POLICE DESTROY 50-ACRE 'WEE' FARM (BACK PAGE)

The Upper West Regional Police Command has dispatched a team of policemen to Wuling, a farming community in the Jirapa District, to destroy a 50-acre Indian hemp farm discovered there over the weekend.
The destruction, which started at the weekend, followed a tip-off by an informant. The exercise by the police has led to desertion of Wuling by the local residents.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kwasi Appiah-Boateng, said following a tip-off last Saturday, he led a team of policemen to the farm.
He said upon arrival the team discovered about 10 acres of Indian hemp farm at different locations interplanted with maize and millet.
He said the team could destroy only about two acres with the intention of continuing the following day.
"To our dismay we discovered about 40 more acres on a large tract of land," he added.
According to ACP Appiah-Boateng, from preliminary investigations, it seemed the hemp was for export because of the proximity of Wuling to Burkina Faso.
He advised the people of the area to go into food production instead of cultivating Indian hemp, which had the potential to destroy the youth of the area.
He commended the officers and men for their quick response and dedication to duty. Meanwhile seven persons including two schoolboys have been arrested and are assisting in investigations.
They are Dour Nanwana, 23; Kofi Timbele, 45; Dan Daukou, 35; Paul Kofi Ellara, 25; Donya Timbile, 48, and Eriyo Gogo, 19.
The schoolchildren are Emia Eliata, 14, and Sowuah Nanwana, 16.

PAYMENT DELAYS AFFECT U/W PROJECTS (PAGE 20)

Delays associated with the payment of contractors’ invoices have been identified as one of the major challenges affecting the implementation of projects in the Upper West Region.
Consequently, an appeal has been made to the authorities to expedite action on contractors’ invoices to enable them to execute their work on schedule.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Highway Authority, Mr Ernest Arthur, made the appeal in Wa during a meeting with members of the Ghana Road Fund Board.
He told the meeting that the long distances that some road construction materials, such as chippings, had to cover also contributed to the problem.
According to Mr Arthur, two contracts for the upgrading of the 88 km Nadowli-Lawra-Hamile road have been awarded to Messrs P and W Ghanem Limited at a cost of GH¢23.3 million.
In addition to that, 135 km of gravel roads was also undergoing spot improvement and regravelling at a cost of GH¢7,308,115.00.
These roads include the Wellembelle-Santijan, Downwini-Nandom, Lawra-Han, Wa-Bulenga-Yaala, Wahabu-Funssi and Tumu-Gwollu-Hamile roads.
Mr Arthur expressed regret at the lack of an adequate number of technical personnel to undertake efficient supervision of contracts.
The Regional Engineer of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr Seidu Ibrahim, said the Road Fund was currently financing a number of projects estimated at GH¢29,217,206.00.
He noted that the current heavy rainfall being experienced would worsen the condition of roads in the region.
The acting Director of the Ghana Road Fund Secretariat, Mr George Aidoo, said payments for periodic maintenance had been made as of June 2008.
He advised contractors to put in monthly invoices to make payments easier.

BAGBIN INAUGURATES STREETLIGHT PROJECT AT KALEO (PAGE 23)

The Minority leader in Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, has inaugurated a GH¢20,000 streetlight project at Kaleo in the Nadowli District in the Upper West Region.
The project, initiated by the Kaleo Optimists Club, was supported by the Minority Leader, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nadowli West.
In an address, Mr Bagbin assured his constituents of his commitment to the improvement of their standard of living.
As a result of that, he said, more assistance had been provided to the Kaleo Senior High/Technical School.
Mr Bagbin mentioned some of the assistance as donation of computers, sponsorship packages for brilliant, needy students including the overall best student of the school and the provision of plastic chairs to the school.
“I have also contributed GH¢2,000 to support the community towards its water project and rehabilitated an old school block furnished with chairs,” he added.
The Minority Leader expressed his gratitude to his constituents and assured them that he would never rest on his laurels.
“I am for people and will use my last pesewa to develop my people, that is why I don’t have a house in Wa but in my village Sombo,” he told the gathering.
Mr Bagbin urged residents of Kaleo to maintain the project and make good use of it.
An official of Kaleo Optimists Club, Mr Eddie Kaleo-Naa, thanked Mr Bagbin for his support towards the projects.
He told the people that the club was a non-partisan one and, therefore, urged them not to read political meaning into its activities.

