In spite of the fact that they have already won this year’s Premier League with three matches left, Kumasi Asante Kotoko still have their pride and image to protect when they play debutantes, Wa All Stars at Wa today.
On the contrary Wa All Stars, whose form has dipped so quickly after an impressive first round which saw them capturing the sixth position on the league table for a very long time, have sworn heaven and earth to claim all the three points today.
All Stars have drawn three times and lost once in their last four games, and have dropped from the sixth position to the ninth place in the standings. With the remote threat of being relegated, the Wa lads have mounted an operation to claim all the nine points from the remaining matches, starting with the Kotoko game, to secure their position in the Premier League.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the chairman of Wa All Stars, Mr Yunusah, said both the players and officials of the team were at a loss as to what exactly is the cause of their unimpressive form lately.
“It is in this regard that we have vowed to win all the remaining matches, hence the ‘operation nine points’,” he stressed, urging the teeming supporters of the club to throng the stadium today to support the team.
Mr Yunusah said even though it was going to be a very difficult match, the morale in camp and the high spirits of the players would work better for the team to claim all the three points from Kotoko.
He appealed to the fans to comport themselves and also co-operate with the security personnel on duty to ensure an incident-free encounter.
A similar difficult challenge confronts Hasaacas who play Hearts of Oak at Sekondi.
Other games will see King Faisal versus Tema Youth in Kumasi, Ashantigold versus Heart of Lions at Obuasi, Great Olympics versus Arsenal in Accra, Real Sportive versus RTU at Tema and All Blacks versus Zaytuna at Swedru.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
UPPER EAST CHILDREN STILL OUT OF SCHOOL ...Despite interventions (PAGE 11)
LIKE all children in the country and across the globe, children in the Upper West Region also deserve the protection, quality health care, the right to quality basic education and above all access to the basic necessities of life.
The picture on the ground with respect to the rights and responsibilities of children, however, is exactly the opposite in the region and in spite of all the efforts being made to get more children into schools to improve their lot, the enormity of the problems confronting children in the region seems to be swallowing them so quickly, which calls for a lot of attention from all interested parties.
Apart from the very high under-five mortality rate, many children in the region are also malnourished and do not go to school. Due to the poor state of the region, many of the children who could not endure the pressure have joined their older relations to travel to the southern part of the country to seek unavailable greener pastures. In recent times, more and more children in the region, particularly females between the ages of 13 and 16, are said to have taken to prostitution, especially in certain areas of the Wa municipality and do undertake their ‘trade’ especially on market days.
Responding to this information, the regional head of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mrs Annacleta Naab, said her office was liaising with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) to investigate and find a solution to the problem.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mrs Naab said even though the department was constrained financially, she was working around the clock to collaborate with some NGOs and other institutions to come out with mechanisms, which would improve the lot of children in the region.
In this regard, her office is to embark on a tour of the various districts, starting from Nadowli, Jirapa and Lawra to know at first hand the state of the children in these districts and to intensify the education and sensitisation to the need for parents to ensure that every child of school age is in school.
Mrs Naab said parents and nursing mothers would also be taken through programmes on how to prepare food for their children to make sure that food given to new born babies was balanced and nutritious.
Investigations by the Daily Graphic revealed that funds to support such programmes were not forthcoming.
Furthermore, the Ministry appears to have drawn an agenda to be carried out in the regions, irrespective of the peculiar nature of problems confronting the regions.
As a step to alleviate the plight of children, Plan Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with Midas Education Trust, also an NGO, has taken it upon themselves to institute a project known as the Right of Children (ROC).
The project, which was started in 2003 with six communities in the Sissala area, namely Pulima, Jeffisi, Tumu, Gwollu Fielmua and Zini, has now been extended to cover 58 communities.
According to the Northern Sector Manager of Plan Ghana, Mr William Agyekum Acquah, Plan Ghana’s expectation was that the programme would enhance the abilities and capabilities of children, their families and communities and to make them more active in the development of their respective communities.
Mr Acquah, who was addressing the second graduation of members of the ROC club in Gwollu in the Sissala West District, further explained that the objective of introducing such a programme was to equip at least 70 per cent of families in Plan-assisted communities in the region to be abreast of issues bordering on the rights and responsibilities of children.
“As we speak now, awareness level among Plan-assisted communities, as far as the establishment of ROC clubs are concerned, has risen from the initial two per cent when we started the programme, to 98 per cent”, Mr Acquah indicated and said child participation in a lot of activities in communities, which was relegated to the background, was gradually gaining grounds.
