KALE WARNS ACTORS IN SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (PAGE 15, POLITICS)

THE Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Caesar Kale, has cautioned actors in the implementation of the Ghana National School Feeding Programme not to misconduct themselves.
He said the government would not hesitate to take drastic action against any of such actors, who include caterers, school authorities and district assembly officials.
Addressing a sensitisation workshop on the GNSFP in Wa, he admitted that the concept was no doubt a good one that could contribute meaningfully towards facilitating education for all at the basic school level.
Mr Kale said the introduction of the programme had contributed towards improved school attendance and better nutrition for schoolchildren.
He expressed concern about the low number of beneficiary schools in the region as compared to other areas of the country.
Mr Kale therefore made a special appeal for the current trend to be resolved since an increase in the number of beneficiary schools in the region would definitely enhance the implementation of the programme.
“Additionally we need to look at issues relating to the nutritional content of the food that is served, the environment and the linkages to local productivity; I will therefore call for collaboration and team work between caterers, schools, school authorities the district assembly, among other actors, in the implementation process,” he said.
The Deputy Regional Minister urged the participants to identify the linkages and work towards enhancing them so that at the end of the day “we would achieve better nutrition, quality education and increased agricultural productions which are all an integral part of the programme.
Mr Kale gave the assurance that the government would expand the GNSFP to cover many more schools and deal with all the shortcomings as well.
The executive director of the GNSFP, Alhaji Suleimana Abdulrahman, said so far 1,696 public schools with 656,000 students are benefiting from the programme in all the 170 districts of the country.
He said the programme would be scaled up to one million beneficiaries next year, and that management had resolved to find a sustainable mode of funding for the programme so that it would continue when the sponsors pull out.
He gave the assurance that the programme would not be politicised, adding “ we are going to be non-political as we will not mix politics with administration”.

NDC HAS DONE WELL — KOFI ADAMS (PAGE 16, NOV 18)

The Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congres (NDC), Mr Kofi Adams, has said the NDC has done relatively well within a short time.
He said the NDC had a lot of human resource at its disposal to make the dream of a better Ghana agenda come true.
He was speaking at the induction of new officers to steer the affairs of the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) branch of the Tertiary Institutions Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress.
The officers are Enumil Cudjoe as president, Ganiyu Sandow, Adam Faiza and Mutaru Gunu, vice president, first vice president and secretary, respectively.
The rest are Seidu Majeed deputy secretary, Adam Izudeen, propaganda secretary, Mohammed Illiasu, deputy propaganda and Alhassan Baba, organiser.
Others are Abdulai Maluooda, deputy organiser, Yahaya Salaam, treasurer, Fadila Alhassan, women’s organiser and deputy women’s organiser, Abdul Wahabi Hamida.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony,Mr Adams said that “The NDC is full of performers and I want to assure you that we will never let Ghanaians down”.
Mr Adams, who is also the spokesperson for former President J. J. Rawlings, told the ecstatic students that the New Patriotic Party government left a huge debt, particularly at the Tema Oil Refinery, whose debt profile quadrupled within eight years of the NPP administration.
“Where the NDC has failed is that, we did not put people at the right place to expose the rot of the NPP,” he said.
According to him the government has not frozen employment in the public sector and that “there is currently net employment going on ”.
He advised members of the Wa campus of the UDS to be steadfast and resolute in order to counter the vile propaganda of the NPP.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, assured the gathering that the NDC would continue to fight for Ghanaians through the provision of facilities that would enhance their living standards.
He said the achievements of the NDC so far had sent fears into the NPP hence they have resorted to propaganda against the NDC.
For his part the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Caesar Kale, described the TEIN as the intellectual wing of the NDC and therefore advised that they should continue to champion the cause of the NDC in their interactions with Ghanaians.
The Wa campus president of TEIN, Mr Enumil Cudjoe, gave the assurance the executive would work hard to justify their inclusion.