NPP, NDC ELECT ASPIRANTS TO CONTEST UPPER WEST SEATS (PAGE 15)

THE Upper West Regional branches of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have completed electing their parliamentary aspirants in all the 10 constituencies in the region.
For the NDC, they are Rashid Pelpuo, Ameen Salifu and Yieleh Chireh for Wa Central, Wa East and Wa West respectively.
Sissala West and Sissala East have Robert Wavei and Madam Rawufatu Dubie, respectively, while Alban Bagbin and Matthias Puozah will contest the Nadowli West and Nadowli East seats respectively.
The aspirants for Lawra-Nandom, Jirapa and Lambussie are Dr Benjamin Kumbour, Edward Salia and Mrs Alice Boon, respectively.
For NPP are Clement Eledi, Daniel Dari and Godfrey Tangu for Wa Central, Wa West and Wa East respectively.
Others are George Hikah Benson, Sissala West; Ahmed Issah, Sissala East; Wing Commander Eric Dakurah (retd), Nadowli West, and Ekor Dassah, Nadowli East.
The rest are Lawra-Nandom, Ambrose P. Dery; Justin Dakorah, Jirapa, and John Balooru, Lambussie.
Meanwhile, the hitherto dull Wa municipality is gradually coming alive with some political activities, with party vans noisily blaring out party songs.
As usual, the dominant parties are the NDC and the NPP. Also seen is the campaign van of the Convention People’s Party, although it does not play out any of the party's songs.
The presence of other parties, namely, the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and the People's Convention Party (PNC) is not being felt, for unknown reasons.

8 SUPPORT CONSTRUCTION OF WA HOSPITAL (PAGE 47)

Each of the eight district assemblies in the Upper West Region has contributed GH¢32,525.00 toward the construction of a regional hospital in Wa.
The amount has already been deducted from the second quarter share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Mohammed Abdul Aziz, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the assembly in Wa.
He expressed the hope that members of the assemblies in the region would take keen interest in the project in order to ensure its successful completion.
He said with the establishment of the Health Assistant Training School in Wa, the assembly had taken a number of measures to turn its fortunes round.
Mr Aziz said the school was currently seeking to rehabilitate and partition an old classroom structure to accommodate fresh students.
"We have sent a proposal for support from the Ministry of Health while we start working on the rehabilitation to enable the students to begin classes as soon as possible," he added.
He announced that the small town water projects at Busa and Charia were on course and commended the assembly members of the towns for their diligence and supervision of the technical team’s activities.
Mr Aziz said some non-governmental organisations, namely Plan Ghana, Pronet-North and Concern Universal, had offered to assist the assembly to address the chronic water problem in Wa, which has been compounded by the presence of a large number of students of the University for Development Studies (USD) and the Wa Polytechnic.
He said the assembly together with the NGOs would work towards providing each area with a water system to be operated and managed by the people themselves.
The MCE said the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) was assisting all assemblies in the region to prepare their water and sanitation plans, which would be marketed to the donor community.
On this year's general election, Mr Aziz urged the assembly members to educate their people against acts of violence during the run-up to December 7, 2008.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr Adams Seidu, commended the assembly members for their commitment towards the improvement of the standard of living of their people.

PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOSTELS TO STUDENTS (PAGE 11)

THE acting Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Kaku Sagary Nokoe, has appealed to estate developers to consider as a matter of business prudence to develop affordabe hostels around the campuses of the university.
In the same vein, he also passionately appealed to the Ghana Hostels Limited, a subsidiary of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), to consider putting the Wa campus of the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies on its list given the growth of student numbers, saying that the university was prepared to co-operate on mutually agreed terms.
He made the appeal at the 16th matriculation of the university at Wa.
In all 3,500 students were admitted to pursue various courses at the Wa campus.
Prof. Nokoe, noted that admissions for the 2008-09 academic year had been challenging but the university had demonstrated its commitment towards providing education for all by ensuring that all qualified applicants from deprived communities, remotely located schools from all parts of Ghana and all qualified females were offered admission for various programmes.
He said 20 per cent of the total applicants could not gain admission to the university.
He said with the introduction of post-diploma and direct degree programmes in community development studies and limited specialisation into the integrated development studies, a substantial percentage of students were admitted to the Wa campus of the university.
On infrastructural development, Prof. Nokoe mentioned that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) continued to provide immense support towards the construction of physical infrastructure including lecture halls, offices and residential accommodation.
Prof. Nokoe urged the matriculants to acquaint themselves with all regulations governing their stay in the university, as their ignorance of the regulations, or of any public notice shall not be accepted as an excuse for any breach of discipline.
Touching on the forthcoming elections, he advised the students not to allow themselves to be deceived and forced into taking unnecesary actions that could disturb the peace of the country.
On his part, the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hikah Benson, appealed to landlords not to take advantage of the situation of students to charge exorbitant rents and called on the people of the region to support the university to address their accommodation problems.
In a related development, Prof. Nokoe disclosed in a speech read on his behalf at the 16th matriculation ceremony of the university at Nyankpala in the Tolon-Kumbungu District in the Northern Region, that a total of 5,592 fresh students were admitted for the 2008/09 academic year, reports Vincent Adedze.
Prof. Nokoe said the students wouls pursue such courses as agriculture, applied sciences, community nutrition and integrated development studies.
Students were also admitted to pursue Master of Science, Philosophy and Doctorate degree programmes, Prof. Nokoe noted.
“We call on business-minded individuals in Tamale and its environs to invest in hostels and the provision of other services around the Tamale campus; the university is prepared to co-operate on mutually agreed terms”, the acting Vice Chancellor stressed.
He expressed concern about the peculiar problems of students at the Wa and Navrongo campuses where most of them live in private homes and community compounds and entreated them to “behave as mature university students and to respect the norms and values of the people you interact with every day”.
Professor Nokoe advised students to adhere to laid-down regulations of the university to avoid sanctions, adding that any student who wished to defer a programme must apply to the Dean of Faculty and give reasons for the deferment.

