GARU-TEMPANE DCE IDENTIFIES KEY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES (D/G Tuesday, April 28, 2009.PAGE 15)

The newly appointed District Chief Executive for the Garu-Tempane District in the Upper East Region, Mr David Adakudugu, has identified good governance, human resource development, private sector development and human resettlement as his priority and key development issues in his new role as DCE for the area.
In his acceptance speech after he was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Garu-Tempane District assembly, Mr Adakudugu, 41, said he hoped to rely on the expertise, skills of cooperation and understanding of the team he was about to lead to bring development to the district.
At an emergency meeting held at Garu, 30 out of the 31 assembly members present, representing 96.7 per cent, voted for Mr Adakudugu, a Marketing Officer, to confirm his nomination.
While expressing his appreciation to assembly members for giving him the nod, he said he would co-operate with all stakeholders to develop the district.
“As a local person, I know the strength and weaknesses of our people. I also know the potential of the district and given my background as a marketer and businessman, I promise to use my networking skills to market the district in order to mobilise extra support from development partners outside,” he said.
He promised to operate an open, accountable and transparent administration devoid of discrimination on grounds of political, ethnic and religious affiliation.
He expressed gratitude to the President for giving him the opportunity to serve his people, and pledged to live up to expectation.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, who administered the official oath of allegiance and Secrecy urged the new DCE to lead a modest life and be responsive to the needs of the people.
He urged the DCE to build bridges and work closely with the chiefs and people to bring about peace in the area.

CITI FM SUPPORTS FOSTER HOME (The MIRROR, Saturday April 25, 2009. PAGE 29)

From Benjamin Xorman Glover, Yorogo

Citi FM, an Accra-based private radio station, has presented food items worth GH¢1,500 and an amount of GH¢2,000 to an orphanage at Yorogo, near Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
The donation, comprising eight maxi bags of rice, one bag each of maize, gari, beans and sugar, some gallons of cooking oil as well as confectionery, forms part of the station’s social responsibility towards the needy in the society.
The team leader and officer in charge of Operations at Citi FM, Richard Mensah, assisted by the Northern Regional Correspondent of the station, Mr Abdul Karim Naatogmah, handed over the items to the management and staff of the Mama Laadi Foster Home as part of activities marking this year’s Easter celebrations.
Presenting the items, Mr Mensah said the funds for the items were raised through appeals made on air to its listeners.
He promised that the station would continue to help bring happiness to people who needed it.
The Supervisor of the foster home, Madam Laadi Ayine, commended Citi FM for their kind gesture and said that the gift had come at a very opportune time because the prices of food items had shot up.
Madam Laadi’s view was corroborated by the Board Chairman of the home, Naba Aberimah 11, Chief of Yikene, who said the donation would go a long way to ease the burden faced by the management of the home.
The orphanage currently has 50 inmates, 41 of which are resident in the home, undergoing various reform programmes, after which they would join their families, communities and some few boarding schools, with the support from the home.
Majority of the children in the orphanage have lost one or both parents and have been rejected by their families with the reason that if they are kept around, they could kill other family members with their “witchcraft.”

NAKONG APPEALS TO GOVT FOR ASSISTANCE (PAGE 39)

THE people of Nakong in the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region have appealed to the government to provide them with basic amenities to make life bearable for them.
The absence of boreholes, teachers’ accommodation, proper toilet facilities, a police post and motorable roads is negatively affecting the progress of the community.
The paramount chief of the Nakong Traditional Area, Pe Joseph Banapeh Afagachie, made the appeal when the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, paid a courtesy call on him to introduce himself to him and his people.
Nakong is midway between Navrongo in the Upper East Region and Tumu in the Upper West Region. However, the absence of a tarred road passing through the town has given armed robbers and other criminals a safe haven to conduct their nefarious activities.
The Nakong portion of the Navrongo-Tumu road is unmotorable during the wet season.
Pe Afagachie also expressed concern about child trafficking, which is prevalent in the area, adding that the crime was carried out with the consent of parents.
He, therefore, appealed to the government for support in curbing the menace.
“They (children) are being denied education, normal childhood and child security and are exposed to all forms of child abuse and because they lack education and vocational skills, they are unemployable and even turn to stealing and prostitution as a lifestyle,” he said.
Pe Afagachie said many of the youth, out of frustration, had taken to drugs and alcohol and were gradually becoming alcoholics and appealed to them to desist from that since it would affect them and retard the development of the area.
“The youth are our cultural and human resource, as such they ought to be guarded and protected jealously,” he said while appealing to the government and other stakeholders to come to the aid of the community.
He also solicited the assistance of the regional minister to check the presence of the black fly that caused river blindness, which is threatening the people.
Pe Afagachie said the community had no dam for dry season farming and a source of drinking water for animals and appealed to the government to provide the community with basic amenities, including two dams and tractor services.
Mr Woyongo assured the chief that the government was more committed to the construction of the road to open up the area to other parts of the north.
He said the main focus of the government was to help bridge the gap between the north and the south and assured the chief that the government would respond to their needs and provide other basic facilities for the community.
Mr Woyongo appealed to the people to practise family planning and produce the right number of children they could cater for in order to solve the problem of child trafficking.

