HARMONY ATTRACTING BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS...Chief Executive of Tamale (PAGE 13, AUGUST 30, 2010)

THE Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday, has said that the prevailing harmony in the city is attracting business establishments and individuals to the metropolis.
He has also expressed satisfaction over the low crime rate in the city over the years and attributed the situation to the vigilance of the people and the alertness and professionalism of the security forces in the metropolis.
Alhaji Friday, therefore, commended the chiefs and people of the metropolis for helping the metropolis to attain such status.
He was speaking at the second general assembly meeting of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA).
He, however, expressed concern over the increasing indiscipline on the part of some motorists whose actions were posing danger on the roads.
He explained that it was to ensure order on the roads that some youth in the metropolis were trained as community police and deployed around some major intersections in the city to direct road users accordingly.
The Chief Executive, however, noted that some motorists had began harassing the community police personnel in order to have their way. “Let me use this opportunity to caution such people to desist from obstructing the work of the community police personnel.”
According to him, “the law will catch up with any person or group who engages in any form of indiscipline that has the potential of disturbing law and order in the metropolis.”
Other areas of concern expressed by Alhaji Friday included the issue of stray animals and sanitation.
He observed that in spite of the numerous appeals to cattle owners to restrain their animals from roaming the streets, they still posed danger to motorists and warned that drastic measures would be enforced to curtail the growing menace.
On the haphazard littering of the city, he entreated people engaged in such practices to be more responsible in the disposal of waste, particularly those who throw materials from moving vehicles. “It is advisable that such people to rather leave the waste materials in the vehicle for it to be properly disposed of at their final destination.”

NR POLICE COMMAN PRAISES GOVT FOR NEW PAY POLICY (PAGE 22, AUGUST 20, 2010)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale.

THE Northern Region Police Command has expressed appreciation to the government and the Police administration for their efforts in the successful implementation of the new pay policy.
According to them, “this has brought a lot of smiles on the faces of police men and women; a new beginning always brings fresh hope and this is a good time for all police officers.”
THE Northern Regional Police Commander, Mr. Angwubutoge Awuni, was addressing police personnel in the region at a welfare meeting in Tamale.
He further indicated that, “the new pay policy has come to change the lives of police officers and their families as it will afford them the opportunity to start investing in their future and that of their children in accordance with service regulations and also towards a better retirement.”
The commander however advised them against acts of recklessness and reminded them that those who would engage in irresponsible lifestyles will not feel the impact of the new pay policy.
Mr. Awuni also stated that, good salaries demanded more efficiency and better services and that some of the negative conduct by some police investigators and those at the barriers and roadside must cease forthwith.
“There is no excuse for any police officer to indulge in some of these shameful acts which drag the image of the Ghana Police Service into disrepute and present officers as objects of scorn and ridicule in the public eye,” he opined.
The commander therefore warned that the Police administration will punish any officer caught in corrupt acts such as demanding monies before services are rendered in the severest terms.
On the passage of the STX Housing agreement, Mr. Awuni expressed appreciation to the legislature for successfully passage into law. They expressed the hope that the project that includes the provision of 30,000 housing units for the security forces would be completed on record time.
He described the current state of their barracks as very deplorable and noted that any efforts by the government to provide them with decent accommodation will not only boost their morale but will also encourage the Police to give off their best to win public confidence.
Other concerns expressed by some of the officers at the meeting were the lack of resources and logistics such as vehicles to embark on operations in the region.
For instance the Tamale Metropolitan Police Commander, Mr. Caesar Abanga revealed that inspite of the vastness and complexities of the metropolis, “we have no any reliable vehicle to embark on operations with since the only vehicle broke down almost about a year now.”
He observed that even though the new salary policy was encouraging, “it must however match with a corresponding logistical support to bring out the best in us.”
End.

Aug 17, page 22.
Govt presents items to Muslims in Tamale.

As an annual ritual during Ramadan, the Northern Regional Coordinating Council on behalf of government donated hundreds of bags of sugar to about 56 Mosques’, chiefs and other social groupings in the Tamale Metropolis.
Among the beneficiary groups were the Tamale Central Mosque, the Ambariya Mosque, the Salawaatiya and AlBayan Mosques’ as well as the Chief of Tamale, the Gukpegu Regent and the Zongo Chief.
The Tamale Central and Ambariya Mosques’ received a quantity of 10 bags of sugar each.
Making the presentation at the Tamale Central Mosque, Alhaji Abudulai Harunah Friday, Mayor of Tamale on behalf of government commended the Muslim community for its role in nation building hence the donation.
He said government was appreciative of the standard of intra-religious tolerance experienced in the region and concluded that situation had contributed to the relative peace residents have enjoyed so far.
Alhaji Friday said government was committed to achieving the Better Ghana Agenda and called on the citizens to co-exist peacefully for accelerated development.
Laying much emphasis on peace, he also appealed to the youth of Dagbon to reconcile and re-channel their resources into productive ventures that will move the Dagbon State forward but in the right direction.
The Chairman of the Central Mosque Committee, Alhaji Abdallah Hindu thanked government for the kind gesture and prayed for peace and tranquility for the realization of the Better Ghana Agenda.
He assured government of the Muslim Ulamah’s unflinching cooperation with other development partners to improve the socio-economic progress of residents of the entire northern region.