YOUTH URGED TO ADVOCATE OF PEACE (PAGE 40)

THE Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hikah Benson, has called on the youth of the country to be advocates of peace to accelerate the progress of the nation.
He noted that being the future leaders of the country, they should endeavour to prevent any negative thing that could affect the development agenda of the nation.
The regional minister made the call when opening a three-day workshop for selected teachers in the Upper West Region.
The workshop, which was on the theme: "Consolidating democracy through youth participation", was organised by Project Citizen Ghana, a civil organisation based in Accra.
Mr Benson said with the general election fast approaching, there was the need for tolerance from all stakeholders in order to avoid violence, which is happening in some parts of the country.
He noted with concern that the youth were involved in all the reported violent clashes.
Mr Benson commended Project Citizen Ghana for including the region in all its peace initiatives and expressed the hope that their efforts would go a long way to ensure peace at all times.
The Co-ordinator of the project, Mrs Fanny Kumah, made a passionate appeal to the electorate, the various political parties and their followers to strive to make the upcoming general election violence free.
She also implored them to abide by the political parties code of conduct, which they had signed.
Mrs Kumah explained that the workshop was aimed at training the youth to develop democratic dispositions like tolerance, patriotism, self-respect, that encourage the exercise of fundamental human rights and responsibility.
"If the goals of Project Citizens are deeply rooted in the youth, we are confident that there will be no acrimony or violence before, during or even after the election," she said.
Mrs Kumah thanked the Hanns Siedal Foundation, the Ghana Education Service and other collaborators for their support towards the programme.
The Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Kofi Adomah, appealed to Ghanaians to tolerate the views of one another.

CO-OPERATE WITH CONTROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT (PAGE 40)

