THE Upper West regional executive committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged supporters and sympathisers of the party to forge ahead in unity and prepare for the greater task ahead to win power from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2012.
According to the party, it was its desire to increase the NPP presidential candidate’s votes in the region as well as capture more seats in addition to the three existing ones, namely Lawra – Nandom , Wa East and Lambussie constituencies.
Congratulating delegates for the peaceful and orderly manner they conducted themselves before, during and after the party’s recent presidential primaries, it said “we are particularly grateful to the agents of the various presidential aspirants for the support and co-operation given to the regional and constituency election committees.”
This singular action has demonstrated to all Ghanaians and the whole world that internal democracy had come to stay in the party,” said a statement signed by the Regional Secretary of the party, Mr. Stephen Engmen.
It said the peaceful manner of the primaries had also won the hearts and admiration of not the NPP alone but also the NDC.
It commended the regional and constituency election committees for their commitment to duty by working hard to ensure that the primaries were transparent, free and fair.
“We are again grateful to the Electoral Commission in the region for conducting the elections according to the set rules and guidelines stipulated by the NPP. We wish to assure the EC that we will continue to co-operate with them as we prepare for election 2012,” it added.
Touching on the role of the media, the statement said their facilitation in the education of the delegates on the guidelines went a long way to ensure a smooth electoral process ,pointing out that the keen manner in which they monitored and transmitted the results on the day of the elections made the presidential primaries more transparent.
“The presence of the security personnel was enough to ensure the safety of all voters, election officers, materials as well as well wishers who were around to witness the voting process”, the statement concluded.
In the elections in the region, a total of 4294 delegates cast their ballot with Nana Akufo – Addo getting 2923 while his closest Alan Kyerematen got 1252.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
WA PRODUCES SOLAR LAMPS (PAGE 22, AUGUST 13, 2010)
WHAT started four years ago as a small-scale project at the Wa Polytechnic in the Upper West Region has now become a beacon of hope for students of this institution which is the youngest polytechnic in the country.
The project was to train the students in assembling solar lamps for deprived communities in the region.
Through the collaboration of Cooper Union in the United States, three communities, namely Tampala, Nambey and Bazing are benefiting from this highly innovative technology. Interestingly, the lamp christened “socialite” is almost wholly made up of local materials.
Beside the electronic parts which are imported, the rest are local materials. It consists of a medium tampico container, a universal hair relaxer container while the handle is made from a Phoenix bicycle spokes.
The reflectors in the lamp are made of the silver-plated portion of Milo tins.
“It is also to get rid of dirt from the environment hence the decision to make the lamp as environmentally friendly as possible. It does not cause any greenhouse effect,” said Mr David Berger of the Cooper Union.
For now, the highly subsidised lamp costs GH¢30 but beneficiaries deposit GH¢10 while the rest is spread over a period of time with a charge of GH¢1 on monthly basis.
Mr Berger told the Daily Graphic that the solar lamp system is designed for recharging for one week, adding that there is a solar system established in the communities which was used for recharging the batteries that last four years.
He said so far the source of funding had been through grants from the United States, adding that Ghana’s Ministry of Energy was interested and was considering financing the project in selected communities in the region.
Mr Berger said there were plans to develop adapters to recharge the lamps in the near future.
A lecturer at the Wa Polytechnic, Mr Charles Ntiamoah Yeboah, commended Cooper Union for supporting the project.
He expressed the hope that when fully embraced by the government, it would go a long way to complement the power needs of the people.
Mr Ntiamoah Yeboah further praised the students of the polytechnic for their co-operation which made the project a success.
The project was to train the students in assembling solar lamps for deprived communities in the region.
Through the collaboration of Cooper Union in the United States, three communities, namely Tampala, Nambey and Bazing are benefiting from this highly innovative technology. Interestingly, the lamp christened “socialite” is almost wholly made up of local materials.
Beside the electronic parts which are imported, the rest are local materials. It consists of a medium tampico container, a universal hair relaxer container while the handle is made from a Phoenix bicycle spokes.
The reflectors in the lamp are made of the silver-plated portion of Milo tins.
“It is also to get rid of dirt from the environment hence the decision to make the lamp as environmentally friendly as possible. It does not cause any greenhouse effect,” said Mr David Berger of the Cooper Union.