TAMA PAYS DEBTS TO CONTRACTORS (PAGE 29, AUGUST 19, 2010)

THE Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TaMA) has dispensed part of its first quarter allocation of the Common Fund to honour outstanding debts owed contractors and other service providers.
The assembly noted that, even though its share of the fund was far below expectation, “the assembly still managed to service a number of outstanding debts and embarked on other development projects in the metropolis.”
The Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday who disclosed this at the second general assembly meeting for the year in Tamale on Monday, said the assembly received a total amount of GH¢ 218,737.00 for the first quarter.
He explained that, “the guidelines for the utilisation of this year’s funds emphasised on paying outstanding commitments before embarking on new projects.”
Other areas the assembly expended the funds included the maintenance of security and the education sector.
On the mobilisation of local revenues, Alhaji Friday indicated that the assembly was on course to achieve its target for the year. So far, the assembly has mobilised an amount of GH¢319,371.86 representing 68 percent out of the targeted amount of GH¢474,919.67 between January and July this year.
“It is sad to note that not much was generated from the Central Business District where a lot of economic and commercial activities take place. This is a lean season for revenue mobilisation in the north especially in respect of food items; it is therefore hoped that by the end of December, we could make substantial gains in our revenue mobilisation drive,” he stated.
The mayor also added that the Budget and Finance sub-committees of the assembly were collaborating to identify additional potential sources of revenue to enable the assembly generate more funds for projects.

HOW THE REGIONS VOTED IN NPP'S ELECTIONS (PAGE 12, AUGUST 9, 2010)

ESTATIC supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party
(NPP) in Tamale were beside themselves with joy at the
weekend when the results of the Presidential primaries of
the party were declared in the metropolis.
At all the three constituencies, Tamale North, Central and
South, Nana Akufo Addo won by large margins of votes over
his other four contestants.
Some of the supporters were spotted in their cars and on
their motorbikes adorned with party colours amidst tooting
of horns, waving of flags and singing praises to Nana Addo.
This was after the 7-hour voting exercise had ended
peacefully in the metropolis by 3 pm. Reports from the other
districts in the northern region also indicated that, party
supporters conducted themselves orderly.
An ardent supporter of the party, Mohammed described the
overwhelming victory of Nana as a “victory for the party
and the nation and for the people who are daily searching
for better life.”
“I will also like to congratulate the other competitors,
particularly Alan Cash for his gracious acceptance of
defeat. I wish to assure him that he would surely get the
nod the next time,“ he intimated.
A member of the student wing of the NPP at the Tamale
Polytechnic, Hamza Issah observed that, “the decision of
the Party to re-nominate Nana Addo as our Presidential
candidate is very reassuring as he had been marketed already
and has the wherewithal to compete the sitting
President.”
Fati Alhassan on her part commended the party faithful in
Tamale and the northern region for the show of maturity,
patience and tolerance during the entire period of campaigns
that culminated in the election on Saturday.

TRAIN MMDAs ON CENSUS — DAWUNI (PAGE 13, 2010)

THE Assembly Member for the Nakpale Borile Electoral Area at Tatale, Mr Edward Atta Abebe Dawuni, has stressed on the need for the training of presiding members of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies on the intricacies of the impending population and housing census this year.
He noted that such an informed exercise would enable the members to educate their colleagues in the assemblies, who would in turn explain the importance of the census to the electorate, including chiefs at their respective local levels.
“I will therefore entreat the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to liaise with the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG to chart the way forward in this direction,” Mr Dawuni stated.
He made the call during an interaction with the electorate in his constituency at Tatale in the Zabzugu/Tatale district of the Northern Region.
Mr Dawuni, who is also the Presiding Member of the assembly, pointed out that since some people still held the erroneous customary beliefs about enumeration of people, it would be necessary for assembly members to have some knowledge about the census to enable them educate their people to co-operate with the field workers who would be deployed for the exercise.
Touching on education, he appealed to the people to reduce their expenditure on funerals, weddings and other social events and rather channel their resources into their wards schooling.
Mr Dawuni further observed that “it is only through education that we can lift ourselves out of the prevailing poverty situation and also improve on our well-being and the accelerated development of our various communities.”
He, therefore, urged them to take advantage of the government’s social intervention policies in education through the provision of free school uniforms, books and feeding programme by not only enrolling their children in school, but making sure that they supported them to complete their respective courses.
The assembly member also advised them to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme to enable them benefit from the free medical service in the hospitals and clinics.
Mr Dawuni however noted that development could not thrive in an atmosphere of instability and therefore advised them to continue to maintain the prevailing peace in the area to attract the necessary investments.
The Paramount Chief of Tatale traditional area, Obore Gariba Yankosor, who was part of the meetings, appealed to Ghanaians not to politicise the impending population census exercise and called for maximum co-operation from all stakeholders for its success.