THE burying of the dead in residential premises in some rural communities in the Upper West Region poses a threat to the pollution of boreholes and wells in those communities.
The practice exposes those rural communities to health risks associated with contaminated water sources.
Most rural communities in the region, in particular, and northern Ghana in general, obtain their drinking water from boreholes and wells. Some of the communities even depend on drinking water from unsafe sources such as streams and ponds.
According to the 2004 Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy published in March 2005, 56.2 per cent of poor rural households and 62.3 per cent of very poor households obtain their drinking water from boreholes, while 31.6 per cent of rural households still depend on unsafe sources of drinking water, such as ponds, streams and unprotected wells.
In most rural communities in the region, some family heads and their spouses who die at old age are buried in the courtyards or very close to their houses. The practice is common in the three northern regions and explains the presence of graves in some residential premises.
In such communities, wells have been drilled in some courtyards, while other wells and boreholes have been drilled very close to some houses. In some of the communities, graves are as close as about 50 metres to boreholes and wells. In some instances, the boreholes and wells existed before the graves were made, and vice versa.
In spite of the threat it poses to the contamination of water sources, the burying of the dead in residential premises is prevalent in rural communities in northern Ghana. Several reasons account for the prevalence of the practice.
In the first place, it is an entrenched practice accorded to heads of families for them to be easily remembered.
Second, in some small rural communities, there are no cemeteries and the burying of the dead takes place haphazardly, including in residential premises.
Third, a large segment of the general public, especially the rural dwellers, are not aware of the risk the practice poses to their health.
This stems from the fact that burying of the dead has not been taken seriously as a sanitation issue in water resource management.
Graves that are very close to boreholes and wells pose a threat to the pollution of such water sources and make the users vulnerable to water-related diseases, with immense adverse effects on their socio-economic well-being.
Infiltration from such graves will contaminate nearby boreholes and wells with bacteria and fungi from decomposed corpses.
People who drink from such water sources may contract diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, infectious hepatitis and diarrhoea, which may reach epidemic levels.
For instance, a water quality test conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2003 on a borehole that is about 55 metres from a cemetery in Gwollu in the Sissala West District revealed bacteriological contamination of the water from decomposed human bodies. The EPA, therefore, advised the community to stop using the borehole.
Besides, a borehole near the Wa Meteorological Station has been contaminated by infiltration from a nearby grave and is no longer used for drinking purposes.
Again, the mortality rate in northern Ghana may remain high if water sources get contaminated and users of such water sources contract diseases. This could undermine efforts being made to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the infant, child and maternal mortality rates by the year 2015.
The inadequate water supply situation in some rural communities in the region could be worsened, as affected communities may be compelled to stop using polluted boreholes and wells.
In communities where such polluted water sources were hitherto the only sources of safe drinking water, the people may revert to the use of unsafe water sources such as streams and ponds for drinking. This could result in guinea worm infestations in those communities. Such a situation is likely to hinder efforts being made to achieve the MDG of reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water by the year 2015.
Furthermore, as rural communities expand, graves may conflict with the laying of water supply pipelines in future as they turn to be scattered about.
If this impending threat to water pollution is not controlled, it will contribute significantly to the impoverishment of the rural poor in northern Ghana. Collaborative action, therefore, ought to be taken by stakeholders in the water and sanitation sectors to ensure that the practice is discontinued.
According to an environmentalist, Mr Emmanuel Lignule, communities that buried dead bodies in residential premises needed to be educated to understand the problem associated with the practice.
He said communities that did not have cemeteries should establish some, as all dead bodies should be buried in cemeteries.
Mr Lignule stated that the construction of boreholes and wells should go through environmental assessment to ensure that their locations were appropriate.
He urged owners of water sources such as boreholes and wells to carry out water quality tests periodically to ensure that contaminated water was not consumed.
Mr Lignule stressed the need for district assemblies in the three northern regions to enact bye-laws compelling all communities to establish cemeteries and bury dead bodies there.
Such bye-laws, he emphasised, must be strictly enforced.

BURYING THE DEAD IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS ...Threat to water bodies in Upper West (PAGE 40)

