INDISCIPLINE, CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS IN TAMALE (PAGE 29)

THE growing indiscipline on the well laid-out roads in the Tamale metropolis is claiming the lives of motorists in the area.
Not only do most motorists flout traffic regulations, they also do not protect themselves by their refusal to wear helmets and seat belts in spite of efforts by the police and officials of the Road Safety Campaign to sensitise them to those safety measures.
What has even compounded the problem is the constant breakdown of traffic lights at various intersections in the metropolis resulting in the scramble for right of way with its ensuing chaos and accidents.
Some residents have, therefore, appealed to the police to step up their operations and arrest recalcitrant motorists and bring them to book to stem the tide.
Following the rising spate of accidents, there has been an increase in the number of fatalities from 25 deaths between the periods of January and April last year to 33 within the same span of time this year, representing an increase of 32 per cent.
Last year, 65 people died in the metropolis from 193 accidents recorded by personnel of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the police in Tamale.
According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Albert Johnson, ‘‘in February this year, 17 motorists lost their lives in Tamale. And worst of all, 82 per cent of motor accident fatalities recorded last year, occurred in Tamale”.
He said 104 other traffic offences were registered in the metropolis and 46 culprits arraigned.
Meanwhile most of the fatal cases have been referred to the Attorney-General’s office for advice.
‘‘We would therefore want to advise all motorists and other road users to observe road traffic regulations and signs to ensure the safety of their lives and those of pedestrians,’’ Inspector Johnson admonished.

TAMALE GETS GUINEA FOWL STORAGE FACILITIES (PAGE 29)

THE World Vision International (WVI), a Christian non-governmental organisation (NGO), is undertaking $8-million development projects in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira District.
The projects, which began in 1994 and expected to be completed in 2011, include the construction of five nursery schools, 10 primary schools, two junior high schools, two hostels, two teachers’ quarters, three libraries and nine public places of convenience.
Thirteen existing schools have also been rehabilitated under the development programme.
Other ongoing projects include five water harvesting facilities and five public places of convenience.
Inaugurating the GH¢207,000 girls’ hostel for the Jukwa Senior High School, which is one of the completed projects in the district, the Area Manager of WVI, Mr Harry Addor, said World Vision-Germany funded the 300-capacity project.
According to him, 3,600 schoolchildren from 23 communities had been offered scholarships by German sponsors.
Mr Addor said the organisation had organised training programmes for a number of teachers and also provided incentive packages for those in the rural communities.
He said many schools in the area had also been provided with teaching and learning materials.
The Headmistress of the Jukwa Senior High, Ms Regina Amam, commended the NGO for the support, stressing that the hostel would go a long way to help solve the accommodation problem of girls in the school.
The District Chief Executive for Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira, Mr Yaw Agyeibi-Kessie, expressed the hope that activities of the WVI would be extended to other communities in the district.

PEACE COUNCIL CALLS ON BAWKU FACTIONS TO CO-OPERATE (PAGE 14)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan & Benjamin Glover, Bawku

THE National Peace Council has called for the support and co-operation of the feuding factions in its efforts to foster peace and unity in the Bawku Municipality.
The Council, which is under the chairmanship of His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast, made the appeal after holding separate meetings with the Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, and the opinion leaders of the Mamprusi clan at Bawku on Tuesday.
The meetings, which took place behind closed doors, were to see how best to ensure peace in the Bawku Municipality, which has been engulfed in ethnic conflict.
Other members of the NPC present at the meeting were the Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Ghana, Maulvi Wahab Adam; a representative of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Mahamud Gedel; the Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu; and Professor Irene Odotei.
The Council had earlier met the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, who briefed them on the Bawku conflict and the measures taken so far by the Upper East Regional Security Council to restore peace in the area.
Before the meeting went into a closed-door session, Cardinal Turkson thanked the President, Mr John A. Kufuor, for mandating the National Peace Council to help find a lasting solution to the conflict in Bawku.
Cardinal Turkson and other council members advised both the Kusasis and the Mamprusis to live in peace, since that area could not pursue any development agenda while it was in conflict.
"We have come to listen and we shall keep coming to Bawku until peace is restored. We will continue our efforts to foster unity among the people and we pray that you will all lend your support in this worthy cause," he said
Cardinal Turkson pleaded with both sides to exercise restraint in the midst of any provocation, stressing that "we trust that God will make a way where there seems to be no way".
The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu, and Professor Irene Odotei both appealed to the two factions to work together for the peace of the area.

