An Accident at SSNIT traffic Light Bolgatanga

A young man of about 22 years old who defied traffic regulations was severely injured after been hit by an Inter-City bus in the Bolgatnaga municipality of the Upper East region. 

The bus with registration number GE 5187-16, was traveling from Navrongo to Accra, when the incident occurred at a popular road intersection named by residents as the SSNIT the traffic lights. 

According to an eye witness, the rider of the motor bike with registration number M-09-UE 3286 according to traffic regulations was expected to stop and watch before crossing the major and busy road. 

In an attempt to cross he was hit by the bus. Fortunately, he fell on the shoulder of the road but the bus which could not make instant stop dragged his motor bike whilst in motion for about 100 yards before stopping. Meanwhile the motor rider was not wearing a crush helmet. 

The rider was rushed to the hospital for treatment. The SSNIT traffic lights is major in the Bolgatanga municipality because of the numerous and frequent accidents recorded in the past. To this effect, the frequent breakdown of the traffic coupled with frequent power outages is resulting in high accidents cases. 

As ta the time of filing of this report, the traffic lights in the municipality are not functioning and this have been the situation for months. 

The MTTU of the Ghana Police service and the National road safety management authority have not provided personnel to physically direct traffic. 

Although authorities from the municipal assembly and regional coordinating council have been plying the various roads leading to this main traffic light, nothing is being done to fix the problem. 

It is observed that the traffic light is usually been work on upon hearing of top government officials visit into the region or fatal accidents. 

The populace especially children and pedestrians are exposed to high risk of being knocked down by vehicular traffic when crossing or using these roads.

                                                                       

Stakeholders meeting on Mother Baby Friendly Health Initiative MBHFI Organized in Bongo-Soe

 

A stakeholder engagement meeting have been organized on Mother Baby Friendly Health Initiative, MBHFI, in Bongo-Soe, a suburb of the Bongo district in the Upper East Region.

The meeting was organized by the Integrated Youth Needs and Welfare INTYON a local NGO and the Ghana Health Service in Partnership with United Nations International Children Education Fun UNICEF.

The MBHFI concept is looking at globally how every mother and child will receive all the necessary quality healthcare from conception, during pregnancy and after delivery from the health facility to the human resource level with more emphasis to exclusive breastfeeding.

The programme is implemented in three countries, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Ghana.  In an interview with radio Ghana, the Bongo-Soe sub-district head of the Ghana Health Service Isaac Adabre indicated that the Upper East is the implementing region of the MBHFI Programme.

He added that the Bongo-Soe health facility is one of the four districts to benefit from the Programme.

Mr Adabre said, UNICEF is currently furnishing the facility with the requisite equipment to enable them provide the quality care that babies and mothers need.

 

According to the Executive Director of INTYON, Chief Issah Ibrahim, the meeting was to sensitize the chiefs, opinion leaders, traditional herbal practitioners, community members, volunteers, staff of the health facility, assemblymen and women with the view of bringing MBHFI to their doorsteps and the role each  member of the community is expected to play regarding exclusive breastfeeding.

                                                                               

Three women between the ages of 50 -56 years took turns to share the benefits of exclusive breast feeding with the 32 participants at the meeting.

It was discovered that traditional beliefs systems and customs still hinders the practices of exclusive breastfeeding and other child related diseases from visiting health facilities in the area.

The midwife in charge of delivery at the Bongo-Soe health facility, Cecilia Azitatige Ayeyuure, indicated that the facility has since the beginning of the year 2017 recorded 208 deliveries whilst August 2017 recorded 39.

Ms. Ayeyuure therefore appeal to the telecommunication companies to help improve the network in the area to enable them discharge quality healthcare to the people.

GBC                                                     END

A Child Day Care Center Innaugurated in Nangodi Nabdam District-UER

A one unit child day care center with a sitting capacity of about 30, has been constructed with ancillary facility at a total cost of 38 thousand Ghana cedis at Nangodi in the Nabdam district. 

