second of its kind in the history of the region. The first was the Uppers International Band established by the late A.A. Ampofo, a.k.a. Kofi Charlie, the then Upper East Regional Administrative Officer during the regime of  the late Gen. I.K. Acheampong.

The artistes put up their best at the show and the patrons, who were alreay in a celebratory mood because the region was marking 50 years since its creation, were extremely receptive to the performances. 

 Mzbel, backed by a posse of three female dancers, delivered on their trademark waist-gyrating acts to the admiration of the crowd who congregated around the stage with some occasionally invading the stage to dance with the hiplife diva.

She, at a point, threatened to leave the stage if the harassment did not stop and it took security personnel deployed to the venue a hard time keeping the audience away from the stage.  Similar reception was accorded artistes such as Reggy Zippy and Kobby of Wutah fame.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Epsona Ayamga who was the special guest at the show, encouraged women to take advantage of the opportunity but cautioned against the composition of profane songs as they impact negatively on the youth and hence influence negative tendencies and behaviour in the society.

The CEO of the Women’s Awareness Centre, Mary Bozobil, acknowledged the challenges associated with the initiative but said with determination and commitment, she was optimistic that some talents would be identified and honed by well- trained instructors to bring out their  best.

Alongside the musical performances, there was a fashion show of fabrics and designs produced by trainees of the centre.

Among the patrons of the night was the Regional Police Commander, ACP Bright Oduro and other Heads of Departments.

SIM CARD REGISTRATION FOR TAXATION BANDIM (PAGE 35, NOV 1, 2010)

THE Consumer Affairs Manager of the National Media Commission, (NMC), Mr Abed Bandim, has stressed that the ongoing Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card registration exercise is not meant for taxation.

Mr Bandim made the call during an interaction with personnel of the Information Services Department and the media in Upper East Region.

The NCA has teamed up with the ISD to embark on a public education exercise on the SIM card registration process. 

The exercise which will end on June 11, 2011, seeks to raise public awareness about the benefits of the SIM registration.

Mr Bandim reminded the public that the exercise was free and warned registration officers not to demand any money for the registration process.

He warned that those who failed to take advantage of the window would have their SIM cards blocked.

The Director of NCA in charge of Special Projects, Major Owusu Adansi, called on network operators to expand the registration centres to enable subscribers who lived far away to reach communities to register SIM cards with ease.

EPA ORGANISES WORKSHOP ON PROPOSAL WRITING (PAGE 35, NOV 1, 2010)

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has organised a capacity building workshop on proposal writing in relation to Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP). 

The workshop was aimed at equipping the participants with the requisite skills to write good proposals to source for funding from the EPA for the implementation of the GEMP.

GEMP is a five-year financing mechanism initiated by the Canadian International Development Agency and the government to implement the National Action Programme (NAP) aimed at supporting community level activities related to drought and desertification in the Guinea Savannah and Sudan Savannah zones of Ghana.

The programme is overseen by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, and implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The participants, including planning officers of district assemblies, departmental heads, Regional and District Environmental Management Committees and community based organisations, were taken through the seven thematic areas.

 The thematic areas have been developed into a programme with a view to achieve a holistic approach to address the problem of desertification, drought and degradation.

The Upper East Regional Director of the EPA, Mrs Zenabu Wasai-King, emphasised the need for the participants to critically study the manual to reduce the time between submission of proposals for funding and the actual receipt of funding.

A Programme Officer of the EPA, Mr Isaac Acquah, said the programme would protect the environment from being degraded, especially in northern Ghana.

OVER 343, 000 PEOPLE NOT COVERED BY NHIS ...In 2 Upper East Districts (PAGE 35, NOV 1, 2010)

MORE than 343,000 people are yet to be registered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Bawku Municipality and the Garu Tempane District in the Upper East Region.

The managers of the scheme have attributed the situation to the unstable peace in the area which has restricted field workers and potential clients from enrolling with the scheme.

The manager of the Bawku Municipality Mutual Health Scheme which also caters for the Garu-Tempane District, Mr Mahamadu S. Akugri, said this at a sensitisation durbar held at Bazua, near Bawku to educate the populace on the importance of the scheme.

Mr Akugri said although there was relative peace in the Bawku Municipality, the ban on the riding of motor bikes continued to hamper the free movement of people and that was putting a lot of stress on the only official vehicle of the scheme.

