PEACE COUNCIL CALLS ON BAWKU FACTIONS TO CO-OPERATE (PAGE 14)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan & Benjamin Glover, Bawku

THE National Peace Council has called for the support and co-operation of the feuding factions in its efforts to foster peace and unity in the Bawku Municipality.
The Council, which is under the chairmanship of His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast, made the appeal after holding separate meetings with the Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, and the opinion leaders of the Mamprusi clan at Bawku on Tuesday.
The meetings, which took place behind closed doors, were to see how best to ensure peace in the Bawku Municipality, which has been engulfed in ethnic conflict.
Other members of the NPC present at the meeting were the Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Ghana, Maulvi Wahab Adam; a representative of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Mahamud Gedel; the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu; and Professor Irene Odotei.
The Council had earlier met the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, who briefed them on the Bawku conflict and the measures taken so far by the Upper East Regional Security Council to restore peace in the area.
Before the meeting went into a closed-door session, Cardinal Turkson thanked the President, Mr John A. Kufuor, for mandating the National Peace Council to help find a lasting solution to the conflict in Bawku.
Cardinal Turkson and other council members advised both the Kusasis and the Mamprusis to live in peace, since that area could not pursue any development agenda while it was in conflict.
"We have come to listen and we shall keep coming to Bawku until peace is restored. We will continue our efforts to foster unity among the people and we pray that you will all lend your support in this worthy cause," he said
Cardinal Turkson pleaded with both sides to exercise restraint in the midst of any provocation, stressing that "we trust that God will make a way where there seems to be no way".
The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu, and Professor Irene Odotei both appealed to the two factions to work together for the peace of the area.

13 Honoured for hard work(Daily Graphic, Monday May 26, 2008 p 40)

Mr. Samuel Apiiga, (right) an animal scientist and consultant in guinea fowl production receiving an award from the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister Mrs. Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia at this year's May Day celebration.
Mr. Apiiga who is also the Regional Animal Husbandry Officer was among 13 workers honoured for their contribution to the labour movement in the region. For his prize he took home a Color TV set, a certificate and badge.
He was awarded for his contribution to the development of guinea fowl production by way of training farmers and helping them acquire incubators to facilitate the production of the birds.
He has also engaged in regular radio broadcast to educate farmers on a variety of issue to help boost their output.
In an interview, he commended the TUC for the honour done him and other award winners. He also called on them to be dedicated and loyal in their work in order to receive the due recognition at the appropriate time

Technoserve donates learning materials to UE communities(Daily Graphic, Monday, May 26, 2008 p 40)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga
Technoserve, a non governmental organization with funding from USAID as part of its food security programme of which literacy and numeracy is a significant component, has presented a number of learning materials to its beneficiaries in the Upper East Region.
The donation is aimed at helping farmers improve on their literacy level. It is also directed at encouraging the farmers to access information to improve on productivity.
The items included Solar Lamps, boxes of chalk, chalk board, Flush lights, Rain coats, pencils, Exercise books, and elementary textbook all valued at about GH c 3,925.
The beneficiary farmers were from Nomboko and Songo communities in the Garu-Tempane district, Saboro and Kologo in the Kassena-Nankana district, Soe-Yipala and Kalbeo in the Bolgatanga municipality, Sheaga in the Talensi-Nabdam district, Tilli and Tanga Wiiga in the Bawku West District as well as Chuchuliga in the Builsa district.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr. Anthony Adom, Senior Programme Adviser of Technoserve at Bolgatanga, he said as an organization working with farmers where illiteracy was high it found it critical to assist the farmers."Literacy plays a critical role in ensuring food security hence the decision to support the farmers", he added.
He said literacy and numeracy education will help farmers to read instructions on agro-chemicals to ensure their effective use.
The presentation ceremony was preceded by a training seminar on non-formal education for twelve facilitators in seven districts in the Upper East region.

