Story: Chris Nunoo, Pulima
THE provision of dams by Plan Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), through its livelihood empowerment programme, to the people of the Sissala District of the Upper-West Region, has been described by the farmers as a lifetime investment, which has brought a new lease of life to their families and households.
They said until the dams were constructed, all they had to do during the dry season was to idle about, sit under trees or probably go round picking firewood.
Barely three months after the dams were formally handed over to the communities, lands around them had been taken over by the farmers for the cultivation of fresh vegetables, including okro, cabbage, carrots and onions.
The dam sites are gradually picking up at market centres as many people including commuters who drive through the towns, pass by the farms to purchase some of the fresh produce.
This, notwithstanding, the dams also serve as a source of drinking water for livestock while those who are engaged in fish farming are also making very good use of them.
These came to light when the Daily Graphic paid a familiarisation visit to the farms of some of the beneficiary communities and interacted with the farmers.
The beneficiary communities, which include Nyimati, Pulima, Buoti and Jefissi, expressed appreciation to Plan Ghana for the project and asked for more of such interventions.
“The dams have actually brought life to our communities. Before the construction of the dams, we had to wait for the rains before we could work on the farms,” some of the farmers told the Daily Graphic.
The farmers also said they now had enough produce to send home for domestic use.
Speaking in separate interviews, some of the farmers — Madam Talata Yakubu, Madam Mamoro Sankoro, Madam Adisa Ali Hantong and Madam Mariama Sumani Haduon — said currently, they could heave a sigh of relief.
They showered praises on Plan Ghana for the initiative, stressing that “now we can eat well and put some money in our pockets as well”.
“The dams have really helped us, but for the dams we would have been idling about, sitting under trees or gathering fire wood,” they said, adding that “with the construction of the dams, we’ll be busy always working on our farms”.
As part of assistance to the farmers, field officers of Plan Ghana intermittently pay visits to the farms to study at first-hand what the farmers are doing.
They also take the farmers through some form of orientation as to the type of seedlings they must sow and how to plant the seedlings.
Plan Ghana is also taking measures to organise special training programmes for the farmers on the proper usage of the dams.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
66 PRISON OFFICERS HONOURED (SPREAD)
Story: Chris Nunoo, Wa
SIXTY-six officers of the Ghana Prisons Services (GPS) in the Upper West Region have been decorated with golden jubilee medals at a ceremony in Wa.
The awards were given to the officers during the 51st independence celebration of Ghana’s independence, in recognition of their sacrifices to the country.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, who was the Guest of Honour, said the awards must be a springboard for hard work.
Mr Hickah mentioned the introduction of distance learning for inmates as one of the programmes aimed at equipping them for life after prison.
Touching on this year’s election, the regional minister urged the officers to help ensure violence-free and fair elections in December. He also advised them to psyche up for the job at hand.
For his part, the Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, Mr Joseph Kwaw Yankson, appealed for improvement in accommodation facilities for the officers in the region.
SIXTY-six officers of the Ghana Prisons Services (GPS) in the Upper West Region have been decorated with golden jubilee medals at a ceremony in Wa.
The awards were given to the officers during the 51st independence celebration of Ghana’s independence, in recognition of their sacrifices to the country.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, who was the Guest of Honour, said the awards must be a springboard for hard work.
Mr Hickah mentioned the introduction of distance learning for inmates as one of the programmes aimed at equipping them for life after prison.
Touching on this year’s election, the regional minister urged the officers to help ensure violence-free and fair elections in December. He also advised them to psyche up for the job at hand.
For his part, the Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, Mr Joseph Kwaw Yankson, appealed for improvement in accommodation facilities for the officers in the region.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
WONDER YAM UNITES COMMUNITY (MIRROR, PAGE 25)
From Chris Nunoo, Manden near Bole
Call it the land of the wonder yam and you would not be wrong. That is the reality at Manden, a farming community 15 kilometres from Bole in the Bole District of the Northern Region.