He said the scheme in the two districts since its inception, had registered more than 272,835 clients, adding that between March and September, this year, it paid GH¢5,419,127.30 to accredited health service providers as claims for the services rendered to clients.

Mr Akugri encouraged members of the communities under the scheme’s catchment area to regularly renew their membership to continue to access  better health care.

While appealing to people within the catchment area to patronise the scheme, he bemoaned the size of the coverage area and lack of qualified staff to man the scheme.

Mr Akugri also expressed worry at multiple attendance to health facilities by some members of the community which resulted in high claims.

He gave the assurance that the scheme would intensify its educational campaign to encourage more people to register with 

UE@50: TIME FOR ECONOMIC REVIVAL (PAGE 15, NOV 1, 2010)

COME November 6, 2010, a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Upper East Region will be held to climax the 15th anniversary celebration of the region. 

The durbar will also be used to showcase the culture of the people and expose to the outside world that the region is ready to welcome both local and foreign investors to explore the investment potential.

Yes, the Upper East is 50 and officials are working around the clock to prepare the region for what is expected to be a never-to-be-forgotten massive celebration. 

In 1960, the region was carved out of the Northern Region to be known as the Upper Region. It was later split into two—the Upper East and Upper West Regions.

A series of events have been outlined to commemorate the year-long celebration, which was launched in Bolgatanga, the regional capital, in March, this year. The second launch was also done in the national capital, Accra, a few weeks later.

The theme for the celebration is: “Upper East @ 50—Harnessing our endowed resources for accelerated development through education.”

Launching the event, the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, said the focus of the entire celebration was to market the region’s potential to attract investors, expose the rich cultural and tourist attractions to the outside world and foster unity and peaceful co-existence among the people.

It is hoped that during the period, some major development projects will be undertaken to serve as land marks for the celebration. No wonder frantic efforts are ongoing to rehabilitate roads in Bolgatanga while a massive street lighting project has been completed to illuminate the regional capital.

New traffic lights are also being installed at major intersections in the regional capital, Bolgatanga to control human and vehicular traffic and bring sanity in the town which is the gateway to the region.

Several activities, including sporting event, educational and cultural events have also being lined up to mark the anniversary.

They include beauty pageant at the district level culminating in a grand regional contest to choose Miss Upper East; musical jams, quiz competition, marathon and health walk and inter schools debate.

There is also an investment forum and a home-coming event to provide a platform for both sons and daughters of the land to come home to deliberate on the future of the region.

Aside the funfair that is expected to characterise the celebration, it is believed that what the region needs @ 50 is the revival of the local economy, industry and agriculture not only to provide employment for the people, but also perk up the region’s economic prosperity.

The potential exists on all fronts; there are vast lands for food production, the livestock and poultry industry is still virgin and ready to be tapped for commercial production. In the mining sector, there are vast deposits of minerals ready to be winced from the bowels of the earth, especially in the Talensi-Nabdam and Builsa Districts.

The large volumes of rocks are also ready to be harnessed for the marble industry. The tourism and hospitality sectors are crying for attention and the private sector will be encouraged to take a bold step to venture into that investment.

At 50, the expectation of most of the people in the region are that, existing industries such as the cotton ginnery at Pusu-Namongo in the Talensi-Nabdam District, the defunct Meat Processing Factory located at Zuarungu are also resuscitated. That will create employment opportunities for the region’s teeming youth who, out of frustration, migrate to the southern parts of Ghana in search for menial jobs.

Many more will also look forward to the re-activation of the Tono and Vea Irrigation Projects to provide unfettered access to agricultural lands for food production.

Luckily under the guidance of the current Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, the Northern Star Tomato Factory, which processes raw tomato into puree, has been revived as part of the government’s efforts to provide ready market for large volumes of tomatoes, which hitherto would have gone waste on the farms. The factory is also looking forward to diversify its production process to include processing of vegetables like mango, pepper and water melon, to ensure an all-year round production.

The Golden Jubilee celebration of the Upper East Region appears to have struck a greater call for investment in major sectors of the local economy. As the government through the Regional Co-ordinating Council was striving to bring education, health and social infrastructure closer to the people, there is the need for the people to maintain peace and security without which, there could be no development.

Violence and conflicts in whatever form they occur, damage relations and disunite communities. The people of the region must know that sustainable economy could not be achieved in an atmosphere of violence. If the region is to stand on its feet to develop its resources and take its destiny in its own hands, then all must eschew violence and conflicts.