He noted that through the ROC programmes, children, particularly those in Plan Ghana-assisted communities, had been taken through a series of training programmes both at home and abroad. This, he said, had made many of them very assertive, while many were now allowed to participate in decisions which affected them and their communities.
There has also been a tremendous improvement in school enrolment as a result of the intense awareness created, particularly by those on the rights of children to education.
A Member of ROC, Mr Abbass Koriwie, commended Plan Ghana for the initiative, saying, “Now, we know more about personal hygiene and issues on sanitation and even organise clean-up exercises weekly or monthly”. For his part, the District Director of Education, Mr Iddrisu Mahama, appealed to Plan Ghana to extend the ROC clubs to all schools in the district as they had been a very effective tool of empowering school children in the district.
He also advised the children not to disrespect their parents, stressing that “to know your rights means knowing your responsibilities and that must make you a well-behaved child”.U
The picture on the ground with respect to the rights and responsibilities of children, however, is exactly the opposite in the region and in spite of all the efforts being made to get more children into schools to improve their lot, the enormity of the problems confronting children in the region seems to be swallowing them so quickly, which calls for a lot of attention from all interested parties.
Apart from the very high under-five mortality rate, many children in the region are also malnourished and do not go to school. Due to the poor state of the region, many of the children who could not endure the pressure have joined their older relations to travel to the southern part of the country to seek unavailable greener pastures. In recent times, more and more children in the region, particularly females between the ages of 13 and 16, are said to have taken to prostitution, especially in certain areas of the Wa municipality and do undertake their ‘trade’ especially on market days.
Responding to this information, the regional head of the Department of Children of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mrs Annacleta Naab, said her office was liaising with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) to investigate and find a solution to the problem.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Mrs Naab said even though the department was constrained financially, she was working around the clock to collaborate with some NGOs and other institutions to come out with mechanisms, which would improve the lot of children in the region.
In this regard, her office is to embark on a tour of the various districts, starting from Nadowli, Jirapa and Lawra to know at first hand the state of the children in these districts and to intensify the education and sensitisation to the need for parents to ensure that every child of school age is in school.
Mrs Naab said parents and nursing mothers would also be taken through programmes on how to prepare food for their children to make sure that food given to new born babies was balanced and nutritious.
Investigations by the Daily Graphic revealed that funds to support such programmes were not forthcoming.
Furthermore, the Ministry appears to have drawn an agenda to be carried out in the regions, irrespective of the peculiar nature of problems confronting the regions.
As a step to alleviate the plight of children, Plan Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with Midas Education Trust, also an NGO, has taken it upon themselves to institute a project known as the Right of Children (ROC).
The project, which was started in 2003 with six communities in the Sissala area, namely Pulima, Jeffisi, Tumu, Gwollu Fielmua and Zini, has now been extended to cover 58 communities.
According to the Northern Sector Manager of Plan Ghana, Mr William Agyekum Acquah, Plan Ghana’s expectation was that the programme would enhance the abilities and capabilities of children, their families and communities and to make them more active in the development of their respective communities.
Mr Acquah, who was addressing the second graduation of members of the ROC club in Gwollu in the Sissala West District, further explained that the objective of introducing such a programme was to equip at least 70 per cent of families in Plan-assisted communities in the region to be abreast of issues bordering on the rights and responsibilities of children.
“As we speak now, awareness level among Plan-assisted communities, as far as the establishment of ROC clubs are concerned, has risen from the initial two per cent when we started the programme, to 98 per cent”, Mr Acquah indicated and said child participation in a lot of activities in communities, which was relegated to the background, was gradually gaining grounds.
He noted that through the ROC programmes, children, particularly those in Plan Ghana-assisted communities, had been taken through a series of training programmes both at home and abroad. This, he said, had made many of them very assertive, while many were now allowed to participate in decisions which affected them and their communities.
There has also been a tremendous improvement in school enrolment as a result of the intense awareness created, particularly by those on the rights of children to education.
A Member of ROC, Mr Abbass Koriwie, commended Plan Ghana for the initiative, saying, “Now, we know more about personal hygiene and issues on sanitation and even organise clean-up exercises weekly or monthly”. For his part, the District Director of Education, Mr Iddrisu Mahama, appealed to Plan Ghana to extend the ROC clubs to all schools in the district as they had been a very effective tool of empowering school children in the district.