For now, the highly subsidised lamp costs GH¢30 but beneficiaries deposit GH¢10 while the rest is spread over a period of time with a charge of GH¢1 on monthly basis.
Mr Berger told the Daily Graphic that the solar lamp system is designed for recharging for one week, adding that there is a solar system established in the communities which was used for recharging the batteries that last four years.
He said so far the source of funding had been through grants from the United States, adding that Ghana’s Ministry of Energy was interested and was considering financing the project in selected communities in the region.
Mr Berger said there were plans to develop adapters to recharge the lamps in the near future.
A lecturer at the Wa Polytechnic, Mr Charles Ntiamoah Yeboah, commended Cooper Union for supporting the project.
He expressed the hope that when fully embraced by the government, it would go a long way to complement the power needs of the people.
Mr Ntiamoah Yeboah further praised the students of the polytechnic for their co-operation which made the project a success.
NEW LIBRARY COMPLEX FOR WA (PAGE 22, AUGUST 13, 2010)
WORK on a new library complex for the Upper West Region has started in Wa, the regional capital.
The estimated GH¢1.5 million project being executed by Messrs Consar Limited of Kumasi, includes a multimedia conference centre and a modern library. The project is to be completed in 18 months.
According to the regional librarian, Mr John–Bosco Kunsana, the project which is being funded by the government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund), forms part of the implementation of educational and information dissemination for the region.
He said after a national competitive bidding, two companies namely Messrs E. Owusu Mensah and Messrs Consar Limited, both of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region passed the preliminary examination and were, therefore, considered for evaluation.
He said on the basis of the evaluation which was carried out in accordance with the criteria set out in the bidding documents, the evaluation panel recommended that the contract for the construction of the library be awarded to Messrs Consar Limited, which was qualified and capable of executing the contract.
Mr Kunsana, who was speaking to the Daily Graphic in Wa after the regional tender board had approved the award of the contract to the contractor.
He thanked the government for the project and said when completed, it would enable more people to have access to library services in the Wa Municipality.
The current library serves as both a district and regional library with very limited space which makes it very difficult for many people to patronise, particularly students.
Mr Kunsana described the government’s intervention as a welcome relief and expressed the hope that the contractor would complete the project on schedule.
The estimated GH¢1.5 million project being executed by Messrs Consar Limited of Kumasi, includes a multimedia conference centre and a modern library. The project is to be completed in 18 months.
According to the regional librarian, Mr John–Bosco Kunsana, the project which is being funded by the government through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund), forms part of the implementation of educational and information dissemination for the region.
He said after a national competitive bidding, two companies namely Messrs E. Owusu Mensah and Messrs Consar Limited, both of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region passed the preliminary examination and were, therefore, considered for evaluation.
He said on the basis of the evaluation which was carried out in accordance with the criteria set out in the bidding documents, the evaluation panel recommended that the contract for the construction of the library be awarded to Messrs Consar Limited, which was qualified and capable of executing the contract.
Mr Kunsana, who was speaking to the Daily Graphic in Wa after the regional tender board had approved the award of the contract to the contractor.
He thanked the government for the project and said when completed, it would enable more people to have access to library services in the Wa Municipality.
The current library serves as both a district and regional library with very limited space which makes it very difficult for many people to patronise, particularly students.
Mr Kunsana described the government’s intervention as a welcome relief and expressed the hope that the contractor would complete the project on schedule.
LAWRA DISTRICT ASSEBLY EXCEEDS REVENUE TARGET (PAGE 22, AUGUST 13, 2010)
THE Lawra District Assembly in the Upper West Region has collected GH¢88,983.75 out of an estimated GH¢69,045.90 budgeted as the assembly’s internally generated funds for this year.
This represents 129 per cent of the 2010 target collected as of July 31, 2010.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Samson Abu, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the assembly at Lawra.
He said the performance was as a result of some pragmatic measures put in place by the assembly which included allocation of a specific vehicle for revenue mobilisation, a well-resourced and active revenue task-force.
Mr Abu said it was the hope of the assembly that the target would be doubled by December, this year.