Turning the UE into the Bread Basket , Tono, Vea-The answer(Daily Graphic, Monday, May 26, 2008

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga
On March 27, 1975, the then Head of State of Ghana, Col. I.K. Acheampong performed the first ground cutting ceremony for the commencement of the construction of the Tono Irrigation Scheme.
The construction of the scheme by Taylor Woodrow Ltd took nearly ten years to complete. On February 9, 1984, the Government of Ghana incorporated a limited liability company, the Irrigation Company of Upper Region-ICOUR- to run both the Tono and Vea Irrigation schemes.
The then government also employed Tate and Lyle Technical Services of UK as the Manager of ICOUR for five years between 1984 and 1989 after which ICOUR fully came under Ghanaian Management in 1990 to date.
The Tono Irrigation Dam, built, is one of the largest agricultural dams in West Africa , covering a total catchment’s area of 3,600 hectares and providing a developed area of 2,400 hectares for growing irrigated crops. There several villages living and farming within the project area
The dam, which allows for year-round farming, has greatly aided in the development of the region. Tomatoes have long been the most lucrative crop in the Upper East region and it is as profitable as rice, maize, groundnuts, yam, pepper and dairy.
It also provides employment opportunities to a greater majority of the people of the Tono Community in particular and the Region as a whole.
A number of farmers on the scheme has won awards not only the district level but also at the national level.
As far back as 1989, Mr. Philip Abayori, an ICOUR farmer was adjudged the best national farmer. In 1996, Mr. George Alonkodongo also on the Tono Irrigation Scheme picked up a national best farmer award followed by Mr. Monday Adabugah who was adjudged the third best national farmer in 1998.
The Tono and Vea Schemes are well noted for dry season tomato production. The scheme also produces rice to boost the availability of local rice in the Ghanaian market.
Despite the enormous contribution of the project to socio-economic development of the region and the country at large, the project has not seen any major maintenance. This has led to a reduction of the original hectares of irrigated land to the present 1,800 hectares.
The loss is due to the siltation and breakage of canals and laterals making it impossible for water to reach certain developed areas.
It was for this reason that when on Saturday March 15, 2008, the Minister of Food and Agriculture cut he sod for rehabilitation works to begin; it was greeted with wild applause and cheers from the chiefs and people as well as farmers in the area.
According to the beneficiaries of the scheme, the rehabilitation of the project will not only increase food production in the region but will also give more jobs to people and therefore more money in their pockets.
The total cost of the rehabilitation is GH c 7.9 million would cost GH c 7.90 million cedis. It would include regarding and gravelling of the main access road in the scheme, re-gravelling of the dam wall and erosion control of the dam slopes and replacement of lost linings of concrete on the main and lateral canals.
Construction of washing bays, culverts, water control gates and desilting of main drain also form part of the project. Six construction firms have been engage to execute the project scheduled for completion in December.
Delivering his address, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Ernest A. Debrah said government has undertaken due diligence in the selection of the contractors and stressed that it would be disappointing for any of them to fail.
I cannot but agree with the Minister in his call to contractors undertaking the contracts to do quality work.
His appeal to the citizens of the area who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the project is also apt.
The populace must know that the physical, economic and social sustainability of the scheme after the rehabilitation will depend on the collective effort of the farmers, ICOUR Management and the wider community who are the direct or indirect beneficiaries of the scheme.
Clearly the rehabilitation of the Tono Irrigation Scheme is very timely and its completion would go a long way to boost food production in the region.
It is expected that farmers would put the rehabilitated scheme into good use by producing high value crops for not just the local market but possibly the international market.
With the Northern Star Tomato Factory now in place, the Nasia Rice Milling Company working and the banks now ready to provide credits to farmers, one can only expect the best after all is done.
Already Management of ICOUR under its current Managing Director, Mr. Issah Bukari has expressed its appreciation to the government for given the Tono Irrigation Scheme priority and initiating the restoration of the scheme.
According to Mr. Bukari, this will enhance efficiency of water management to increase productivity.
But like Oliver Twist, the MD is also pleading with the sector ministry and rightly so to assist the project repair the very old houses, offices and vehicles in order to meet the increasing. This in my view is a call worth considering.
In commending the government for fulfilling the long awaited dream of rehabilitating the Tono Irrigation Dam, one can only hope that in the not too distant future, similar support would be extended to the Vea Irrigation Project also in the Upper East Region to turn the area into the bread basket of the country.