He also advised the children not to disrespect their parents, stressing that “to know your rights means knowing your responsibilities and that must make you a well-behaved child”.U
BOAFO ADVISES CHIEFS TO BE GOD-FEARING (PAGE 21)
THE Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr S. K. Boafo, has charged traditional rulers to be God-fearing and refrain from indulging in acts which create suspicions among themselves and feuding factions when they are appointed to help resolve disputes.
He said even though the truth hurts, it must nevertheless be told as it was because decisions they took as chiefs concerning conflicts on successions to stools and skins went very far to determine the future of present generations and those yet to be born.
“The chieftaincy institution is a perpetual one which we must not toy with, if you are a royal so be it, if you are not a royal you must be told,” he stated.
Addressing a meeting of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs in Wa, Mr Boafo said “the skin or the stool is one and so if it is not your turn to occupy it, there is nothing you can do about it”.
He told chiefs to be wary of impostors who are using all sorts of means to buy their way into families to be able to occupy stools and skins and said the institution had presently become very enticing so much that more learned people wanted to be chiefs.
Commenting specifically on the Wa chieftaincy dispute, the minister challenged the house to endeavour to settle it peacefully, adding that “so we must resolve it amicably and properly”.
On adjudication of cases by the house, Mr Boafo expressed grave concern about delays in the adjudication of cases by the judicial committees, saying that when cases of such nature delayed people read all manner of meanings into them.
He said even though the truth hurts, it must nevertheless be told as it was because decisions they took as chiefs concerning conflicts on successions to stools and skins went very far to determine the future of present generations and those yet to be born.
“The chieftaincy institution is a perpetual one which we must not toy with, if you are a royal so be it, if you are not a royal you must be told,” he stated.
Addressing a meeting of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs in Wa, Mr Boafo said “the skin or the stool is one and so if it is not your turn to occupy it, there is nothing you can do about it”.
He told chiefs to be wary of impostors who are using all sorts of means to buy their way into families to be able to occupy stools and skins and said the institution had presently become very enticing so much that more learned people wanted to be chiefs.
Commenting specifically on the Wa chieftaincy dispute, the minister challenged the house to endeavour to settle it peacefully, adding that “so we must resolve it amicably and properly”.
On adjudication of cases by the house, Mr Boafo expressed grave concern about delays in the adjudication of cases by the judicial committees, saying that when cases of such nature delayed people read all manner of meanings into them.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
GIVE PRIORITY TO UPPER WEST DEVELOPMENT — AYEBOAFOH (PAGE 44)
THE General Manager in charge of Newspapers of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Yaw Boadu- Ayeboafoh, has stressed the need for successive governments to give special priority to the development of the Upper West Region.
He said considering the level of deprivation in the region, the population of the region must not be used as a yardstick to determine the size of resource allocation for the region, adding that a special budget must be allocated for the region at all times.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh, who was accompanied by the Senior Zonal Manager in charge of the Northern Region, Mr Michael Baga, and Mr George Folley Quaye, the Upper West Regional Editor of the Daily Graphic, said this when he called on the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, during a working visit to Wa.
Commenting on the construction of the roads, linking the Upper West and the Upper East regions, as well as Upper West and the Northern Region, the general manager bemoaned the slow pace of work, saying improvement in the road network made people feel a sense of belonging.
He advised the regional minister to liaise with his colleague in Upper East in order to facilitate the construction of the Tumu road which linked Upper West to Upper East.
“At least the artillery roads ought to be given special attention to link the region with the other regions,” he noted.
He was not happy that even though Upper West could boast of many resourceful personalities, majority of them were staying outside the region.
The regional minister said the region had seen a lot of development projects including the construction of schools, clinics, and arterial roads, since the NPP government assumed power.
Mr Benson indicated that the region, was deprived forcing about 51 per cent of the population to migrate elsewhere, a situation which calls for special attention for the region.
He mentioned some of the investment potential of the region as vast arable lands and the abundance of clay, pointing out that “the region is a virgin one whose potential is yet to be tapped”.
Mr Benson further stressed the need for a conscious effort to market the region and its investment potential as part of efforts to enhance its development.
He said considering the level of deprivation in the region, the population of the region must not be used as a yardstick to determine the size of resource allocation for the region, adding that a special budget must be allocated for the region at all times.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh, who was accompanied by the Senior Zonal Manager in charge of the Northern Region, Mr Michael Baga, and Mr George Folley Quaye, the Upper West Regional Editor of the Daily Graphic, said this when he called on the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, during a working visit to Wa.