According to him, even though the assembly was expected to receive a total of GH¢1,283,986.80 as its share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund for 2010, only the first quarter share of GH¢109,313.35 had been received as of July 31, 2010.
Mr Abu said the delay in releasing the funds would impact negatively on the performance of the assembly.
He said additional funds received from the district development fund would be used for the construction of various development projects in the district while more funds were expected from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the implementation of more programmes.
“Apart from our Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) projects at the Nandom Senior High School, all the 2009 projects have been completed and handed over to the appropriate departments for use. They include classroom blocks, clinics, CHPS compounds and sanitary facilities,” he added.
On education, the DCE announced that the district had taken delivery of 2,000 pieces of school uniforms which would soon be distributed while 232,389 exercise books had been earmarked for the district.
Touching on the forthcoming national population census, Mr Abu appealed to the assembly members to help sensitise their people to participate in the exercise.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr N. Godwin commended the assembly members for their support and dedication to duty.
This represents 129 per cent of the 2010 target collected as of July 31, 2010.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Samson Abu, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the assembly at Lawra.
He said the performance was as a result of some pragmatic measures put in place by the assembly which included allocation of a specific vehicle for revenue mobilisation, a well-resourced and active revenue task-force.
Mr Abu said it was the hope of the assembly that the target would be doubled by December, this year.
According to him, even though the assembly was expected to receive a total of GH¢1,283,986.80 as its share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund for 2010, only the first quarter share of GH¢109,313.35 had been received as of July 31, 2010.
Mr Abu said the delay in releasing the funds would impact negatively on the performance of the assembly.
He said additional funds received from the district development fund would be used for the construction of various development projects in the district while more funds were expected from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for the implementation of more programmes.
“Apart from our Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) projects at the Nandom Senior High School, all the 2009 projects have been completed and handed over to the appropriate departments for use. They include classroom blocks, clinics, CHPS compounds and sanitary facilities,” he added.
On education, the DCE announced that the district had taken delivery of 2,000 pieces of school uniforms which would soon be distributed while 232,389 exercise books had been earmarked for the district.
Touching on the forthcoming national population census, Mr Abu appealed to the assembly members to help sensitise their people to participate in the exercise.
The Presiding Member of the assembly, Mr N. Godwin commended the assembly members for their support and dedication to duty.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
JEJEIDAYIRI YOUTH IN SHOWDOWN WITH GBC (PAGE 22, AUGUST 10, 2010)
A ROW is brewing between the youth of Jujeidayiri in the Wa municipality in the Upper West Region and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation over the ownership of a parcel of land currently being developed by the corporation.
The youth said if the GBC failed to halt all activities on the land, a conflict might erupt.
“We want to stage our utmost and total displeasure at the manner in which the GBC management want to bend the laws of Ghana by using the security forces to intimidate the Jujeidayiri community in order to confiscate a portion of land which is not part of a piece of land given to them,” said Mr Mohammed Nanii, a spokesman for the group, at a news conference in Wa.
He said the community had exhausted all official means to resolve the issue amicably and would resort to other methods to stop the GBC from further development.
According to Mr Naani, in May this year, a meeting was held among the elders of the community, the Wa Municipal Assembly, the GBC management and the police to resolve the issue and a consensus was reached that work should halt until a lasting solution was found.
However, he said, to the utmost surprise of the elders of the community, work started again on that portion of land under full police guard.
Mr Nanii said it was ridiculous and elementary for the GBC to rely on inconsistent certificates of allocation signed by the Commissioner of Lands in 1954 and 1956, as the basis for ownership of the land.
He argued that a certificate of allocation only opened the negotiation doors and did not vest ownership of the land.
Mr Naani said the youth of Jjujeidayiri had resolved that no amount of intimidation or force from any quarters would prevent them from pursuing the matter.
“We shall resist in no uncertain terms any forceful means by GBC and its collaborators to rob us. GBC will never know peace should they make an attempt to further extend the wall beyond where it is at the moment,” he warned.
Mr Naani appealed to the regional minister and stakeholders to prevail on the management of GBC to spare the good people of Wa any disturbances.
The youth said if the GBC failed to halt all activities on the land, a conflict might erupt.