Now known as the 'Sedu Bile’ yam, it found its way into Manden during the lean season of 1984 when one Alhaji Sedu Bile, a native of the town, returned from Cote d’Ivoire after a visit to that country. Today both Alhaji Sedu Bile and the ‘Tembi’ yam which is also referred to as the wonder yam, are household names in the Manden community and beyond. Wonder yam, because to the people of the community the arrival of the special yam species marked the end of hunger in the town.
The yam is also said to have special qualities compared to other yams. It is good for human consumption and also industrial use.
Currently, a festival in honour of Alhaji Sedu Bile coupled with the commemoration of the arrival of the wonder yam into Manden has been instituted and it is celebrated in April every year. It has been the only festival of the people of Manden instituted over the past six years.
Derived from a species known as the ‘Tembi’ yam of Cote d’Ivoire in 1983, the yam was said to have been developed by an Ivorian agricultural scientist and was brought to that country. Alhaji Sedu Bile went to Bona in Cote d’Ivoire with a team of dancers known as Sator dancers from Manden to grace a wedding ceremony. There they learned about the yam.
Alhaji Sedu Bile had been harvesting thousands of the yam since his return from Cote d’Ivoire and was adjudged the best regional farmer at the time.
Then came the time to market the yams. With the help of other prominent farmers, Alhaji Seidu Bile started transporting his produce to Nakwebi, Tuna and surrounding villages in the Northern Region and beyond.
Consequently, ‘Sedu Bile’ spread all over the area with other regions nicknaming it their own way. Now the yam is being exported to neighbouring countries.
Speaking to The Mirror, the people of Mandari, led by Mr E.K. Yakubu, said there had never been hunger in Manden since the arrival of the yam. They said the yam had attracted a lot of the youth to go into farming. The only problem they face, though, is how to market the produce after harvesting. The people say the yam has united their communities the more as they see themselves as one people with the yam as the unifying factor.
Call it the land of the wonder yam and you would not be wrong. That is the reality at Manden, a farming community 15 kilometres from Bole in the Bole District of the Northern Region.
Now known as the 'Sedu Bile’ yam, it found its way into Manden during the lean season of 1984 when one Alhaji Sedu Bile, a native of the town, returned from Cote d’Ivoire after a visit to that country. Today both Alhaji Sedu Bile and the ‘Tembi’ yam which is also referred to as the wonder yam, are household names in the Manden community and beyond. Wonder yam, because to the people of the community the arrival of the special yam species marked the end of hunger in the town.
The yam is also said to have special qualities compared to other yams. It is good for human consumption and also industrial use.
Currently, a festival in honour of Alhaji Sedu Bile coupled with the commemoration of the arrival of the wonder yam into Manden has been instituted and it is celebrated in April every year. It has been the only festival of the people of Manden instituted over the past six years.
Derived from a species known as the ‘Tembi’ yam of Cote d’Ivoire in 1983, the yam was said to have been developed by an Ivorian agricultural scientist and was brought to that country. Alhaji Sedu Bile went to Bona in Cote d’Ivoire with a team of dancers known as Sator dancers from Manden to grace a wedding ceremony. There they learned about the yam.
Alhaji Sedu Bile had been harvesting thousands of the yam since his return from Cote d’Ivoire and was adjudged the best regional farmer at the time.
Then came the time to market the yams. With the help of other prominent farmers, Alhaji Seidu Bile started transporting his produce to Nakwebi, Tuna and surrounding villages in the Northern Region and beyond.
Consequently, ‘Sedu Bile’ spread all over the area with other regions nicknaming it their own way. Now the yam is being exported to neighbouring countries.
Speaking to The Mirror, the people of Mandari, led by Mr E.K. Yakubu, said there had never been hunger in Manden since the arrival of the yam. They said the yam had attracted a lot of the youth to go into farming. The only problem they face, though, is how to market the produce after harvesting. The people say the yam has united their communities the more as they see themselves as one people with the yam as the unifying factor.