Commenting on the construction of the roads, linking the Upper West and the Upper East regions, as well as Upper West and the Northern Region, the general manager bemoaned the slow pace of work, saying improvement in the road network made people feel a sense of belonging.
He advised the regional minister to liaise with his colleague in Upper East in order to facilitate the construction of the Tumu road which linked Upper West to Upper East.
“At least the artillery roads ought to be given special attention to link the region with the other regions,” he noted.
He was not happy that even though Upper West could boast of many resourceful personalities, majority of them were staying outside the region.
The regional minister said the region had seen a lot of development projects including the construction of schools, clinics, and arterial roads, since the NPP government assumed power.
Mr Benson indicated that the region, was deprived forcing about 51 per cent of the population to migrate elsewhere, a situation which calls for special attention for the region.
He mentioned some of the investment potential of the region as vast arable lands and the abundance of clay, pointing out that “the region is a virgin one whose potential is yet to be tapped”.
Mr Benson further stressed the need for a conscious effort to market the region and its investment potential as part of efforts to enhance its development.
Monday, June 16, 2008
SPORTIVE HOLD ALL STARS (BACK PAGE)
A 2-0 victory over Obuasi Ashantigold at the Baba Yara Stadium yesterday helped Kumasi Asante Kotoko further tighten their grip on the Onetouch Premier League title.
Kotoko who have stretched their leadership by 11 points now look poised to be coasting to the ultimate.
But for some unpardonable misses at goal, the Porcupine Warriors would have run riot over Ashgold, who contributed significantly to their own defeat with a second-rate performance.
The Obuasi club raised false hopes of a brilliant afternoon when just two minutes into the game, Richard Awuah outwitted goalkeeper Nii Baah in an aerial challenge but failed to provide the final connection.
The early scare triggered a stormy response from Kotoko who laid siege in the opponents’ area with skipper Osei Kuffour and Kojo Poku in full attendance.
Veteran keeper James Nanor was booked early in the game (12th minute) when Referee Thomas Nunoo judged him for deliberately delaying the game. Nanor, who pulled off a great save from Poku’s effort in the 22nd minute, however, had no answer to a Kotoko attack six minutes later as Francis Akwaffo swung in a free kick for Jordan Opoku to punish Nanor.
In the 61st and 66th minutes, Osei Kuffour and Poku dribbled past Nanor but the finishing was always a problem.
Kotoko could, however, not be denied the second goal in the 73rd minute when a brilliant combination between Osei Kuffour and Opoku found Akwaffo who surreptitiously connected non-drop past Nanor.
Protests from Ashgold that Akwaffo scored from an offside positioning was brushed aside by Referee Nunoo.
Kotoko who have stretched their leadership by 11 points now look poised to be coasting to the ultimate.
But for some unpardonable misses at goal, the Porcupine Warriors would have run riot over Ashgold, who contributed significantly to their own defeat with a second-rate performance.
The Obuasi club raised false hopes of a brilliant afternoon when just two minutes into the game, Richard Awuah outwitted goalkeeper Nii Baah in an aerial challenge but failed to provide the final connection.
The early scare triggered a stormy response from Kotoko who laid siege in the opponents’ area with skipper Osei Kuffour and Kojo Poku in full attendance.
Veteran keeper James Nanor was booked early in the game (12th minute) when Referee Thomas Nunoo judged him for deliberately delaying the game. Nanor, who pulled off a great save from Poku’s effort in the 22nd minute, however, had no answer to a Kotoko attack six minutes later as Francis Akwaffo swung in a free kick for Jordan Opoku to punish Nanor.
In the 61st and 66th minutes, Osei Kuffour and Poku dribbled past Nanor but the finishing was always a problem.
Kotoko could, however, not be denied the second goal in the 73rd minute when a brilliant combination between Osei Kuffour and Opoku found Akwaffo who surreptitiously connected non-drop past Nanor.
Protests from Ashgold that Akwaffo scored from an offside positioning was brushed aside by Referee Nunoo.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED FAIRLY (PAGE 20)
THE Sissala West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Salifu Baluwie, has given the assurance that he will ensure an equitable distribution of development projects in the district for every community to get its fair share of the national cake.