“We want to stage our utmost and total displeasure at the manner in which the GBC management want to bend the laws of Ghana by using the security forces to intimidate the Jujeidayiri community in order to confiscate a portion of land which is not part of a piece of land given to them,” said Mr Mohammed Nanii, a spokesman for the group, at a news conference in Wa.
He said the community had exhausted all official means to resolve the issue amicably and would resort to other methods to stop the GBC from further development.
According to Mr Naani, in May this year, a meeting was held among the elders of the community, the Wa Municipal Assembly, the GBC management and the police to resolve the issue and a consensus was reached that work should halt until a lasting solution was found.
However, he said, to the utmost surprise of the elders of the community, work started again on that portion of land under full police guard.
Mr Nanii said it was ridiculous and elementary for the GBC to rely on inconsistent certificates of allocation signed by the Commissioner of Lands in 1954 and 1956, as the basis for ownership of the land.
He argued that a certificate of allocation only opened the negotiation doors and did not vest ownership of the land.
Mr Naani said the youth of Jjujeidayiri had resolved that no amount of intimidation or force from any quarters would prevent them from pursuing the matter.
“We shall resist in no uncertain terms any forceful means by GBC and its collaborators to rob us. GBC will never know peace should they make an attempt to further extend the wall beyond where it is at the moment,” he warned.
Mr Naani appealed to the regional minister and stakeholders to prevail on the management of GBC to spare the good people of Wa any disturbances.
WA WEST ASSEMLY BUILDS CLASSROOMS (PAGE 22, AUGUST 10, 2010)
THE Wa West District Assembly in the Upper West Region has started constructing 10 six–unit classroom blocks in selected communities in the district.
The beneficiary communities include Boro, Lassia Tuolu and Wechiau.
Inspecting one of the projects at the Lassia–Tuolu Senior High School (SHS), the District Chief Executive, Mr Seidu Tungbani said the classroom blocks had become necessary in view of the large number of junior secondary school (JHS) graduates expected to be admitted in September, this year.
He said the government was committed to providing enough educational infrastructure in the country as a result of the four-year system introduced by the previous government.
Tungbani said it was in that vein that the government had embarked on a crash programme to address those imbalances.
He gave the assurance that electricity would be extended to the school to ensure effective teaching and learning.
In another development, an American non–governmental organisation (NGO), MEDPLUS, has presented assorted hospital equipment to the Wechiau Health Centre in the Wa West District.
The items included hospital beds, gloves and solar lights.
Making the presentation, the Executive Director of the NGO, Miss Emma Lawrence, said the organisation conducted visits to its partner hospitals and health centres to assess their needs after which they were supplied with what they actually needed.
She said the Lawra hospital recently also benefited from a similar donation, adding that MEDPLUS was partnering a Ghanaian NGO, EVCO–Africa, to instal a sever at the health centres.
Miss Lawrence said the NGO had extended its partnership with hospitals and health centres throughout the three northern regions.
For his part, the DCE, Mr Seidu Tingbani, thanked the NGO for the support and said it would go a long way to improve health care delivery at the health centre.
The beneficiary communities include Boro, Lassia Tuolu and Wechiau.
Inspecting one of the projects at the Lassia–Tuolu Senior High School (SHS), the District Chief Executive, Mr Seidu Tungbani said the classroom blocks had become necessary in view of the large number of junior secondary school (JHS) graduates expected to be admitted in September, this year.
He said the government was committed to providing enough educational infrastructure in the country as a result of the four-year system introduced by the previous government.
Tungbani said it was in that vein that the government had embarked on a crash programme to address those imbalances.
He gave the assurance that electricity would be extended to the school to ensure effective teaching and learning.
In another development, an American non–governmental organisation (NGO), MEDPLUS, has presented assorted hospital equipment to the Wechiau Health Centre in the Wa West District.
The items included hospital beds, gloves and solar lights.
Making the presentation, the Executive Director of the NGO, Miss Emma Lawrence, said the organisation conducted visits to its partner hospitals and health centres to assess their needs after which they were supplied with what they actually needed.
She said the Lawra hospital recently also benefited from a similar donation, adding that MEDPLUS was partnering a Ghanaian NGO, EVCO–Africa, to instal a sever at the health centres.
Miss Lawrence said the NGO had extended its partnership with hospitals and health centres throughout the three northern regions.