POLICE MOUNT SEARCHFOR SUSPECTED ARMED ROBBERS (PAGE 20)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Northern Regional Police Command has mounted an intensive search for some suspected armed robbers who allegedly robbed passengers of a Kumasi-Wa bound vehicle of their valuables including mobile phones.
The eight unidentified robbers fired several warning shots to scare their victims after their action and escaped through a nearby grove with the stolen items.
The incident occurred around Maluwe and Wakawaka village near Bole on the Bole-Bamboi road around 1:20 a.m. on May, 17, 2008.
According to the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Albert Johnson, the drivers of the KIA truck and Neoplan bus with registration numbers AS 5628 P and AS 2472 C, Richard Kojo Twum and Yahaya Ibrahim, respectively, were carrying passengers and goods when the robbers attacked them.
Mr Johnson said the passengers, who were on their way from Kumasi to Wa in the Upper West Region, noticed at a spot that the road had been blocked with logs.
He said they were compelled to stop, and the robbers then appeared from the bush wielding guns and machetes and mounted a search on the passengers during which they succeeded in stealing their money and property.
“When the police visited the crime scene, an empty cartridge and a knife were found”, Inspector Johnson stated.
In a related development, the police have arrested some suspected cattle rustlers following the growing incidence of cattle thefts in the region.
The suspects include a driver of the Ghana Education Service at Buipe in the Central Gonja District, Tobiag Segkeb, and a Fulani man called Sigya.
Inspector Johnson said on April 23, 2007, a driver of a 207 Mercedes Benz bus with registration number BA 136 A was arrested after suspicion of carrying stolen cattle in his vehicle that was heading towards Offinso in the Ashanti Region.
He said in an enquiry, the driver, whose name was not mentioned, pointed at Segkeb as a member of the syndicate that stole the cattle. The suspect was later arrested at Mpala, near Buipe to assist in investigations.
Inspector Johnson stated that on May 2, 2008, one Bari Amadu, a Fulani herdsman from Burkina Faso, was accompanied to the Walewale Police Station by Yahaya Tampuri, a native of Walewale, to report the theft of 35 of his cattle from Burkina Faso into the country.
He said upon investigations, Sigya, who Amadu suspected of being behind the theft, was arrested at Kukua, near Walewale.

NGO DONATES BICYCLES TO FEMALE TEACHERS IN NR (PAGE 20)

STORY: ZAKARIA ALHASSAN, TAMALE

A UK-based charity organisation, Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), has presented bicycles to female teachers and community health peer educators in some selected districts in the Northern Region.
The 132 bicycles are to help facilitate the work of the beneficiaries who operate in deprived communities in the region.
CAMFED, which was established in the Northern Region in 1998, has been providing various interventions to improve on female education in the region over the years.
It is also engaged in the provision of small loans and skills training for out-of-school young women to engage in economic activities to help reduce their vulnerability to life’s hazards associated with economic dependency.
The Head of Programmes of CAMFED, Ms Dolores Dickson, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that her outfit currently provided bursary to 1,800 girls in primary, junior high and senior high schools in the region.
She stated further that as part of the organisation’s contribution to the improvement of quality education in the region, CAMFED was collaborating with the Ghana Education Service to engage 109 volunteer teachers across 15 districts in the area.
Ms Dickson said it was in response to the volunteer teachers’ appeal for means of transport that the organisation acquired the bicycles to improve contact hours with their pupils.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Mr John K. Hobenu, commended the management of CAMFED for their immense support for the education sector over the years, and urged the beneficiaries to put in their best to justify the investments made.
He also urged teachers to serve as role models to their pupils and students, noting that “as teachers, remember that God is using you to transform the lives of people; teaching is divine work.”
On behalf of her colleagues, Ms Deborah Mankutui expressed appreciation to her benefactors and promised to live up to expectation.