Friday, May 16, 2008
ROLE OF CHURCH IN EDUCATIONAL REFORM CRUCIAL (PAGE 11)
Story: Chris Nunoo, Wa
THE Vice-Dean of Students of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Wa Campus, Dr Clifford Maasole, has called for the institution of realistic mechanisms under the new educational reform to impart to students not only academic knowledge, but also skills, particularly in the area of information technology.
That, he said, was the only means to groom the youth of today into meeting the challenges of the new millennium.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Wa Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (WADPA) in Wa, in the Upper West Region, Dr Maasole said the role of the church in the new educational reform was very crucial.
The meeting was on the theme: “The church and state partnership in implementing the new education reform.”
“School education today must let the youth acquire something in knowledge and skills in information and technology if they are to prosper in the new millennium,” he stated.
He, therefore, stressed the need for the total involvement of all stakeholders in education, if the country was to achieve a middle-level income status by the year 2015.
Dr Maasole deplored the system where major policy decisions, such as the new educational reform, were done solely at the top and imposed on the implementors, stressing that when that happened, “they would accept the reform, but not the impetus for the reform”.
On ethnic conflict in the entire northern part of the country, Dr Maasole emphasised the need for all to help fight the war against violence.
He said violence was doing more harm to the entire social fabric of the northern society.
“These conflicts must be addressed, if we wished to be part of the new reform,” he said.
The Catholic Bishop of Wa, Most Rev. Paul Bemile, pointed out the role of the Catholic Church in the development of education since independence, and stressed the need for all to respect the religious freedoms and personal interests of students of other faith.
Bishop Bemile also gave a hint about the preparation of a new syllabus by the Catholic Bishops Conference under the reform, and urged teachers in the Catholic schools to rise up to the challenges of the time.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, in a speech read on his behalf, commended the Catholic Church for its role in the development of education in the region and the country at large.
He expressed grave concern about the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the region as against the national prevalence rate, saying the prevalence rate in the region was higher than that of the entire nation.
For his part, the President of WADPA, Rev. Matthew Tuuronsong, urged the media to continue to stand by the truth at all times, even in the face of all opposition.
He called for the establishment of a new teacher training college to train more teachers for the region.
THE Vice-Dean of Students of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Wa Campus, Dr Clifford Maasole, has called for the institution of realistic mechanisms under the new educational reform to impart to students not only academic knowledge, but also skills, particularly in the area of information technology.
That, he said, was the only means to groom the youth of today into meeting the challenges of the new millennium.
Addressing the annual general meeting of the Wa Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (WADPA) in Wa, in the Upper West Region, Dr Maasole said the role of the church in the new educational reform was very crucial.
The meeting was on the theme: “The church and state partnership in implementing the new education reform.”
“School education today must let the youth acquire something in knowledge and skills in information and technology if they are to prosper in the new millennium,” he stated.
He, therefore, stressed the need for the total involvement of all stakeholders in education, if the country was to achieve a middle-level income status by the year 2015.
Dr Maasole deplored the system where major policy decisions, such as the new educational reform, were done solely at the top and imposed on the implementors, stressing that when that happened, “they would accept the reform, but not the impetus for the reform”.
On ethnic conflict in the entire northern part of the country, Dr Maasole emphasised the need for all to help fight the war against violence.
He said violence was doing more harm to the entire social fabric of the northern society.
“These conflicts must be addressed, if we wished to be part of the new reform,” he said.
The Catholic Bishop of Wa, Most Rev. Paul Bemile, pointed out the role of the Catholic Church in the development of education since independence, and stressed the need for all to respect the religious freedoms and personal interests of students of other faith.
Bishop Bemile also gave a hint about the preparation of a new syllabus by the Catholic Bishops Conference under the reform, and urged teachers in the Catholic schools to rise up to the challenges of the time.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hickah Benson, in a speech read on his behalf, commended the Catholic Church for its role in the development of education in the region and the country at large.
He expressed grave concern about the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the region as against the national prevalence rate, saying the prevalence rate in the region was higher than that of the entire nation.
