TWO SIGN PACT ON WHITE VOLTA BASIN (D/G Thursday July 3, 2008 PAGE 38)

Ghana and Burkina Faso have signed a joint agreement on the creation, responsibilities, composition and operation of the Transboundary Committee for the effective management of the resources of the White Volta Basin.The signing ceremony of the Statutes and Statutory Regulations for the management of water resources of the White Volta sub-basin by the Governor of the Central East Region of Burkina Faso and the Upper East Regional Minister of Ghana marks the establishment of consultative forums at the national and transboundary levels.This endeavour is aimed at strengthening stakeholder participation at the local level in the development of integrated water resources management interventions to implement in the Volta basin towards sustainable ecosystem functions and services.The transboundary forum further acknowledges the interactions of primary stakeholders straddling the frontiers of the two countries at the grass roots and the possibility of tensions and even conflicts, thus promoting common activities among cross-border communities and a sense of shared responsibility towards regional integration and co-operation.The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, signed for Ghana, while his counterpart from the Central East Region of Burkina Faso, Mr Simeon Sawadogo, initialled for his country.The ceremony was witnessed by Ghana's Ambassador to Burkina Faso, His Excellency Sahanun Mogtari. Also present were the District Chief Executives for Garu-Tempane and Bawku West, Messrs Emmanuel Asigri and Desmond Bugbilla; the Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr Samuel N'lary, as well as the Basin Officer of the Water Resources Commission, Mr Aaron Aduna.Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Samari observed that it was common knowledge that a significant number of people in northern Ghana depended on the Volta River for their livelihood by way of domestic water supply, agriculture, fishing or transportation.He added that "for us in the northern part of Ghana, the water and other natural resources of the Volta Basin will, therefore, make an immense difference in our quest for development if they are efficiently managed".Mr Samari stressed that the Government of Ghana placed high premium on sub-regional and regional co-operation and economic integration as an effective mechanism for improving trade, as well as the well-being of the citizenry, as the Volta was recognised as a vital instrument for regional co-operation, integration and development.He appealed to his partner in the agreement to be ready to share information, particularly during this coming rainy season, to prevent any eventualities on people living downstream.Mr Samari, who hinted at the information on meteorological forecasts on the expected rainfall and possible rising levels of the Bagre and Kompienga dams, said such information would greatly help Ghana to adequately prepare for flood management.The regional minister pledged his commitment to facilitate the efficient and integrated management of the shared resources of the Volta.The Governor of the Central East Region of Burkina Faso, Mr Simeon Sawadogo, for his part, said both Ghana and Burkina Faso relied on the water resources in the Volta Basin and so there was the need for the authorities on both sides to work hard to ensure their sustenance for the present and future generations.Ghana's Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mr Mogtari, who stressed the importance of water, said the effective implementation of the agreement would help reduce poverty among the people.Mr Kwame Odame-Ababio, the Co-ordinator of the Project for Improving Water Governance in the Volta Basin (PAGEV), said PAGEV was a unique initiative on shared water resources management approach, adding that during the three years of implementation, the project, which was funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency, had facilitated community participation in transboundary water management, in partnership with stakeholders from Ghana and Burkina Faso.In addition, it had also supported the two countries to improve policy and institutional environment that enhanced a better governance of the shared basin.

Toende Rural Bank makes gain(D/G Wednesday, July 2, 2008 page 33)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Zebilla
The Toende Rural Bank in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region recorded a net profit of GH¢ 12, 800 in 2007 representing an increase of 341.8 per cent over the GH¢ 2,897 recorded for 2006.
The banks total asserts for 2007 also amounted to GH ¢ 943.506 as against GH ¢ 613,669 record in 2006 an increase of 53.7 per cent.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Rev. Dr. Jacob Ayeebo who announced this during its Annual General Meeting,(AGM), held at Zebilla.
He said total investment rose from GH ¢ 436,780 in 2006 to GH ¢ 728,276 for the year under review while loans advanced to small scale businesses and others persons who salaries passes through the bank increased from GH ¢ 71,208 in 2006 to GH ¢ 107,186 in 2007.
According to him, total deposits amounted to GH ¢ 684,501 in 2007 as against GH ¢ 439,715 in 2006 representing and increase of 55.6 per cent.
Commenting on the banks achievements over the period, Rev Ayebo said during the period under review the bank was rated the 19th performing bank out of 120 rural banks throughout the country for the fourth quarter of 2007 by the Efficiency Monitoring Unit of APEX Bank.
According to him, in addition, the bank was ranked 49 out of the 125 rural bank assessed on performance for the whole year.
Rev. Ayeebo disclosed that the bank succeeded in paying off its preliminary expenses in 2007 and also bought a double cabin pick up vehicle to facilitate its operations.