NGO DONATES BICYCLES TO FEMALE TEACHERS IN NR (PAGE 20)

STORY: ZAKARIA ALHASSAN, TAMALE

A UK-based charity organisation, Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), has presented bicycles to female teachers and community health peer educators in some selected districts in the Northern Region.
The 132 bicycles are to help facilitate the work of the beneficiaries who operate in deprived communities in the region.
CAMFED, which was established in the Northern Region in 1998, has been providing various interventions to improve on female education in the region over the years.
It is also engaged in the provision of small loans and skills training for out-of-school young women to engage in economic activities to help reduce their vulnerability to life’s hazards associated with economic dependency.
The Head of Programmes of CAMFED, Ms Dolores Dickson, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that her outfit currently provided bursary to 1,800 girls in primary, junior high and senior high schools in the region.
She stated further that as part of the organisation’s contribution to the improvement of quality education in the region, CAMFED was collaborating with the Ghana Education Service to engage 109 volunteer teachers across 15 districts in the area.
Ms Dickson said it was in response to the volunteer teachers’ appeal for means of transport that the organisation acquired the bicycles to improve contact hours with their pupils.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Mr John K. Hobenu, commended the management of CAMFED for their immense support for the education sector over the years, and urged the beneficiaries to put in their best to justify the investments made.
He also urged teachers to serve as role models to their pupils and students, noting that “as teachers, remember that God is using you to transform the lives of people; teaching is divine work.”
On behalf of her colleagues, Ms Deborah Mankutui expressed appreciation to her benefactors and promised to live up to expectation.

NORTHERN REGION HAS MORE CHALLENGES (PAGE 20)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Northern Region is the largest region in the country in terms of land mass but among the least developed. The region occupies 70,384 square kilometres and accounts for 29.5 per cent of the total land area of the country.
The vastness of the area, however, comes with its own daunting challenges. In spite of its geographical stretch, access to the 18 districts in the area is a nightmare as most of the roads linking them are not motorable, especially during the rainy season.
Apart from Yendi, Savelugu/Nanton and Central Gonja, the roads leading to the rest of the districts from the regional capital, Tamale, are not tarred.
Indeed, the region lags behind in every facet of national development, such as health, education and food security.
There are simply not enough health facilities and personnel to adequately cater for the health needs of the people. The regional hospital in Tamale has also deteriorated over the years, making a mockery of its current status as a teaching hospital.
The region also has the unenviable record of having the highest illiteracy levels in the country. Female enrolment is also low while academic performance keeps on falling every year. Apart from the inadequate existing educational infrastructure, almost 50 per cent of the inadequate teachers are not also trained.
The mainstay of the people, agriculture, has virtually collapsed as a result of lack of farming inputs, credit facilities, ready market and erratic rainfall, thus compounding the poverty of the people. It is not an exaggeration when the three northern regions are said to be the poorest in the country. You really have to see it to feel it.
Even though the region is endowed with some mineral deposits such as iron ore and lime, their potentials have not been tapped. The unavailability of industries and employment opportunities has made the teeming energetic and hardworking youth redundant, resulting in majority of them migrating down south to engage in menial jobs.
As the sages say, “the devil finds work for idle hands”. It is, therefore, not surprising that some selfish individuals and groups are luring those desperate, hungry and angry youth into engaging in intermittent conflicts in the area at the least opportunity.
Indeed, the problems of the region could partly be attributed to the neglect it suffered from the British colonial masters. The people were deliberately denied access to formal education for centuries and only engaged as hewers of wood and a labour reserve at the country’s mines and cocoa farms down south.
It was due to those reasons that the Northern Regional minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, had cause to appeal to the British High Commissioner to Ghana, His Excellency Nicholas Westcott to increase the British government’s aid to the area.
The minister, who was speaking during Mr Westcott’s courtesy call on him at his office in Tamale, commended the British government for its assistance to the area over the years but noted that ‘‘much still needs to be done to improve on the socio-economic fortunes of our people.’’
Alhaji Idris further noted that even though the government and other donors had contributed significantly in reducing the guinea worm disease in some parts of the region, much needed to be done to eliminate the debilitating disease.
‘‘The region has come a long way but we are yet to come out of the woods as we are still grappling with challenges such as the extension of electricity, water, health and educational infrastructure to rural deprived communities,’’ he intimated.
“Coupled with the difficulties is finding lasting solutions to the recurrent conflicts in most parts of the region,” Alhaji Idris added.
The High Commissioner said his government was not unaware of the difficulties Ghana was facing in its drive to attain the Millennium Development Goals as set out by the United Nations. He, therefore, promised to assist in addressing some of the concerns of the minister.
Mr Westcott, however, stated that it was in recognition of development challenges that his government had entered into several bilateral agreements with Ghana government to help turn the fortunes of the country around.
Mr Westcott was on a two-day working visit to the region and was accompanied by the Political Officer of the Commission, Rosie Tapper.