For his part, the President of WADPA, Rev. Matthew Tuuronsong, urged the media to continue to stand by the truth at all times, even in the face of all opposition.
He called for the establishment of a new teacher training college to train more teachers for the region.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
WA NHIS REGISTERS MORE CLIENTS (PAGE 20)
Story: Chris Nunoo
THE Wa Municipal Health Insurance Scheme has since its inception attracted 73,937 clients, representing 67 per cent of the total population of 112,050 in the municipality.
The Manager of the scheme, Mr Abdul Rahaman Alhassan, made this known when addressing the fourth annual general meeting of the scheme at Wa.
He, however, stated that in spite of the attainment of over 95 per cent coverage in terms of sensitisation, that had not had a direct impact on the number of people covered.
According to him, the scheme recorded 24 per cent increase in registration in 2005, went up to 50 per cent in 2006 and 67 per cent in 2007.
Mr Alhassan said 19,202 of the clients were from the informal sector, 8,005 being Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SNIT) contributors and 38,487 being people under 18 years.
He said 6,512 of the beneficiaries were over 70 years, 528 being indigents and 1,203 pensioners.
Mr Alhassan appealed to interested parties to come on board and join in wooing more people to register with the scheme.
He said a total of 64,563 cards were issued in 2007, adding that GH¢94,969.62 was also realised as premium by the end of last year.
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Mohammed Aziz, in a speech read on his behalf, challenged the staff of the scheme to redouble their efforts to make the scheme one of the best in the country.
THE Wa Municipal Health Insurance Scheme has since its inception attracted 73,937 clients, representing 67 per cent of the total population of 112,050 in the municipality.
The Manager of the scheme, Mr Abdul Rahaman Alhassan, made this known when addressing the fourth annual general meeting of the scheme at Wa.
He, however, stated that in spite of the attainment of over 95 per cent coverage in terms of sensitisation, that had not had a direct impact on the number of people covered.
According to him, the scheme recorded 24 per cent increase in registration in 2005, went up to 50 per cent in 2006 and 67 per cent in 2007.
Mr Alhassan said 19,202 of the clients were from the informal sector, 8,005 being Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SNIT) contributors and 38,487 being people under 18 years.
He said 6,512 of the beneficiaries were over 70 years, 528 being indigents and 1,203 pensioners.
Mr Alhassan appealed to interested parties to come on board and join in wooing more people to register with the scheme.
He said a total of 64,563 cards were issued in 2007, adding that GH¢94,969.62 was also realised as premium by the end of last year.
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Mohammed Aziz, in a speech read on his behalf, challenged the staff of the scheme to redouble their efforts to make the scheme one of the best in the country.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
TRUCK PUSHER HELD OVER BOY'S MURDER (PAGE 3)
Story: Chris Nunoo, Wa
A 37-YEAR-OLD truck pusher, Rufai Mohammed, a native of Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, has been arrested by the Wa police for allegedly murdering a 15-year-old class six pupil of the Tanvere Methodist Primary School.
Rufai, who doubles as a tailor, was said to have travelled from Techiman to Balenfili Tugdo, a village near Wechau in the Wa West District, to carry out the act.
Sources close to the Upper West regional police told the Daily Graphic that Rufai, on arrival in the village, managed to convince the mother of Faawun Tieru, the victim, to allow her son to accompany him (Rufai) to the house of the chief of the village to spend the night.
The source said when the two reached the outskirts of the village, Rufai, without any provocation, allegedly murdered Faawun.
It said when after a while Faawun was not coming back home, his mother became worried and decided to follow up to find out what had kept him from returning home.
The source said on her way, the mother found the body of Faawun lying by the shoulder of the road.
It said she raised alarm, which attracted other people to the spot and a search party was quickly mobilised to trace Rufai but to no avail.
The source said Rufai resurfaced at Wechau the next day and he was identified and arrested by the people and subsequently handed over to the police.
The police source said Rufai was still being interrogated by the police while the body of the deceased had been deposited at the Wa Regional Hospital morgue for autopsy.