This forms part of Action Aid Ghana’s five-year project on Promoting Opportunity for Women Empowerment and Rights, POWER. The project was funded by the Netherlands. 

The main objective of the project is to contribute to the economic empowerment of about 6000 rural women in Ghana by supporting them to increase their incomes and self-reliance, reduce the drudgery of unpaid work and promote credible and sustainable livelihood. 

Action Aid an NGO and a social justice organization which has been working in the district in collaboration with BONATADO for the past 10 years, aims at empowering people living in poverty and exclusion by actively organizing them into groups, network and social movements to drive the necessary change they desire. 

According to the NGO, this will ensure gender equality, poverty eradication and redistribution of power and resources. 

Speaking to radio Ghana during the inauguration, the Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana Mr. Sulley Alhassan, indicated that Action Aid has organized 43 women groups in the Upper East Region with membership drive of 32 women each and empowered them to shift power and redistributed gender roles in their households. 

This Mr. Alhassan noted has helped 1,376 women to engage in productive resources such as petty trading, dry season farming and weaving. 

He added that Action Aid Ghana has constructed five childcare centers and renovated one structure in the Talensi and Nabdam districts. 

Mr. Alhassan emphasized that the vision of Action Aid Ghana is to attain an equitable and sustainable society in which people enjoy the right to a life of dignity and freedom from poverty and all forms of oppression. 

In a speech read on her behalf, at the inaugural ceremony the Nabdam District Chief Executive, Agnes Anamoo, expressed appreciation for the interventions of Action Aid Ghana and other development partners in the Nabdam district. 

Mrs. Anamoo was optimistic that the power project will strengthen the tiers between Ghana and the Netherlands and hope that the shared cultural heritage of the two countries remain an integral part of the prevailing bi-lateral relations that exist between Ghana and the good people of the Netherlands. 

Mrs. Anamoo therefore assured Action Aid Ghana and their partners that the structure will be used for its intended purpose. She used the occasion to appeal for the scaling up of the said project to the rest of the communities.

GBC                                                             END                                  

Let’s explore viable economic ventures to support Political Institutions”-NPP Aspirant

The former Upper East Regional First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party NPP, Mr. Isaac Adawele Atasige, has called on all the regional and constituency executives to explore viable economic ventures to support the growth of the party.

Mr. Atasige said the situation where individuals were made to fund the party did not only make it difficult to get funding but also discouraged collective decisions.

He said, it is high time we moved away from allowing individuals to fund the activities of the party so as to avoid the situation where one person would impose his or her decision on us as party executives and members.

He said NPP needs collective decisions to effectively run the activities of the party to make a meaningful impact.

The former Regional First Vice Chairman urged regional and constituency executives to mobilize people at the grassroots to take advantage of various Government interventions including the Planting for food and jobs and the One District One factory initiatives.

He added that the Upper East Region was noted for irrigation  and the people at the grassroots could be mobilized to undertake dry season farming as that would not only help address the unemployment and poverty levels in the area but would also help contribute some amount of resources for the party’s activities.

He said the situation where the regional and constituency executives had to task themselves for resources to attend to issues such as funerals and emergencies could be resolved if the party had its own business running at the regional and constituency levels.

  

The former Regional First Vice Chairman, who is nurturing the ambition to contest for the same position when the party re-opens election this year, expressed regret about the poor performance of the party in the region, during the last Parliamentary election where the party got only three parliamentary seats.

Mr. Atasige indicated that, when he wins the election as the Regional first Vice Chairman he would adopt a strategy to increase the number of parliamentary seats from three to nine and also increase the margin for the presidential as well.

What is needed for the party to win more seats and to win more convincingly for the presidential slot in the region is to conduct post-election audit and to develop a regional strategic plan which will bring everybody on board to chart the way forward. 

Twenty 20 Member Board Land Commissioners Inuagurated In Bolgatanga UER

Land continues to be a very important natural resources in the world. Due to its key role in the development process, land encroachment and litigation are some of the various challenges confronting the country. 