For his part, the DCE, Mr Seidu Tingbani, thanked the NGO for the support and said it would go a long way to improve health care delivery at the health centre.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
CONTROL ARMED ROBBERY IN UPPER WEST — NAA LOGGAH (PAGE 22, AUGUST 3, 2010)
THE Upper West Regional platform on disaster reduction has called for immediate solutions to a number of major challenges currently facing the region.
They are domestic and highway armed robbery, flood, wind, rainstorms and food security.
Addressing a news conference in Wa, the Chairman of the platform, Naa Robert Loggah, said between January and June, this year, eight major robberies had occurred in the region with serious consequences.
He said apart from those robberies, there were other major ones outside the jurisdiction of the Upper West Regional Police Command during which almost all the victims were raped, maimed or killed with impunity.
Naa Loggah said the first incident involved a Controller and Accountant General vehicle returning from official duties in Accra which was attacked and the driver shot dead, other persons on board suffered serious injuries from gun shots and severe beatings on the Wa–Bambo–Techiman highway.
“The second incident which also occurred in May, this year, involved students from tertiary educational institutions in the region. One girl was raped, a colossal amount of money as well as mobile phones were seized on the Tumu–Bolga highway,” he added.
Naa Loggah identified the cause of floods in the region as farming along river banks, building on water courses and use of drains as garbage dumps.
On food security, he attributed the situation to smuggling of farm inputs to neighbouring Burkina Faso, lack of storage facilities, among others.
Naa Loggah suggested preventive measures such as the establishment of emergency operation centres to patrol Tinga and its environs, the Wa–Bamboi-Techiman, Wa–Hamile, Wa–Bolgatanga and Sawla – Damango Fulfuso highways, to address the situation.
He suggested that “There must be joint military/police patrols in the Upper West, Upper East and the Northern Regions while installation communication masts within Maluwe–Tinga and Tumu–Nakong catchment areas must be installed by telecommunication companies.”
Naa Loggah also urged the government to come out with a land use policy to include village planning and a design of structures to withstand windstorms by encouraging the round structures and use of appropriate building materials.
He called for the establishment of a disaster fund to be started by the government, while information sharing must be encouraged.
Naa Loggah expressed the hope that the concerns raised would promptly be responded to by the government and other organisations in the country since “disaster management is everybody’s business.”
They are domestic and highway armed robbery, flood, wind, rainstorms and food security.
Addressing a news conference in Wa, the Chairman of the platform, Naa Robert Loggah, said between January and June, this year, eight major robberies had occurred in the region with serious consequences.
He said apart from those robberies, there were other major ones outside the jurisdiction of the Upper West Regional Police Command during which almost all the victims were raped, maimed or killed with impunity.
Naa Loggah said the first incident involved a Controller and Accountant General vehicle returning from official duties in Accra which was attacked and the driver shot dead, other persons on board suffered serious injuries from gun shots and severe beatings on the Wa–Bambo–Techiman highway.
“The second incident which also occurred in May, this year, involved students from tertiary educational institutions in the region. One girl was raped, a colossal amount of money as well as mobile phones were seized on the Tumu–Bolga highway,” he added.
Naa Loggah identified the cause of floods in the region as farming along river banks, building on water courses and use of drains as garbage dumps.
On food security, he attributed the situation to smuggling of farm inputs to neighbouring Burkina Faso, lack of storage facilities, among others.
Naa Loggah suggested preventive measures such as the establishment of emergency operation centres to patrol Tinga and its environs, the Wa–Bamboi-Techiman, Wa–Hamile, Wa–Bolgatanga and Sawla – Damango Fulfuso highways, to address the situation.
He suggested that “There must be joint military/police patrols in the Upper West, Upper East and the Northern Regions while installation communication masts within Maluwe–Tinga and Tumu–Nakong catchment areas must be installed by telecommunication companies.”
Naa Loggah also urged the government to come out with a land use policy to include village planning and a design of structures to withstand windstorms by encouraging the round structures and use of appropriate building materials.
He called for the establishment of a disaster fund to be started by the government, while information sharing must be encouraged.
Naa Loggah expressed the hope that the concerns raised would promptly be responded to by the government and other organisations in the country since “disaster management is everybody’s business.”
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