BAN MUSHROOM NDC ORGAINISATIONS — KHALID (NOV 12, PAGE 16)

The Wa Central Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Abdulrahman Khalid, has expressed concern about the mushrooming of organisations that are not in line with the party’s code of ethics.
He has therefore, called on the hierarchy of the party to ban those organisations with immediate effect or absorb them into the mainstream party structure to ensure party unity and cohesion.
“We must also implement and apply the laid down procedures in order not to compromise the strong foundation of our great party,” he added.
Mr Khalid was delivering his report during the constituency congress of the party in Wa.
He said, after losing the 2004 elections, the constituency executive embarked on a restructuring exercise to put the party in shape.
He said the constituency was then divided into 10 administrative workable zones with effective and efficient executive members in each zone to monitor the activities of the branches.
“The unity of purpose that prevailed over the period was no mean an achievement as we were able to mobilise both human and financial resources which enabled us to win the 2008 elections,” he said.
According to Mr Khalid, the party still faces a number of challenges, prominent among them being the lack of office accommodation and equipment to work efficiently.
The constituency secretary commended the party’s agents, members of the youth working committee and host of others who helped to sustained the party’s activities.
“No amount of appreciation can match the kind of services rendered to us in this constituency. We can only wish you long lives and sound health to be able to continue your good works,” he concluded.

SONZELE RURAL BANK RIDES HIGH (PAGE 33, NOV 10)

THE Sonzele Rural Bank in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region made a profit of GH¢163,352.00 in 2008 as against GH¢53,442.00 in 2007.
The impressive performance represents an increase of over two hundred per cent in the profit margin of the bank.
Addressing the 19th annual general meeting of the bank at Jirapa at the weekend, the chairperson of the board, Mrs Celestine Bayor, attributed the success story of the bank to the pragmatic strategies adopted by the management.
She said the assets and liability also stood at GH¢2,904,389.00 as against GH¢2, 449,223.00 in 2007.
According to her the bank granted loans and salary advances to promote commerce, education, cottage industries , among others, all amounting to GH¢509,532.00
She informed the shareholders that a new agency of the bank had been opened in Wa, the regional capital, while plans were advanced to open another at Hain by the next quarter of next year.
Mrs Bayor said the board and management was committed to sustaining the bank’s leadership position in the rural banking industry in the country and beyond, and that it was in this respect that the Sonzele Rural Bank was rated the fifth strongest rural bank by the efficiency and monitoring unit of the ARP APEX Bank Limited.
“Your bank is also among the first 25 Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) to be computerised and networked under the Millennium Challenge Account, and work is steadily progressing in that direction”, she added.
She said the bank would among others, employ modern systems and technology to provide integrated back and front office that would enhance quality service delivery while appropriate mix of products and services would be developed to suit the changing demands and requirements of customers.
“The bank will also strengthen its capacity to lead in financing of major and financially rewarding businesses in key sectors of the economy in her catchment areas”, Mrs.Bayor said.
The District Chief Executive for Jirapa, Mr B. K. Puozuing urged those who were refusing to pay their loans to endeavour to do so.

WA EAST ASSEMBLY HOLDS MEETING (PAGE 20, NOV 6)

AS part of measures to increase police presence in the Wa East District in the Upper West Region, two police stations are being constructed by the district assembly at Kundugu and Kulkpong.
The assembly has also awarded a number of projects to enhance the living conditions of the people.
The projects include school blocks and sanitary facilities at Du West, Sawgla, Balayiri, Kulkpong, Kundugu and Loggu Sagu.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Wa East, Mr Ameen Salifu, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the assembly this year at Funsi, the district capital.
According to him, the district would also benefit from the drilling of 55 boreholes to be sited in a number of communities.
He said in the health sector, a CHPS compound would be established at Chaagu Paani while furniture and other equipment had been supplied to the Kataah and Danyokura Health Centres.
Mr Salifu stated that the assembly received GH¢22,356 for a Nutrition Malaria Control for Survival Project to be carried out in selected communities.
He said under the same project, the district had been allocated 5,500 insecticide treated nets (ITN) for distribution to various communities.
The DCE, therefore, urged members of the assembly to acquaint themselves with the project to facilitate its implementation.
He said contract for a number of road projects awarded in 2006 had been terminated due to non-performance.
They include the Tinnabelle-Sawubelle, Yize–Bankpalnna, Loggu Balayiri–Wawa and the Naha-Yize roads.
Mr Salifu said arrangements were far advanced to procure a grader to reduce the assembly’s over reliance on contractors who failed to perform.
“Let me assure you that the government is paying serious attention to the poor nature of our roads and it is my hope that it will very soon be a thing of the past,” he stated.
He seized the opportunity to advise the assembly members to mobilise the people to offer communal labour to patch damaged roads in their electoral areas as was done recently by the assembly member for the Funsi Electoral Area on the Funsi-Wahabu road.
Touching on revenue generation, the DCE said the assembly realised GH¢53,990.80 out of its target of GH¢57,175.70 for the year.
He commended the assembly members for their continuous support in the work of the assembly.