The situation is therefore not different in the Upper East region. As part of effort to tackle some of these challenges, the Upper East Regional Lands Commission has been inaugurated in Bolgatanga. 

The 20-member Commissioners as part of its mandate is to manage public lands. 

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. John Peter Amewu, indicated  that the many  challenges in the land sector when  addressed, can  help  Ghana realize her dream of becoming the gateway for business in Africa.  

Mr.   Amewu said,  meeting  the challenges in the land sector  would also pave the way for the  implementation of  many of the government flagship programmes including the One  Village, One Dam, One District , One Factory , the Planting for food and Jobs , the Coastal , Middle Belt and Northern Development Authorities and others such as road , railway and telecommunication infrastructure. 

The Sector Minister disclosed this during the inauguration of the Upper East Regional Lands Commission at the Regional Coordinating Council in Bolgatanga. 

He tasked the 20-member Commissioners to work hard to help address challenges in the sector to realize set targets. 

He mentioned the countless land litigations including different parties before courts, customary authorities engaged in multiply sale of lands, falsification of land documents in different public agencies, high cost of survey charges which discourage owners from doing proper documentation, delays in processing land documents and registration of lands as some of problems. 

He regretted that the poor inventory of lands that were acquired by the Government in the past, had made many clans and communities to lay claims to such land thereby encroaching on them. 

The Sector Minister told the commissioners that, they are expected to manage public lands and advice government, local authorities and traditional authorities on the policy framework for the development of particular areas of the country. 

This will ensure that development of individual pieces of land is coordinated with relevant development plan for the area concerned. 

He stressed that, they are also expected to formulate and submit to government recommendations on national policy with respect to land suitability and capability, advice on, and assist in execution of comprehensive programme for the registration of title to land throughout the country as well as perform other functions assigned by the sector minister. 

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Rockson Bukari also expressed some concerns about the uncoordinated planning of the land sector agencies in the region making it difficult for most of the Assemblies to properly develop land boundaries and do proper documentation. 

Mr. Bukari therefore charge the land sector agencies to work together as a team to address the challenges confronting the Assemblies. 

The Regional Minister therefore appealed to the Commissioners to sensitize communities for the implementation of the government flagship programmes, stressing that it is becoming very difficult to acquire lands for the implementation of the programmes and for development partners who have expressed interest to invest in the region. Mr. Bukari however expressed worry about some negative activities of the land sector agencies.

The National Coordinator of the Commission, Mr. Stephen Ntim, assured the Commissioners   that government would commit resources and logistics to ensure that they work to achieve the desire set targets. He stated that he had no doubt in the calibre of personalities who had been selected to represent the Commission in the Region and entreated them not to betray the trust and confidence imposed on them.

The Chairman of the Upper East Regional Lands Commission, Mr. Jonathan Agme, on behalf of his colleagues thanked the Government for the confidence reposed in them and pledged that they would work hard to help the government accelerate development.

A workshop on Peace building and Conflict Resolution Organized –Navrongo Bolgatanga Diocese

About 105 participants have benefited from a capacity building workshop organized in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East Region by the Peace and Justice directorate of the Navrongo -Bolgatanga Diocese. 

The capacity training on peace building and conflict resolution was organized separately at the Bawku, Navrongo and Bolgatanga dearies of the diocese.

According to the Acting Chairman of the Peace and Justice (P & J)committee,Mr. Dominic Abugre,the aim of the training workshop was to build the capacity of the Peace and Justice Committee members of the various parishes.

The facilitator of the workshop Rev.Father Joseph Tabase of the St Anthony Parish Bawku took participants through how to identify the various types of conflicts, handling and managing, using dialogue, negotiation and the appropriate channels to enable them report violent conflicts to the security agencies.

Participant were also taken through the encyclical of the Pope which talks about the earth as our home and how we should protect it.

Mr. Abugre stressed that issues of conflicts is on the increase in recent times and it is a course for concern for all in the diocese. 