THE burying of the dead in residential premises in some rural communities in the Upper West Region poses a threat to the pollution of boreholes and wells in those communities.
The practice exposes those rural communities to health risks associated with contaminated water sources.
Most rural communities in the region, in particular, and northern Ghana in general, obtain their drinking water from boreholes and wells. Some of the communities even depend on drinking water from unsafe sources such as streams and ponds.
According to the 2004 Annual Progress Report on the implementation of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy published in March 2005, 56.2 per cent of poor rural households and 62.3 per cent of very poor households obtain their drinking water from boreholes, while 31.6 per cent of rural households still depend on unsafe sources of drinking water, such as ponds, streams and unprotected wells.
In most rural communities in the region, some family heads and their spouses who die at old age are buried in the courtyards or very close to their houses. The practice is common in the three northern regions and explains the presence of graves in some residential premises.
In such communities, wells have been drilled in some courtyards, while other wells and boreholes have been drilled very close to some houses. In some of the communities, graves are as close as about 50 metres to boreholes and wells. In some instances, the boreholes and wells existed before the graves were made, and vice versa.
In spite of the threat it poses to the contamination of water sources, the burying of the dead in residential premises is prevalent in rural communities in northern Ghana. Several reasons account for the prevalence of the practice.
In the first place, it is an entrenched practice accorded to heads of families for them to be easily remembered.
Second, in some small rural communities, there are no cemeteries and the burying of the dead takes place haphazardly, including in residential premises.
Third, a large segment of the general public, especially the rural dwellers, are not aware of the risk the practice poses to their health.
This stems from the fact that burying of the dead has not been taken seriously as a sanitation issue in water resource management.
Graves that are very close to boreholes and wells pose a threat to the pollution of such water sources and make the users vulnerable to water-related diseases, with immense adverse effects on their socio-economic well-being.
Infiltration from such graves will contaminate nearby boreholes and wells with bacteria and fungi from decomposed corpses.
People who drink from such water sources may contract diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid, infectious hepatitis and diarrhoea, which may reach epidemic levels.
For instance, a water quality test conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2003 on a borehole that is about 55 metres from a cemetery in Gwollu in the Sissala West District revealed bacteriological contamination of the water from decomposed human bodies. The EPA, therefore, advised the community to stop using the borehole.
Besides, a borehole near the Wa Meteorological Station has been contaminated by infiltration from a nearby grave and is no longer used for drinking purposes.
Again, the mortality rate in northern Ghana may remain high if water sources get contaminated and users of such water sources contract diseases. This could undermine efforts being made to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing the infant, child and maternal mortality rates by the year 2015.
The inadequate water supply situation in some rural communities in the region could be worsened, as affected communities may be compelled to stop using polluted boreholes and wells.
In communities where such polluted water sources were hitherto the only sources of safe drinking water, the people may revert to the use of unsafe water sources such as streams and ponds for drinking. This could result in guinea worm infestations in those communities. Such a situation is likely to hinder efforts being made to achieve the MDG of reducing by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water by the year 2015.
Furthermore, as rural communities expand, graves may conflict with the laying of water supply pipelines in future as they turn to be scattered about.
If this impending threat to water pollution is not controlled, it will contribute significantly to the impoverishment of the rural poor in northern Ghana. Collaborative action, therefore, ought to be taken by stakeholders in the water and sanitation sectors to ensure that the practice is discontinued.
According to an environmentalist, Mr Emmanuel Lignule, communities that buried dead bodies in residential premises needed to be educated to understand the problem associated with the practice.
He said communities that did not have cemeteries should establish some, as all dead bodies should be buried in cemeteries.
Mr Lignule stated that the construction of boreholes and wells should go through environmental assessment to ensure that their locations were appropriate.
He urged owners of water sources such as boreholes and wells to carry out water quality tests periodically to ensure that contaminated water was not consumed.
Mr Lignule stressed the need for district assemblies in the three northern regions to enact bye-laws compelling all communities to establish cemeteries and bury dead bodies there.
Such bye-laws, he emphasised, must be strictly enforced.

NADOWLI DISTRICT NCCE ORGANISES FORUM (PAGE 17)

THE Nadowli District office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Upper West Region has organised a forum for political party executives in the area.
The forum, which forms part of the commission’s education programme, attracted representatives from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
The Upper West Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr Kofi Adomah, urged the parties to go about their campaigns devoid of insults, insinuations and the use of abusive language.
He called on the political leaders not to incite their supporters to disrupt rallies of other political parties.
"Opponents should tolerate each other’s views instead of jumping on the neck of others on sight," he added.
Mr Adomah pointed out to political parties to accept the outcome of this year’s election by either conceding defeat or congratulating the winners.
He condemned the alleged reports of swearing of oaths through the coercion of chiefs and opinion leaders to convince their people to vote for a particular party.
"These people must refrain from summoning their subjects to threaten them by making them swear oaths to vote for or not to vote for a particular candidate,” he stated.
Mr Adomah asked the electorate to critically analyse the message of the candidates and vote for those who would bring development to their areas.
The acting Nadowli District Director of the NCCE, Mr John Waako, said the forum was the beginning of a number of activities lined up to ensure peaceful elections.

NDC MUST STOP USING CPP'S SLOGAN (PAGE 13)

THE Campaign Manager of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Richmond Lamptey, has advised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to stop using the CPP’s “Yere sesamu” slogan as if it was theirs.
He urged the NDC to join the CPP if it believed in the “Yere sesamu” slogan and other messages of the CPP, adding that they would be welcome.
Mr Lamptey, who was speaking to newsmen after a tour of the Upper West Region, said “it is characteristic of the NDC to steal everything and make it their own. They have realised that their slogans are not catching on so they have come for ours”.
He said judging from the high level of support the CPP was enjoying nationwide, the party was poised to spring a surprise in the December polls.
He said the party was currently organising in all polling stations such that when the ballots were counted after the elections, people would be surprised.
“We are working towards having at least 30 per cent of the presidential votes to place second to either the NDC or the New Patriotic Party (NPP). This will make any of the two to support the CPP for the second round,” Mr Lamptey said.
He described as untrue, rumours that a CPP parliamentary aspirant for Walewale had defected to the NPP, because the CPP had not elected an aspirant for Walawale.
He explained that Mr Ahmed Issahaku who is alleged to have defected was the CPP candidate for the 2004 elections.