SCHOOL HEADS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT LACK OF TEACHERS (PAGE 31)

STORY: ZAKARIA ALHASSAN, TAMALE

THE eighth session of the Joint Northern Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High/Technical Schools has ended in Tamale with concerns raised over the inadequate number of qualified teachers and the limited educational infrastructure, as well as teaching and learning materials in the three northern regions.
They also bemoaned the growing practice of encroachment on school lands and the lack of means of transport for most schools and headmasters in the area.
The members further observed that the continuous “late release of grants, and even if released, are in bits, resulting in suppliers quoting prices at the time of payment which are usually higher than at the time of contract agreement, thus reducing the value of the grants.”
These were contained in a communiqué released after a day’s conference in Tamale at the weekend.
Pertinent issues discussed included peculiar problems faced by schools in the north, sharing ideas of common interest in education and matters raised at the national conference.
The conference also served as in-service training for members to update their knowledge and skills in school administration.
The members also noted that the inadequate or the total lack of specialised teachers to teach subjects such as Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was impacting negatively on the development of education in the regions.
Other concerns expressed included the habit of some parents and guardians attacking teachers who attempted to instil discipline in their children and wards respectively at the least opportunity and the lack of in-service training for school heads to upgrade their knowledge to reflect modern trends of administration.
“This is a clear picture of education in schools in the three northern regions for which we entreat the government and other stakeholders in education to come to the aid of the schools,” the members appealed.
They further intimated that when the bottlenecks were removed, it would facilitate the meeting of the objectives of Education for All by the year 2015, thereby bridging the widening gap between the north and south.

VOTER ID CARDS FOR LOANS?

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Northern Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has alleged that some people in the region are collecting the Voter Identity Cards of women under the pretext of offering them loans.
The party further claimed that some people were also engaged in compiling names of un-registered voters for unexplained reasons.
The party mentioned Bimbilla, Yagaba/Kubori, Wulensi and Gushiegu as some of the constituencies in the region where such activities were going on.
The Northern Regional Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday, has, however, stated that the “NDC is very vigilant and wide awake and will do everything legally possible to protect the credibility of the voters register, which we think is since qua non to any free and fair elections’.
The secretary therefore cautioned those involved in the collection of the ID cards and registration of names to desist from such practices with immediate effect, “since we will not allow unscrupulous persons or groups to undermine the electoral process”.
He further made it clear that it was only the Electoral Commission that was mandated by law to register qualified voters.
“We are therefore calling on the EC to thoroughly investigate this issue as soon as possible. The issue of the bloated 13 constituencies’ registers in the Ashanti Region is still fresh in our minds and therefore if people are going about writing names of un-registered voters and collecting voter ID cards, then it raises serious suspicion which warrants investigation,” Alhaji Friday stated.
He intimated that, the activities of those people involved in the practice were being closely monitored and that at the appropriate time the party would act decisively.