He has, therefore, appealed to the traditional authorities in the area to co-operate with the government in the realisation of that objective.
Mr Baluwie, who was speaking in an interview at Gwollu, said even though the district was not well endowed in terms of natural resources, the government would not turn its back to it.
He, however, denied allegations by some traditional leaders in the district that the area was being discriminated against, with respect to the distribution of development projects.
“We must all feel proud to be part of the district and work to develop it,” he said.
Commenting on the attitude of some heads of departments in the district, the DCE asked them to be innovative and come out with pragmatic initiatives that would propel the development agenda of the district.
“The district cannot move away from its current underdevelopment if we are united in implementing our development plan,” Mr Baluwie stressed.
He further called on workers in the district to work extra harder, especially in the area of revenue generation, stressing, “You must form a task force to ensure accountability and prudent use of resources.”
He has, therefore, appealed to the traditional authorities in the area to co-operate with the government in the realisation of that objective.
Mr Baluwie, who was speaking in an interview at Gwollu, said even though the district was not well endowed in terms of natural resources, the government would not turn its back to it.
He, however, denied allegations by some traditional leaders in the district that the area was being discriminated against, with respect to the distribution of development projects.
“We must all feel proud to be part of the district and work to develop it,” he said.
Commenting on the attitude of some heads of departments in the district, the DCE asked them to be innovative and come out with pragmatic initiatives that would propel the development agenda of the district.
“The district cannot move away from its current underdevelopment if we are united in implementing our development plan,” Mr Baluwie stressed.
He further called on workers in the district to work extra harder, especially in the area of revenue generation, stressing, “You must form a task force to ensure accountability and prudent use of resources.”
Sunday, June 8, 2008
17 CADETS INJURED IN ACCIDENT (PAGE 21)
SEVENTEEN cadets of the Knights of St John International and Junior Auxiliary of the Nadowli Catholic Church sustained various degrees of injuries last Sunday when a mini bus they were travelling on was involved in an accident.
They include 11 males and six females out of which three sustained serious injuries and have since had their limbs amputated.
The victims were returning from Jirapa to Nadoli in the Nadowli District of the Upper West Region after a friendly football match with their counterparts in Jirapa at about 9 p.m. when the accident occurred.
The driver of the vehicle, Mr Ziebu Mwintiribu, who briefed the Daily Graphic, while on his hospital, bed at the Wa Regional Hospital said he did not detect any fault on the vehicle until he got to the spot where the accident occurred.
He said all he could see was that the steering of the vehicle had locked. The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. George Hickah Benson, who was touched by the plight of the victims upon hearing about the accident, presented food items worth GH¢400 to them.
These included rice, sugar, millet and cooking oil. Receiving the items, the Medical Director at the hospital, Dr. Joshua Abebrese, expressed appreciation to the minister for the gesture.
He was hopeful that the casualties, particularly those who had their limbs amputated, would recover quickly and pick up the pieces.
They include 11 males and six females out of which three sustained serious injuries and have since had their limbs amputated.
The victims were returning from Jirapa to Nadoli in the Nadowli District of the Upper West Region after a friendly football match with their counterparts in Jirapa at about 9 p.m. when the accident occurred.
The driver of the vehicle, Mr Ziebu Mwintiribu, who briefed the Daily Graphic, while on his hospital, bed at the Wa Regional Hospital said he did not detect any fault on the vehicle until he got to the spot where the accident occurred.
He said all he could see was that the steering of the vehicle had locked. The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. George Hickah Benson, who was touched by the plight of the victims upon hearing about the accident, presented food items worth GH¢400 to them.
These included rice, sugar, millet and cooking oil. Receiving the items, the Medical Director at the hospital, Dr. Joshua Abebrese, expressed appreciation to the minister for the gesture.
He was hopeful that the casualties, particularly those who had their limbs amputated, would recover quickly and pick up the pieces.
36 STUDENTS IN 3 NORTHERN REGIONS HONOURED (PAGE 20)
THIRTY-SIX students from the three northern regions who obtained between aggregates six and 15 in the 2006/07 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) have received various sums of money ranging from GH¢300 to GH¢400 under a scholarship scheme.
In addition, the students received certificates, books and hampers.
Known as the Ghana Education Service (GES)/World Food Programme (WFP) girls education scholarship and awards, the first category of the beneficiaries, who had up to aggregate seven, received GH¢400, certificates, books and hampers while the second category of students with aggregates eight up to eleven, had books and other gifts as well as certificates and cash.