TAKE MEASURES TO STOP CONFLICTS IN NORTHERN GHANA (PAGE 20, NOV 6)

THE Executive Director of the Centre for Promotion of Youth Development and Empowerment (CPYDE), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr Alhassan Abdulai, has called for proactive measures to stop conflicts in Northern Ghana, especially in the Upper West Region.
“For us, as we count our losses in the Northern and Upper East regions following the conflict in those areas, we must endeavour to prevent any calamity from befalling our people in the Upper West in order to live in peace and harmony for sustainable development”, he stated.
Mr Abdulai was addressing a training of trainers workshop on advocacy in peacebuilding for community-based organisations in Wa.
The workshop, organised by CPYDE, was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Mr Abdulai said the CPYDE would collaborate with all organisations and individuals engaged in peaceful activities in the Upper West Region to ensure that the current relative peaceful atmosphere being enjoyed in the region was sustained.
He said the three northern regions continued to lag behind in almost all indicators of human development.
He said on the average, the Ghana Living Standards Survey (2005) had concluded that seven out of 10 people in the Northern Region continued to live in poverty while eight and nine out of the same number in the Upper West and Upper East regions were in the same category.
“I wish therefore to appeal to our northern brothers and sisters to reflect on these and allow peace to prevail at all times to speed up our development agenda,” Mr Abdulai added.
According to him, the workshop was aimed at sharpening the advocacy skills of the participants to enable them to map out strategies to prevent conflicts in their localities.
Mr Abdulai was unhappy that peace measures had been concentrated largely in the Northern and Upper East regions, and suggested that other NGOs should include the Upper West Region in their programme of activities.
The Secretary of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, Mr Mark Abugnaba, said the council had through dialogue been able to avert conflict situations in some communities in the region.
He referred to the 2008 general elections where through the efforts of the council, the various political parties were encouraged to use dialogue instead of force.
“That went a long way to ensure peace in the region before, during and after the elections,” Mr Abdulai added.

OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND IN GHANA — BRITISH HIGH COMMISSIONER (PAGE 11, NOV 6)

THE British High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr Nicholas Wescott, has observed that there are more opportunities in the country for Ghanaians to utilise for their development.
He said it was better to do so than migrating to Europe through unapproved routes, often resulting in undesirable consequences.
Dr Wescott was delivering a lecture at the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (US) on the topic: ‘Economic growth and migration in Ghana: Lessons from Britain in the past”.
He said some Ghanaians, and for that matter, Africans gave huge sums of money to unscrupulous people in the desert to help them to undertake dangerous journeys, and most often they did not get to their final destinations.
“Take your chances here as there are more opportunities in Ghana which would enable you to succeed in life,” he added.
He debunked claims that people could only make it in Europe just because they perceived those places as rich and prosperous.
He said although migration was a good thing and inevitable, the right procedure should be adopted in order to avoid tension and conflict.
The British High Commissioner said it was in that regard that the commission had adopted a transparent and strict process for the acquisition of visas.
He, therefore, advised Ghanaians to pass through the necessary channels in their visa acquisition process, adding that the British High Commission in Ghana was collaborating with the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to check fake documents of applicants.
Dr Wescott expressed happiness that the UDS was building linkages and partnership with the University of Lancashire, and expreessed the hope that the move would go a long way to strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.
Touching on trade, he expressed the view that liberalisation was not to make Africa poor, and cited the case of Mexico, India and China, whose economies had improved through liberalisation.
The acting Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Ken Nokoe, enumerated a number of challenges facing the university.
These included inadequate staffing, housing and accommodation.
He stressed the need for the staff of the UDS to be trained further, and said with the reduced Faculty Development Fund ‘we need more support from the Government and our partners for training scholarships, attachment and exchange programmes for the staff and students.
He commended Dr Wescott for his decision to share his experience with members of the university, as that would place the UDS at the next level.

ALLOW CHIEFS TO CONTEST AS INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES (PAGE 15, NOV 6)