WORK BEGINS ON BAWKU ROADS (D/G July 3, 2008 PAGE 40)

The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), M. Abdulai Abanga, has cut the sod for work to begin on a total of 17.8 km of road at Bansi, near Bawku, in the Upper East Region.
The project, which is being funded by Irrigation Development Authority and the Community-Based Rural Development Programme at a cost of GH¢250,000, is expected to be completed in four months.
The roads are the 10.9 km Zawse–Bansi and the 6.9 km Azumsapeliga-Kikolonko.
According to the MCE, the project is in fulfilment of the government’s promise to re-construct the roads that were destroyed by floods last year.
Mr Abanga said when he assumed office as MCE he had road construction as part of his vision and so the construction of this project was a double vision that had been fulfilled.
He asked the chiefs and people to continue to preach peace in order to end the conflict situation in Bawku.
"As it stands now, if we do not stop the conflict, monies we could have channelled into building roads, schools, and irrigation facilities would go into peacekeeping," he lamented.
The Chief of Bansi, Naba Edward Atia, was full of praise for the government for ensuring the fulfilment of their promise to the people.
The chief said since 1970, when the Busia government constructed the roads they had never seen any rehabilitation and the situation became worse when the floods devastated the municipality.
"The roads had been unmotorable for a long time and it has been difficult to cart foodstuffs to the market centres. Also it was extremely difficult when transporting the sick and pregnant women especially to health centres but with the road construction, things would be much easier," he said.

NAYAGNIA HOLDS FOOD AND SEED FAIR (D/G July 3, 2008 PAGE 40)

Two non-governmental organisations — Action Aid Ghana and CARE International — with support from the Department for International Development in the UK, have presented food items and seeds to persons in flood-hit communities in the Kassena-Nankana District IN the Upper East Region to enable them to improve upon their livelihood.
Under a project code-named the Food Security and Agriculture Recovery Management II (FARM II), Care International is supplying millet, maize and cowpea freely to households in six districts in the three northern regions while Action Aid Ghana is doing same for four districts in the Upper East and Upper West regions.
A Programmes Manager of Action Aid Ghana, Madam Christiana Amarchey, who disclosed this to journalists at Nayagnia in the Kassena-Nankana District during a food and seed fair, said the project was targeted at solving the food insecurity situation in the aftermath of last year's devastating floods which claimed lives and properties, including the washing off of farmlands and farm produce.
She explained that it was also aimed at helping persons in the affected community to rebuild and regain their livelihood.
Madam Amarchey said beneficiaries were given vouchers to buy grains and certified seeds of their choice. The grains, she explained, was to sustain the families while the seeds were to be planted to provide security for the beneficiaries.
She expressed the hope that the beneficiaries would make good use of the offer being given them in order to achieve the goal for which it was instituted.
The District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Chegeweh, commended the two NGOs for their gesture, stressing that it would go a long way to mitigate the looming hunger following the delay in rainfall.
He disclosed that as a result of last year's floods a total of 53,000 people were displaced, while 9,000 houses collapsed. He added that 98.1 km of roads, and seven dams were also destroyed.