BARCLAYS PRESENTS LEARNING MATERIALS TO SAVELUGU/NANTON SCHOOL (PAGE 53)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

BARCLAYS Bank Ghana has presented quantities of learning materials to schoolchildren from five zones in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region.
The items included 700 parcels containing books, pens, toys, clothing, candies and some cash.
Samaritan’s Purse, a child-centred humanitarian organisation in the United States, donated the items through the initiative of the bank.
The bank also added large quantities of its branded exercise books to be given to the excited pupils, majority of whom come from rural communities in the district.
According to the Communications Manager of the bank, Mr Gayheart Mensah, his outfit paid for the shipment of the items into the country as part of its social responsibility to the people.
‘‘We have over the years intervened in various sectors including health and education at parts of the country in response to the needs of the people whose interests are central in everything we do,’’ he said.
He advised the beneficiaries of the items to make maximum use of the package and those who had received letters from their counterparts in the donor country to endeavour to respond, as by doing that they could establish relationships that could have long-term benefits.
The Deputy Director of Education in charge of Human Resource in the district, Mr Moses Akwotugu, said many parents in the area were subsistence farmers and noted that such interventions could help increase enrolment of children in the district.
He, however, advised parents and guardians to ensure that all children of school age were not only enrolled but allowed to continue with their education to any level of their choice.
A beneficiary, Ayishetu Adam, on behalf of other beneficiaries, thanked the management of the bank for the support and promised to study hard to become responsible citizens in future.

CATTLE RUSTLER, INFORMANT ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY...Police given10-days ultimatum to produce them (PAGE 24, MIRROR)

From Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale.

THE alleged complicity by some policemen on duty at the Walewale police station has led to the escape of a suspected cattle rustler and a teenager, described by the police as an informant, from custody.
The Northern Regional Police Command has, therefore, issued an ultimatum to the three policemen involved to recapture the suspected rustler within 10 days or face punitive action.
Even though the command has not disclosed what measures it would take against the three policemen, a police source at Tamale said it could include a reduction in their ranks.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Command in Tamale, Inspector Albert Johnson, the three policemen whose names were not given, failed to place the suspect, Yakubu Dramani, in custody properly, as demanded by their profession, leading to his escape.
He explained that on April 29, this year, one Nuhu Issaka, a resident of Bawku in the Upper East Region, in the company of Musah Ali from Gbimsi, near Walewale in the Northern Region reported the loss of 29 cattle from a kraal at Gbimsi.
Inspector Johnson said Issaka mentioned Yakubu Dramani as the one he suspected had stolen the cattle.
However, Dramani denied the charges when he was arrested later and interrogated, but expressed his preparedness to lead the police to the house of the person he claimed was actually behind the theft.
The PRO said at about 10a.m. the same day, the complainant, in the company of the police investigator and the suspect, all left to town for further investigations.
They, however, failed to locate the supposed suspect Dramani claimed had stolen the cattle but rather came back with a 15-year-old Fulani boy, whose name was not given and who volunteered to help locate the alleged suspect after Dramani had described the person to him.
‘‘But contrary to professional police standards, the boy who had not committed any offence was handcuffed together with the suspect and placed in custody by the investigator,’’ Inspector Johnson said.
He said when Dramani later complained of hunger, one of the policemen on duty at the charge office asked a female colleague to go and buy food for the suspect after which the policeman left the station.
‘‘When the female officer returned to the station with the food, she realised that the charge office was empty and the suspect and informant had also escaped with the handcuff,’’ the officer indicated.