A 37-YEAR-OLD truck pusher, Rufai Mohammed, a native of Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, has been arrested by the Wa police for allegedly murdering a 15-year-old class six pupil of the Tanvere Methodist Primary School.
Rufai, who doubles as a tailor, was said to have travelled from Techiman to Balenfili Tugdo, a village near Wechau in the Wa West District, to carry out the act.
Sources close to the Upper West regional police told the Daily Graphic that Rufai, on arrival in the village, managed to convince the mother of Faawun Tieru, the victim, to allow her son to accompany him (Rufai) to the house of the chief of the village to spend the night.
The source said when the two reached the outskirts of the village, Rufai, without any provocation, allegedly murdered Faawun.
It said when after a while Faawun was not coming back home, his mother became worried and decided to follow up to find out what had kept him from returning home.
The source said on her way, the mother found the body of Faawun lying by the shoulder of the road.
It said she raised alarm, which attracted other people to the spot and a search party was quickly mobilised to trace Rufai but to no avail.
The source said Rufai resurfaced at Wechau the next day and he was identified and arrested by the people and subsequently handed over to the police.
The police source said Rufai was still being interrogated by the police while the body of the deceased had been deposited at the Wa Regional Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Friday, May 9, 2008
CONDEMN RUNNING OS SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMME (PAGE 11)
Story: Chris Nunoo, Wa
THE Deputy Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Isshaque Alhassan, has called on Ghanaians to condemn the way the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) is being managed and offer alternative solutions to the problems facing it.
This, he said was because the school feeding concept was very good, especially because it had positively impacted on school enrolment, improved nutrition and helped to develop education in general.
He has therefore, stressed the need for people to appreciate the idea behind the programme and help to improve and sustain it.
Alhaji Alhassan was speaking at a regional interface meeting of civil society and stakeholders of the GSFP at Wa, in the Upper West Region.
It was organised by Send Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, and it was aimed at bringing to the fore, problems associated with the GSFP in the region.
‘The School Feeding Programme is a good concept, despite the loopholes, but we do not have to throw the baby away with the bad water”, he said, adding that, Ghanaians must make the programme succeed.
For his part, the Country Director of Send Foundation, Mr Samuel Zan, said the meeting was neither meant to find faults with individuals nor institutions but to assess and evaluate the impact of the GSFP policy on school children.
He said the foundation was an advocate of the GSFP programme and was only interested in making the programme work.
Mr Zan therefore, expressed regret at the absence of the Upper West Regional Co-odinator of the GSFP at the meeting and commended representatives of other organisations who were present.
He said Ghanaians had the responsibility to ensure that the school feeding programme achieved the desired objectives.
THE Deputy Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Isshaque Alhassan, has called on Ghanaians to condemn the way the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) is being managed and offer alternative solutions to the problems facing it.
This, he said was because the school feeding concept was very good, especially because it had positively impacted on school enrolment, improved nutrition and helped to develop education in general.
He has therefore, stressed the need for people to appreciate the idea behind the programme and help to improve and sustain it.
Alhaji Alhassan was speaking at a regional interface meeting of civil society and stakeholders of the GSFP at Wa, in the Upper West Region.
It was organised by Send Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, and it was aimed at bringing to the fore, problems associated with the GSFP in the region.
‘The School Feeding Programme is a good concept, despite the loopholes, but we do not have to throw the baby away with the bad water”, he said, adding that, Ghanaians must make the programme succeed.
For his part, the Country Director of Send Foundation, Mr Samuel Zan, said the meeting was neither meant to find faults with individuals nor institutions but to assess and evaluate the impact of the GSFP policy on school children.
He said the foundation was an advocate of the GSFP programme and was only interested in making the programme work.
Mr Zan therefore, expressed regret at the absence of the Upper West Regional Co-odinator of the GSFP at the meeting and commended representatives of other organisations who were present.
He said Ghanaians had the responsibility to ensure that the school feeding programme achieved the desired objectives.
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