The third category being those with aggregates 13 to 16, were also given similar awards.
The ceremony, which was on the theme: “Investing in women and girls,” also marked the award of special prizes to some headteachers.
The outgoing representative of the United Nations WFP in Ghana, Ms Trudy Bower, in an address, said 59 girls, who were currently pursuing senior high school (SHS) education, had so far benefited from the scheme since its introduction about six years ago.
She expressed the hope that the award scheme would encourage other students in the junior forms to study in order to obtain better grades in the BECE to benefit from the award scheme.
Ms Bowers further stressed the importance of girl child education in the efforts to transform the society into a better place, pointing out that “the education of girls and women is the surest way to achieving greater economic Empowerment.”
Commenting on the supply of food to schoolchildren under the WFP girls’ education activities in the three northern regions, she said 45,000 girls in 802 schools across 25 districts across northern Ghana benefited from the programme.
“Girls who had attended school for 85 per cent of the month were given food rations of cereals, oil, and iodised salt as incentive to them and their families,” she noted.
She also appealed to district assemblies to institute by laws against cultural practices which were inimical to the education of girls.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, for his part lauded the scholarship scheme and said it had increased the enrolment of girls in schools, particularly senior high schools.
He said the meals given to schoolchildren under the WFP, coupled with the introduction of the Capitation Grant by government had not just attracted more children into schools but also helped to improve the nutritional needs of children as well as their mental and physical development.
Mr Hickah Benson pledged the support of the regional co-ordinating council towards the successful implementation of the programme, and charged the various assemblies to do same.
He also congratulated the award winners, and urged them to study hard so that they could win more laurels.
In addition, the students received certificates, books and hampers.
Known as the Ghana Education Service (GES)/World Food Programme (WFP) girls education scholarship and awards, the first category of the beneficiaries, who had up to aggregate seven, received GH¢400, certificates, books and hampers while the second category of students with aggregates eight up to eleven, had books and other gifts as well as certificates and cash.
The third category being those with aggregates 13 to 16, were also given similar awards.
The ceremony, which was on the theme: “Investing in women and girls,” also marked the award of special prizes to some headteachers.
The outgoing representative of the United Nations WFP in Ghana, Ms Trudy Bower, in an address, said 59 girls, who were currently pursuing senior high school (SHS) education, had so far benefited from the scheme since its introduction about six years ago.
She expressed the hope that the award scheme would encourage other students in the junior forms to study in order to obtain better grades in the BECE to benefit from the award scheme.
Ms Bowers further stressed the importance of girl child education in the efforts to transform the society into a better place, pointing out that “the education of girls and women is the surest way to achieving greater economic Empowerment.”
Commenting on the supply of food to schoolchildren under the WFP girls’ education activities in the three northern regions, she said 45,000 girls in 802 schools across 25 districts across northern Ghana benefited from the programme.
“Girls who had attended school for 85 per cent of the month were given food rations of cereals, oil, and iodised salt as incentive to them and their families,” she noted.
She also appealed to district assemblies to institute by laws against cultural practices which were inimical to the education of girls.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, for his part lauded the scholarship scheme and said it had increased the enrolment of girls in schools, particularly senior high schools.
He said the meals given to schoolchildren under the WFP, coupled with the introduction of the Capitation Grant by government had not just attracted more children into schools but also helped to improve the nutritional needs of children as well as their mental and physical development.
Mr Hickah Benson pledged the support of the regional co-ordinating council towards the successful implementation of the programme, and charged the various assemblies to do same.
He also congratulated the award winners, and urged them to study hard so that they could win more laurels.
UPPER WEST ROADS TO BE IMPROVED (PAGE 20)
THE Upper West Region is to see improvement in the road sector this year, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Transportation, Mr Godfrey Bayon Tangu, has announced.
Mr Tangu, who was addressing a people’s assembly at Wa, said in all, a total of 265 kilometres of roads in the region would be tarred.
He mentioned some of the projects to be tackled as the 109 kilometre Wa-Han-Tumu, the 70 kilometre Tumu-Chuchuliga, the Nadowli-Lawra and Hamile roads.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice and former Regional Minister for the region, Mr Ambrose Dery and a Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr Clement Eledi, attended the forum.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, in an address, commended past regimes for their roles in the creation of the region.
He hinted that eight communities in the region had so far been connected to the national electricity grid this year, adding that five more communities in the region would be connected to the grid soon.