MP TO PROVIDE CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE (PAGE 20)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bawku

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Binduri in the Upper East Region, Mr Mark Awuni, has promised to construct a two-unit six-classroom block for the William Ofori Atta Memorial Institute, a community-based vocational institute at Nayoko in the Bawku Municipality.
Speaking at the first graduation ceremony of the institute, Mr Awuni expressed concern about the way students in the community commuted between seven and 11 kilometres to and from the institute daily to acquire employable skills.
He pledged to use part of his share of the MPs Common Fund to finance the project as soon as it was released.
The vocational institute was founded by two philanthropists through a non-governmental organisation—Partners International, in July 2005.
The first batch of students who graduated from the institute recently were trained in dressmaking, batik and tie-dye, among others.
The MP commended the graduates for their perseverance, which he said would go a long way to help fight the level of poverty in the area. He also advised the graduands to ignore the admonition from their colleagues to travel to either Kumasi or Accra for non-existent jobs, stressing that should they heed such calls, they would end up on the streets.
Mr Awuni also encouraged parents to send their children, especially females to school instead of keeping them at home.
A member of the Board of Governors of the institute, Dr Roger Kanton, said the institute, which was strategically located, deserved special attention from the government as a way of addressing the abject poverty plaguing the people.
The acting Principal of the institute, Pastor Noah Abdul-Karim, said a co-operative society had been formed within the institute for the graduates to assist them in securing start-up capital to start micro-projects.
He said courses run at the institute included secretarial, fashion and design, information and communication technology.
Pastor Abdul-Karim added that technical courses such as building and construction, carpentry and joinery, electrical installation, blacksmithing and welding would soon be introduced at the institute.

ONE MORE DEATH RECORDED IN BAWKU (BACK PAGE)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga

ONE person was killed and another seriously wounded when they were attacked by a group of unidentified persons in Bawku yesterday morning.
The deceased was identified as Mustapha Alidu, commonly known as Konkonsa, a taxi driver who plied between Bawku and Cinkasse, while the injured person is Osman Issaka, a petty trader.
The incident occurred between Pusiga and Zong-Natinga, both suburbs of Bawku, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
The body of Mustapha, who was shot and later burnt together with his car, has been deposited at the Bolgatanga Hospital mortuary, while Osman, who sustained a deep cut on his neck is said to be in a critical condition as of the time this report was filed.
Some family members who spoke to the Daily Graphic at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital said the taxi was heading towards Cinkasse, a marketing centre in northern Togo from Bawku, when a group of masked persons attacked them.
They said Mustapha, a Moshie, who was married with children, was shot in the chest and later burnt, together with the taxi, while Osman, also a Moshie, was nearly slaughtered .
Some passengers on board the taxi were said to have sustained some machete wounds but managed to flee the scene.

AGNES CHIGABATIA GETS NOD FOR THE SECOND TIME (PAGE 57)

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, has been elected to contest the Builsa North parliamentary seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 elections.
Mrs Chigabatia, who stood unopposed was re-elected by popular acclamation by the 74 NPP polling station chairmen of the constituency.
The other contender to the slot, Mr Ben Agaliga, who is also the Presiding Member of the Builsa District Assembly, stepped down a few days to the primaries to pave way for the sitting MP.
The Upper East Regional Vice Chairman of the NPP, Mr Kizito Akanyomse, commended the delegates for endorsing the candidature of the incumbent MP, adding that it was an indication that they wanted to work with her for the development of the constituency.
While appealing to the supporters of the party in the constituency to work in unity and rally behind Mrs Chigabatia, Mr Akanyomse advised them to transform their support into votes to enable the NPP record a resounding victory, come December 2008.
Mrs Chigabatia in her acceptance speech thanked the Presiding Member for stepping down for her, saying that it was a mark of unity in the party. She urged all members of the party to remain united and work towards victory in the main elections. “Politics is not about lies, politics is all about development”, she said.
Mrs Chigabatia called on all political parties in the constituency to bury their differences and work for the development of the Builsa District to lift it from the list of underdeveloped districts in Ghana.
The Constituency Chairman of the NPP, Mr Charles Amoabil, who also stressed on unity, called on all eligible voters to participate fully in the voters registration exercise when the Electoral Commission starts the re-registration exercise.
He urged supporters of the party in the constituency to desist from insults during campaigns and rather dwell on issues.