As a result, the Peace and Justice Committee was set up by the various Parishes to look into issues of peace and conflict resolutions. 

Mr. Abugre stated that, the training workshop became relevant following his familiarization tour throughout the eighteen Parishes and a Rectorate, in the Navrongo Bolgatanga Diocese. 

He concluded that, with the training the committee members had, they are expected to go back to their various parishes to help in managing and reducing conflicts.

                                                                                                                   

Year Group of NAVASCO support Speech and Prize-Giving Day

                       A Cross section of some of the past students at the occasion

The  1977 Year Group of the Navrongo Secondary School now Navrongo Senior High School NAVASCO , as part of  activities to mark  their 40^th  year anniversary, have  co-sponsored this year’s   Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the school held in the school’s  campus in Navrongo of the Upper East Region.

The Speech and Prize-Giving Day which is usually meant to organize healthy competition in the academic cycles among students to honor hardworking students; teaching and non-teaching staff was abandoned by the school some decades ago as a result of some challenges.

 

Apart from the 1977 Year Group contributing some unspecified cash of money to organize the event which attracted large guests including old students of the school popularly called “Nabia”, the year group also contributed cash awards and Samson tablets to deserving students including teaching and non-teaching staff. In all about 19 students received various awards for their hard work.

In his inspiring speech to the students, the former Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor who is also a member of the 1977 Year Group    stated that the School which was established in the 1960’s by the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is national institution which had contributed significantly to the human resource base across the country and the globe.

The former minister who expressed worry about the fallen standards of education in the school   challenged the staff and the students to work hard to help restore the past glory of the school.

Whilst giving the assurance that the  1977 Year Group including other year groups known as “Nabias “ would continue to support the school in its development, he told the students that although masters could play  significant role  to their academic successes much would depend on them to make a mark. 

He expressed the hope that the rejuvenation of the Speech and Prize-Giving Day would help contribute to improving upon the academic standards of the school and challenged the management of the school to map out vigorous strategies to look out for past students of the school to support the growth of the school.

Dr. Donkor and the Board Chairman of the School, Professor David Miller who handed over the baton to the 1978 group to organize the Speech and Prize-Giving Day in the ensuing year,   entreated the group to ensure that it was properly organized to help keep the momentum.

Whilst commending  other past batches  of the school  and the Parents Teacher Association  for supporting  in the construction and renovation of some  projects in the school  including open bath houses, KVIPS, the girls dormitory block, the Business and the Home Economic Blocks, the MacDonald hall, kitchen and a place for drying flour, staff bungalows, laptops and tablets  and  the provision of  sports equipment and cadet uniforms  among others, the  Headmistress of the School, Ms Francisca Yizura, appealed to the Government to renovate  some of the projects that were constructed in the 1960s and had since not seen any repairs.

She mentioned for instance that the   dining hall, three blocks and twelve staff bungalows that were roofed with asbestos since the inception of the school were licking and also the only Science Laboratory at period also woefully inadequate, adding that the school had no also a bus.

The Deputy Regional Minister, Mr. Frank Fuseine Adongo, who was the Guest of honor for the occasion and spoke on the theme, Discipline Key to Academic Excellence and Social Transformation” told the students it pays to be disciplined and admonished them to cultivate the habit of respect for authority and their colleagues, punctuality and self-control and tolerance. 

He gave the assurance that government was revamping the GETFUND and would support the school with infrastructure as soon the revamping exercise was done and called on the school authority to institute early warning mechanism to help prevent students rioting and demonstrations

. 

The National President of Nabia, Mr Mohammed Haroon, said his outfit was not leaving no stone unturned to help mobilize resources from all the branches of the association in the country and beyond to help complement the government’s efforts in the development of the school, stressing the zeal of the old students to support the school is overwhelming. 

The Board Chairman of the School, Professor David Miller, emphasized that one of the best means past students could contribute to society was to support the growth of their former schools and entreated all Nabias to support the school.