On the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Mr Benson said 4,769 people had been employed in the region.
He called on the people to eschew divisiveness and work collectively to improve their living standard.
For his part, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Abdul Aziz Mohammed Godo, said the people’s assembly concept was meant to deepen the roots of decentralisation and to bring good governance to the doorstep of the people.
He commended the respective royal families of the Wala Traditional Area for their resolve to pursue due process of law to settle their grievances.
Mr Tangu, who was addressing a people’s assembly at Wa, said in all, a total of 265 kilometres of roads in the region would be tarred.
He mentioned some of the projects to be tackled as the 109 kilometre Wa-Han-Tumu, the 70 kilometre Tumu-Chuchuliga, the Nadowli-Lawra and Hamile roads.
The Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice and former Regional Minister for the region, Mr Ambrose Dery and a Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr Clement Eledi, attended the forum.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, in an address, commended past regimes for their roles in the creation of the region.
He hinted that eight communities in the region had so far been connected to the national electricity grid this year, adding that five more communities in the region would be connected to the grid soon.
On the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), Mr Benson said 4,769 people had been employed in the region.
He called on the people to eschew divisiveness and work collectively to improve their living standard.
For his part, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Abdul Aziz Mohammed Godo, said the people’s assembly concept was meant to deepen the roots of decentralisation and to bring good governance to the doorstep of the people.
He commended the respective royal families of the Wala Traditional Area for their resolve to pursue due process of law to settle their grievances.
Monday, June 2, 2008
WA HOUSING PROJECT TO BEGIN THIS MONTH (PAGE 14)
THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, has given the assurance that work on the proposed housing project in Wa, the Upper West regional capital, would commence by the end of June.
He said there would be no objection to any contractor who had been awarded a contract on the project.
Mr Saddique, who was on a tour of the region to ascertain the progress of work on projects under his ministry, also visited the 52-acre site, where he interacted with some of the landlords whose lands had been acquired for the project.
He appealed to them to exercise restraint and promised to facilitate the payment of their compensation, which is said to be close to GH¢90,000.
After the cutting of the sod for the commencement of the project on July 18, 2007, by the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, not much has happened on the site.
On the provision of potable water for communities, Mr Saddique stressed the need for communities to own the water by paying for it.
This, he said, would encourage them to take good care of such facilities.
“Water should be a security item. We must place value on water as an economic asset and not social,” he emphasised.
The Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, appealed to the minister to do all in his power to facilitate the construction of the affordable houses since Wa was developing at a very fast pace,with its resultant accommodation problems.
Mr Benson also told him to work out modalities to enable occupants of low cost houses built some years back to be able to acquire them.
At Lawra in the Lawra District, the minister also inspected a new GH¢550,000 water tank project initiated by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and a newly built household sanitary facility.
The Lawra District Chief Executive, Mr George Sulley, for his part, announced the construction of 240 household latrines across the district, as well as 14 institutional latrines at a cost of GH¢360,000.
He also stressed the need to expand the water systems in the district to meet the demands of the increasing population.
He said there would be no objection to any contractor who had been awarded a contract on the project.
Mr Saddique, who was on a tour of the region to ascertain the progress of work on projects under his ministry, also visited the 52-acre site, where he interacted with some of the landlords whose lands had been acquired for the project.
He appealed to them to exercise restraint and promised to facilitate the payment of their compensation, which is said to be close to GH¢90,000.
After the cutting of the sod for the commencement of the project on July 18, 2007, by the then Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, not much has happened on the site.
On the provision of potable water for communities, Mr Saddique stressed the need for communities to own the water by paying for it.
This, he said, would encourage them to take good care of such facilities.
“Water should be a security item. We must place value on water as an economic asset and not social,” he emphasised.
The Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, appealed to the minister to do all in his power to facilitate the construction of the affordable houses since Wa was developing at a very fast pace,with its resultant accommodation problems.
Mr Benson also told him to work out modalities to enable occupants of low cost houses built some years back to be able to acquire them.
At Lawra in the Lawra District, the minister also inspected a new GH¢550,000 water tank project initiated by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and a newly built household sanitary facility.
The Lawra District Chief Executive, Mr George Sulley, for his part, announced the construction of 240 household latrines across the district, as well as 14 institutional latrines at a cost of GH¢360,000.
He also stressed the need to expand the water systems in the district to meet the demands of the increasing population.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)