CHILD WELFARE ORGANISATIONS DISCUSS STATE OF U.EAST KIDS (D/G Thursday July 3, 2008, PAGE 40)

A two-day stakeholders conference for staff of Afrikids Ghana, a charity organisation that works for the welfare of children, and representatives of Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region has been held at Bolgatanga with a call on civil society organisations and local government authorities to take interest in issues of child migration, child labour, trafficking and streetism in all the endemic communities of the region.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, who made the call, said this would complement the government's effort at ensuring that all forms of child abuse were brought to the barest minimum, if not eliminated.
The regional minister said this in a speech read on his behalf by his Deputy, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, at the conference which had the theme: "Forging the efforts of stakeholders for optimum projects delivery".
The conference, the seventh in the series, was organised to source ideas as to how to improve a project known as "Operation Fresh Start," which is being implemented by the NGO aimed at relocating and resettling children from the streets in Kumasi and other big towns in the country and integrating them with their families and providing them with appropriate vocational skills to enable them to earn a living.
The project is currently being implemented in Bolgatanga, Bongo, Talensi-Nabdam and the Kassena-Nankana West districts.
While commending the NGO for liberating about 160 children from the streets in Kumasi and from the hazards of child labour, Mr Samari also praised them for introducing a micro-finance component that assists parents of targeted children to generate some income to support their children who are placed in various forms of vocational training.
He entreated Afrikids Ghana to take advantage of the Micro-Finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) facilities established by the government as a source of micro-credit loan for beneficiaries.
Mr Samari also called on the NGO to consider replicating the project in the remaining five districts in the region to tackle the menace of child labour holistically.
The Project Manager, Mr Richard Amoah, said since the inception of the project in 2005, the 160 children, mostly from the Race Course area in the Kumasi metropolis in the Ashanti Region, had been successfully resettled with their families in the Upper East Region and were undergoing various vocational training courses, while some had been enrolled in formal education.
He said the time had come for local government authorities to come on board to support the project and be part of the success story.
The Country Director of Afrikids Ghana disclosed that after several years of relying on donors from outside for support, his organisation would soon wean itself off foreign donors and raise funds internally.
He said following the success of the NGO, Afrikids was being mentioned for several awards for its efforts at reducing child labour in the country.

JOHN NDEGO, OTHERS TRANSFERRED TO ACCRA (PAGE 3)

THE Upper East Regional Police Command has handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department in Accra the cases involving 17 persons arrested in Bawku in connection with the conflict in the municipality.
According to the Upper East Regional Police Command, the suspects were being transferred to Accra to facilitate speedy investigations and trial.
The suspects were transported by road to Tamale yesterday from where they will be airlifted by military aircraft to Accra.
Among those being transferred to Accra is John Awunbila Ndego, said to be a top adviser to the Bawku Naba, who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly attempting to smuggle arms and ammunition to Bawku.
Also included is police constable Daniel Yeboah, who is alleged to have stolen a rifle belonging to a colleague policeman on peacekeeping mission in Bawku and sold it to a civilian.
Briefing the media prior to their departure, the Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, said the government was determined to ensure that peace prevails in Bawku in order to allow law-abiding citizens to go about their activities peacefully.
"We are transferring these suspects to Accra because friends and relatives frequent our offices to plead for their arrested relatives and this has proven a discomfort for us,” he said, adding that CID personnel from the region who were accompanying the suspects would assist their counterparts in Accra to ensure a speedy investigation and trial of the cases.

BAWKU CASES TRANSFERRED TO ACCRA (PAGE 25)

THE case involving Mr John Awunbila Ndego, said to be a top advisor of the Bawku Naba, who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly attempting to smuggle arms and ammunition to Bawku, will now be heard in Accra.
According to the Upper East Regional Police Crime Officer, Superintendent Victor Seth Agbetornyo, the case involving the accused, together with all others involving persons arrested so far in connection with the Bawku crisis, had been transferred to Accra for prosecution.
When this report was being filed yesterday, the regional crime officer said the police were awaiting the arrival of a specially arranged helicopter to airlift all the suspects, including those on remand, to Accra.
It was, however, uncertain the reasons behind the transfer of the cases to Accra for further hearing. Also, the total number of persons being transferred to Accra was not known as of press time.
Since the conflict broke out between the Mamprusis and Kusasis in the Bawku Municipality on December 31, 2007, there have been several arrests. While some of those arrested have been arraigned in Bolgatanga and remanded in prison custody, others have been granted bail.