THE Paramount Chief of the Gwollu Traditional Area in the Upper West Region, Kuoro Buktie Limman IV, has called on the government to ensure that chiefs contest elections as independent candidates.
He was of the view that chiefs standing as independent candidates had no correlation with partisan political activities.
“The chief is the father of the nation and the people and the chieftaincy institution is not partisan,” he added.
Kuoro Limaan made the call in Wa during a regional consultative forum for the acceleration of decentralisation in Ghana.
Article 276 (1) of the Constitution says,states that “A chief shall not take part in active party politics; and any chief wishing to do so and seeking election to Parliament shall abdicate his stool or skin.”
The Gwollu chief called for the amendment of Article 276 (1), since it infringed upon the fundamental human rights of chiefs.
“We have lawyers, accountants, engineers, among others, and so why leave us out of the system?” he asked.
He also called for the involvement of chiefs in the decentralisation process, particularly in the disbursement of the District Assemblies Common Fund at the local level.
Addressing the forum, the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, said the current decentralisation system was a good concept and that its advantages were numerous, as it promoted grass-root participation and speedy and meaningful development.
He said the concept had quite a good legal framework for decentralisation but there were clear challenges which militated against the realisation of the full benefits of the process.
He said it was in the light of this that a series of forums were being organised nation-wide to collate views on how the process could be accelerated.
Mr Khalid said in seeking to do that, “we are hoping that we can engender views and opinions on various aspects of the issues at stake”.
“We, therefore, seek at this forum any views and ideas that will strengthen and deepen the practice of decentralisation,” he stated
In a brief remark, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, said many identifiable bodies were being consulted on the decentralisation process across the country.
He said the issue at stake was not a partisan one and that all relevant agencies would be involved in the process.

ENTRENCHED POSITIONS KILLING BUNKPURUGU-YUNYOO NDC (PAGE 17, NOV 4)

The President of the Northern Chapter of the Bunkpurugu – Yunyoo Constituency branch of the Tertiary Institution Network (TEIN) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Isaac Binbintir, has expressed concern over the entrenched position some members of the network in the constituency had taken, which is destroying the party.
He said the branch Network was very much aware that in every party and constituency there were differences but the situation in Bunkpurugu was peculiar.
He said there had been confusion right from the polling stations up to the constituency executive elections and that it would be far from exaggeration “ if we should say that top ranking members in the constituency preferred to relate well with other members of the parties than their own”.
He was speaking at an emergency meeting of the branch at the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The branch consists of students from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
Mr Binbintir noted that there was currently tension between two groups of the branch network, where one group was alleged to have been denied nomination forms to contest the constituency elections while the other had gone to proclaim itself as a newly elected constituency executive.
“This unhealthy acrimony has the potential of killing the party in the constituency because those who are not the choice of the people have the tendency of leading the party and this can drive away a lot of supporters and sympathisers,” he said
He warned that the situation could result in the emergence of some personalities going as independent candidates as happened in 2000 when Mr J. Y. Labik stood on his own and won.
Mr Binbintir, who is a student on the Wa campus of the UDS, suggested that the structures within the party must be made to work and called on the national executive committee of the NDC to intervene in order to ensure sanity in the constituency.

WA CENTRAL NDC ELECTS NEW EXECUTIVE (PAGE 16, NOV 4)

THE Wa Central Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has elected a 26-member executive to steer the affairs of the party for the next four years.
The executives include Alhaji Seidu Jamatutu as chairman, Adam Salia and Adam Iddrisu, first and second vice chairmen respectively, Abdul Rahman–Rahman, secretary and Nuhu Issahaku Putiaha, deputy constituency secretary.
The rest are Alhaji Ankilu Sumaila, organiser, Abubakar Rahaman, treasurer, Alhaji M. Kabore, propaganda secretary, Hajia Hamida Nasiri, women organiser, and Alhaji Mumuni Mankama, youth organiser.
Addressing the conference, the Minister for Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, acknowledged the role of the party faithful in the NDC’s victory during the last general election.
He said the Government was taking measures to arrest the downward trend of the economy, and appealed for maximum restraint from supporters of the party since the NDC would continue to be responsive to the needs of Ghanaians.
“We have inherited an economy with a huge domestic debt, and therefore, we need to be a little bit tolerant to deal with the situation,” he added.
Mr Pelpuo gave the assurance that the youth would be catered for properly through skills training to enable them to become employable and self-reliant.
“The NDC will continue to think and support the masses with good policies in order to improve upon their lives,” he said
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Mahmud Khalid, condemned backbiting and gossiping within the party.
He said these negative practices did not augur well for the party, and must therefore, be stopped in the interest of party unity and cohesion.
He said many people were ready to join the NDC but the attitude of some activists was driving them away, and said they must be embraced since politics was about numbers.
The regional Secretary of the party, who is also the deputy regional minister, Mr Kale Caesar, described Mr Rashid Pelpuo as one of the finest ministers in the country.
He rejected claims that the government was very slow and said, “we would continue to take our time as a government and move this country in the right direction”.
The constituency chairman, Alhaji Seidu Jamatutu, thanked the delegates for the confidence reposed in the executive and gave the assurance that they would continue to work hard to maintain the constituency for the NDC.