FOUNTAIN GATE CHAPEL GETS NEW LEADERS (MIRROR, Saturday April 18, 2009 PAGE 34)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga

Pastor Clement Anchebah of the Accra Branch of the Fountain Gate Chapel (FGC) has been inducted as the new chairman of the International Presbytery of the church.
He succeeds Pastor Eastwood Anaba, Founder of the FGC, who is stepping down after leading the church for nearly 22 years.
The induction service was the high point of the church’s five-day Easter convention, dubbed the International Extra Oil conference and came off two days after six members of the congregation, including two daughters of the founder, died in a motor accident on the Tamale–Bolgatanga highway.
The deceased were on their way to the convention when the incident occurred. Also inducted into office was the Vice-Chairman of the International Presbytery, Professor Sai Ditto, and the Co-ordinator of the presbytery, Pastor Cornelius Yakung.
From a humble beginning in 1987, the church has witnessed significant growth and currently has branches all over the country and other parts of the world.
Apart from preaching the word of God, the church has established a school that admits pupils from the kindergarten to junior high school level. Plans are far advanced for the establishment of a senior high school.
In his sermon, Pastor Anaba expressed the hope that the church under a new leadership would experience growth and lead to the fulfilment of its aims and objectives.
He explained that the decision to step down and hand over the leadership of the church to someone else was to relieve him of some of the administrative functions. The move, he also added, would give him the free hand to pursue the word of God more forcefully than he had ever done.
He charged the congregation to support the new leadership in its desire to win more souls for the Lord.
Pastor Anchebah was presented with a Bible, a copy of the church’s constitution and a flag as symbols of his office.
In his acceptance speech, Pastor Anchebah promised to continue on the foundation already laid by the Senior Pastor. He also pledged to pursue the desire of the founder of the church to intensify its evangelism mission of the northern parts of the country to win more souls for Christ.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, noted the positive contribution of the FGC on the socio-economic lives of the people in the region.
He said apart from establishing a school, the church, being conscious of the poverty levels of the people in the region, had also assisted some of its members to establish farms and businesses, which would undoubtedly complement government’s efforts at alleviating poverty among the people.
Whilst lauding the church for living up to its social responsibilities, Mr Woyongo also commended the leadership of the church for putting in place an effective succession plan contrary to the traditional beliefs that the founder of the church must die before he/she is succeeded.
He commended the leadership of the church for the bold initiative and urged other religious denominations to emulate same.
He also appealed to all religious bodies in the region to continue to pray for the return of peace to Bawku and other hot spots in the region.

ASAGA RENDERS APOLOGY TO REPORTER (D/G Saturday, April 18, 2009 PAGE 13)

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nabdam Constituency in the Upper East Region, Mr Moses Asaga, has rendered an apology to the Ghanaian Chronicle reporter who was assaulted by some NDC supporters while covering a victory rally at Nangodi.
The meeting was is honour of Mr Asaga.
The apology was contained in a letter signed by a close aide to the MP, Mr John Paul Danka, and addressed to the reporter.
It was also copied to the regional secretary of the GJA.
“On behalf of the MP for the Nabdam Constituency, Mr Moses Asaga and his constituents, I will like to convey his profound apology to Mr William Jalulah of the Ghanaian Chronicle on the unfortunate incident that happened on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at his constituency during the victory rally that was organised in his honour”.
“It is also his wish and desire that Mr William Jalulah will overcome whatever trauma that he might have gone through during the unfortunate incident quickly and continue with his good works in the region,” it said.
Mr Danka quoted Mr Asaga as assuring the media that enough security measures would be taken in future programmes to avert any reoccurrence of such incidents.
He also quoted the MP as expressing the hope that the apology would be accepted whole heartedly by the victim of the assault.
It would be recalled that on Saturday, April 11, 2009, a group of NDC supporters in the Nabdam Constituency pounced on the reporter and subjected him to severe beatings.
The reporter’s crime was that he had taken a photograph of some NDC supporter’s engaged in a brawl with a man in an NPP T-shirt.
That act did not go down well with the mob numbering about 15, so they pounced on him in an attempt to forcibly seize the camera to delete the photographs but the reporter resisted.
In the process, the mob not only beat up the journalist, but they also pushed him onto the ground, kicked him severally and bit him on the fingers all in an attempt to snatch the camera from him.
This led to the damage of the camera.
Mr Jalulah was rescued by his colleagues and taken to Bolgatanga where a report was lodged with the Police.
He was later given a medical form to seek medical attention at the hospital.