GOVT TO RESOURCE NYEP TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMMES (PAGE 22, AUGUST 7, 2010)

THE government is prepared to resource the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to implement its laudable programmes, especially in northern Ghana to help forestall the mass exodus of the youth from the area to southern Ghana in search of menial jobs.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr Sam Nasaamu Asabigi, said this in a speech read on his behalf at the close of a six-month skill and manpower training workshop for graduates of the Ghana Young Artisans Movement and the NYEP in Tamale.
The 85 trainees were trained in various fields, including hair-dressing, dress- making, catering, batik, tie-dye production.
Mr Asabigi described as unfortunate the current situation in northern Ghana where a large number of energetic youth were idling about as a result of unavailability of employment.
He gave the assurance that the government had mapped out a number of programmes, including the revamping of the agricultural sector to absorb the youth.
The National Co-ordinator of the NYEP, Mr Abuga Pele, said the exercise formed part of the “trade and vocation model” of the NYEP that was aimed at exploring the potentials of the youth through self-employment.
He said that would lessen the burden on government’s financial stride to provide lucrative jobs for the youth of Ghana.
Mr Abuga Pele hinted that plans were afoot to replicate the vocation and trade model throughout the country that would also benefit the disabled.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Young Artisans Movement, Mr Abdul Fatawu Ibrahim, commended the government for its unrelenting efforts to develop the youth of Ghana through such interventions.
He also expressed appreciation to donor agencies, including “Tools for self reliance” in the United Kingdom, Simavi in the Netherlands, the Embassies and High Commissions of Britain and Canada in Ghana for their support over the years.
Mr Fatawu revealed that GYAM had since its establishment in 1995 been involved in youth and community development through which water and sanitation facilities had been provided to peri-urban communities in the three regions of the north.
The graduates received certificates and some working tools to help them establish their own businesses.

JAPAN MOTORS TO EXPAND BASE AT TAMALE (PAGE 29, JULY 31, 2010)

JAPAN Motors and Trading Company, dealers in automobile and accessories is to undertake a massive infrastructure investment in its Tamale branch within the next three years.
Among the strategies line-up to capture the growing market in the metropolis, are the construction of a modern showroom for vehicles and Yamaha Motorbikes to offer customers a serene and comfortable environment to do business.
A three-story office complex, part of which will be rented to institutions that want to set up near the light-industrial area of Tamale, will also be constructed on part of the land. As part of the expansion process, the workshop will be relocated and given a state of the art design.
According to the Branch Manager of the company in Tamale, Mr. Al-Hassan Somoa Mahama, “as Tamale is becoming the commercial hub of the north, the company also intends putting up two large warehouses drawing from our experience of managing warehouses in our Tema Branch.”
In doing this, “we are envisaging that when the In-land-port in Tamale becomes operational, the needs of importers will also be met,” he explained.
The manager observed that most people were still unaware that they could purchase their vehicles at their office in Tamale and had to trek all the way to Accra stressing that, “the vehicles you buy from us here and those from our head office in Accra are all of the same quality and durability.”
Mr Mahama further indicated that his outfit also offers training facilities to students from the technical schools, polytechnics and universities like its sister branches in other parts of the country.
“It is the only automobile garage in all the three northern regions equipped with modern vehicle diagnosis equipment.
Giving a background of the company’s existence in the north, the manager explained that Japan Motors was among other automobile firms that opened its branch in Tamale in 1973 to enjoy the benefits of the agriculture boom in the area.
The rapid decline of the agricultural sector in the 1980s in the area, however, led to the decline in incomes as automobile sales plummeted. Almost all the automobile firms dealing in agricultural equipment and vehicles folded up before the middle of the 1980’s.
He said while others folded up, Japan Motors re-strategised and adapted to the new challenges. “The endurance and patience of Japan Motors later paid off as the sales of the Yamaha Motorbikes soared in the 1990’s. The Nissan range of vehicles, which is the hallmark of the company, also enjoyed much patronage.”
The manager explained that the surge in sales was largely due to the influx of NGOs and Christian missionary activities which required robust means of transport that could traverse the rugged Northern Ghana roads and paths leading to the hinterlands. He added that the introduction of the Local Government Decentralisation system also empowered district assemblies to make purchases of vehicles and motorcycles within their locality, thus broadening the branch’s clientele base.