Indigenes who are entrepreneurs and have the resources to invest, must also be encouraged to come home and invest as the old adage says “There is no place like home.” No one can meaningfully develop the region than those whose umbilical cords are tied to it. This is the time to come home and help in the rebirth of the region.

The Upper East is celebrating its Golden Jubilee at a time where the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), a programme targeted to seal the development void between the northern and southern Ghana have been passed into law.

It is anticipated that the celebration of the golden jubilee of the region at a time that the SADA programme is set to take off, will project the region to higher heights in terms of socio-economic development. Come the next 50 years, a more happier story will be told.

UE NPP RESOLVES TO WORK IN UNITY (PAGE 13, NOV 1, 2010)

THE Upper East Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has resolved to adopt very transparent measures to ensure that whoever is elected in any of the constituencies in the region has the support of everybody.

This is to avoid emerging rebels and independent parliamentary candidate’s contesting alongside the party’s selected candidate, a practice that derailed the fortunes of the party in the 2008 general elections.

The Regional Secretary of the NPP, Mr Joseph Kpemka Dindiok, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic after a one-day stakeholders meeting held in Bolgatanga to map out a strategy towards the restructuring and repositioning of the party ahead of the 2012 general elections.

The meeting of the party in Bolgatanga, on Saturday, brought together current and former regional and constituency executives, former and present Members of Parliament, former District Chief Executives, former government appointees, elders and members of the regional communication team of the party.

Mr Kpemka said it was also agreed at the meeting that money should not be the foundation of who becomes a parliamentary candidate in any constituency but rather the popular choice of the people.

The delegates resolved that every constituency would be given a fair hand to select a candidate who would truly reflect the wishes of the masses and, in the general election, emerge victorious.

According to Mr Kpemka, the executive would also educate the people that if somebody comes with a sack of money for  them, they should take note that it is not money that would make them win the 2012 election but their competencies.

On financing, he said the meeting resolved that the party in the region should embark on a fund-raising exercise, including the levying of individuals within the party, to support the revamping of the party in its quest to recapture power from the ruling NDC.

Mr Kpemka said it was sad that less than two years after exiting office, the party was grappling with basic problems that should have been solved long before this time and appealed to the rank and file of the party to contribute their widow’s mite to improve upon the current financial and logistical state of the party in the region.

The Secretary said reports from the 13 constituencies in the region bordered on funds and logistics, with some of them asking the national executive to give them the autonomy to run the party with the supervision of the regional executive in line with the party’s constitution.

Earlier in her welcoming address, the Regional Chairperson of the party, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, said the primary aim of the meeting was to seek unity among members, especially after a fiercely contested regional elections and presidential primaries.

“Unity is an essential ingredient without which the party cannot wage a co-ordinated campaign to over the rigging machinery of the NDC in the next elections,” she said.

Among those present included Mr John Ndebugre, former PNC MP for Zebilla who crossed carpet to the NPP, the former Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, the former DCEs for Garu-Tempane and Talensi-Nabdam, Messrs Emmanuel Asigri and Sebastian Tibil. 

Also present were the former MCEs for Bolgatanga and Bawku, Messrs Rockson Bukari, Abdul Rahman Gumah and Abdulai Abanga. The MP for Navrongo Central, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, was also in attendance.

Police fight road indiscipline in Upper East Region(J/Graphic Wednesday, November 3-9,2010.Page 3)

Parents of children under 16 years have been advised to stop their wards from using motorbikes since that breached the Motor Traffic Regulations.According to the Upper East Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Thomas Agbanyo, it had been observed that parents send their children with their motorbikes to run errands for them or use them as a means of transport to school.He noted though that sometimes, the children used the motorbikes without the knowledge of their parents.“The most unfortunate aspect of this is that such children do not wear crash helmets and also allow their friends to ride with them as pillions”, Chief Inspector Agbanyo said in a press release.He noted that in some instances, some parents carry as many as three or four schoolchildren on a motor bike to and from school, ignoring all safety requirements and warned that the police would not spare anyone caught in that act.Chief Inspector Agbanyo cautioned parents to desist from handing over their motorbikes to their children adding that, personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) would not relent in their efforts at arresting children who ride motor bikes together with pillion riders stressing that parents of such children would have to answer charges of infringing on road traffic regulations.Most families in the Upper East Region depend on the use of motorbikes as a means of transport and in cases where there are no motorbikes, they resort to the use of bicycles or trek on foot over long distances to run errands or attend school.