WOMEN URGED TO TAKE UP ROLES IN ASSEMBLIES (D/G, Friday, April 17, 2009. PAGE 17)

WOMEN in the various assemblies in the Upper East Region have been urged to take up education on the standing orders of the various municipalilties and districts to empower them to take up challenging roles in the assemblies.
The Upper East Regional Programme Manager of the Action Aid Ghana, a non- governmental organisation, Mr Michael Lumor, gave the advice in a speech read on his behalf at a meeting of assembly women at Bolgatanga.
The meeting, attended by the 47 Assembly women from the nine municipal and district assemblies in the region, was organised by the Regional Intersectorial Gender Network with the support of Actionaid Ghana.
It was aimed, among other objectives at integrating the newly appointed women into a regional Assembly women caucus in order to enhance the confidence of the women in the decision making process at the local level.
Mr Lumor said the struggle for empowerment and equality of women could not be achieved, if they lacked the requisite legal language and terms used on the floor of the assemblies and therefore urged them to position themselves well by mastering the standing orders .
The Programme Manager also entreated the women to vie for leadership positions, especially at the sub-committee levels, to make their voices heard.
He also encouraged the women to desist from being “back benchers” at their respective assemblies and rather develop the confidence to contribute meaningfully to proceedings of the house.
“To win the fight of getting more women elected will largely depend on how the current crop of Assembly women perform to the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the electorate,” he said.
Mr Lumor said Actionaid Ghana was committed to working with women in leadership by providing the necessary skills needed for effective local governance, adding that his outfit would continue to build and sustain the caucus of Assembly women to ensure that they continued to be the mouthpiece of women in the region.
The Chairperson of the Assembly Women Caucus, Madam Stella Yembilah, encouraged individuals and organisations to commit resources towards the capacity building efforts of members. That way, they will be better placed to carry out their role effectively.
Mr Daud Abang Gos, the Chairman of the Regional Intersectorial Gender Network, expressed the hope that the platform created for the assembly women would make members assertive and help them to work harder in the interest of women and children.
Between 2002 and 2006, there were 50 Assembly women in the region, made up of 15 elected and 35 appointed. Currently, there are 47 women serving in the various assemblies, comprising 21 elected and 26 appointed.

ZOOMLION, RCC TO IMPROVE SANITATION IN UER (D/G, Thursday, April 16, 2009.PAGE 35)

THE Management of Zoomlion Ghana, a private waste management company, has pledged to partner the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to improve the sanitation situation in the region.
The acting Regional Operations Supervisor of Zoomlion, Mr Laud Mike Tagoe, gave the assurance when he led a five-member delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, at his office in Bolgatanga.
Mr Tagoe stated that the visit was to brief the new regional minister on the activities of Zoomlion in the region and to solicit his assistance to improve sanitation in the region.
He said Zoomlion started its operations in the region in 2006 and currently had staff strength of 600, including personnel under the sanitation module of the National Youth Employment Programme.
According to Mr Tagoe, his outfit was working closely with the various Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure clean environment in the region.
He stated that Zoomlion had instituted a programme dubbed “Sanitation improvement package” under which it had entered into agreement with the various Municipal and District Assemblies by providing them with refuse trucks and a number of refuse containers placed at vantage points to collect refuse.
Mr Tagoe said Zoomlion was assisting the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly in the management of its landfill site at Sheering by providing it with a bulldozer, to bring sanity to the place.
He said the management of the company was taking measures to set up a recycle plant to recycle some of the waste.
According to Mr Tagoe, as part of his outfit’s efforts to control the rising incidence of malaria, Zoomlion had embarked on malarial control programme in the region.
He said in that regard, the company had taken delivery of 40 mist blowers, which will be distributed to support the programme.
Mr Woyongo commended Zoomlion for its commitment to keep the region clean.
He, however, expressed concern about the lukewarm attitude of the people towards the environment and the inability of the Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce their bylaws, especially the one on littering, which is hindering the efforts of ensuring a clean environment.
The regional minister stressed that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would advise the Municipal and District Assemblies to enforce their by-laws to the letter.
“I strongly feel that the assemblies can make a lot of money by enforcing these bylaws because if somebody litters and you fine him or her, part of the fine could go into the coffers of the assembly,” he said.
Mr Woyongo said the government was committed to ensuring a clean environment, so his administration would support agencies such as Zoomlion, which is in the forefront of keeping the environment clean, especially as the country was preparing to mark its Golden Jubilee anniversary next year.