TOBINCO OPENS PHARMACY SHOP IN TAMALE (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Management of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited has opened its offices in the Tamale metropolis to bring its services closer to the people in the three northern regions.
The upper sector office complex, which is located opposite the Kukuo central market, a suburb of the metropolis, would supply drugs and extend services to clients in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
As part of the inaugural ceremony, the company donated assorted drugs worth GH¢5, 000 to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
The occasion was witnessed by the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, senior health officials, chiefs, representatives of the security services and the public.
According to the Marketing and Development Manager of the company, Pharmacist Seth Fianko-Larbi, Tobinco was established in October 2005 and that the Tamale office brings to four the number of administrative sectors of the company.
He noted that while there appeared to be population sedimentation in the country, the company was on the path of strategic development by spreading from the southern part of the country to the northern sector.
The manager intimated that ‘‘we are trailblazers as we are almost always the first to introduce a World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended and Ministry of Health (MOH)-adopted anti-malaria protocol into the pharmaceutical market’.’
He further explained the reasons for the establishment of the Tamale office to include, accessibility, affordability and availability of their products.
‘‘Affordability, which is the strongest of the decision points, stems from our vision to provide quality and affordable medicines to the community as captured in our vision statement,’’ the manager said.
He said currently the company had over 30 products on the National Health Insurance Drug List with its prices far below the quoted allowable insurance prices.
For instance, the manager noted that the price of LONART tablets course, which is the company’s brand of Artemether-Lumefantrine, was about 30 per cent and below the quoted NHIDL price of GH¢4.50 per course.
Dr Twumasi observed that malaria continued to be the bane of the people in the region, claiming the lives of most OPD attendants, particularly children under five years, at the various health centres.
He mentioned drug resistance to the disease, inaccessibility and lack of adequate health centres as some of the challenges the directorate was facing leading to the unfortunate death of majority of malarial patients in the area.
‘‘This centre has therefore come at the right time, it is my hope that it would go a long way to help in providing appropriate and quality medication and pharmaceuticals for effective health delivery care in the region,’’ the director stated.
For his part, Alhaji Idris noted that the establishment of the office was a manifestation of good collaboration between the private sector and the government to tackle the challenges in the health sector.
He commended the management of the company for their initiative and urged them to continue to embark on regular research into finding efficacious drugs for the effective treatment and control of malaria.

NGO TO SUPPLY FOOD ITEMS TO HIGH SCHOOLS ON CREDIT (PAGE 29)

STORY: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

A Tamale-based NGO, the Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), has offered to supply food items to Senior High Schools in the metropolis on credit to enable the schools re-open for academic work.
According to the organisation, it had critically assessed the situation and was convinced that it had the capacity to supply very reliable foodstuff on credit basis to the schools until such a time that the feeding grant was released by the Scholarship Secretariat.
‘‘CARD has the capacity to supply a range of foodstuff including maize, rice, cowpea, cooking oil, herrings to arrest the situation to enable the schools here to re-open as soon as possible,’’ Mr Mustapha Mas-ud, who is co-ordinator of micro-finance of CARD, said.
The co-ordinator further intimated that ‘‘we have enough stock of farm produce for supply on very reasonable terms of payment”.
He explained that his outfit had been engaged in farm produce banking programme for the past 10 years and that it currently supplied various grain products to some food vendors and processors in the metropolis on credit.
Mr Mas-ud observed that their intervention could be a relief at a time that most food suppliers were overburdened and distressed and were therefore either unwilling or unable to supply any more foodstuffs because of the huge monies owed them by the schools.
‘‘It is also our firm believe that we can extend the credit facilities to cover other government-assisted schools in the various districts in the north that have boarding facilities,’’ he intimated.
The co-ordinator disclosed that his organisation had written to the schools concerned to contact it for deliberations and terms of payments.
There has been a recurrent delay in the release of feeding grants to boarding schools in the three northern regions over the years. At the moment, students of Senior High Schools in the three regions are still at home as a result of the inability of the scholarship secretariat to release the grant.

REMOVE THIS OLD TANKER FROM THE ROAD (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

SOME motorists in the Tamale metropolis have expressed grave concern over the continuous plying of the roads in the metropolis of an old Water Tanker belonging to the Military in spite of its glaring danger to life and property.
The vehicle, with the registration number 89G 65, has been involved in a number of accidents on the busy roads in the area as a result of alleged break failures and lack of proper maintenance. The vehicle is believed to be about 24 years old.
The latest of such accidents allegedly caused by the driver of the tanker occurred last Monday May 19 when he hit a Toyota saloon car awaiting the green light to move at the Agric junction traffic light. In the process, it smashed the back of the car, damaging the boot, rear windshield and tail lights.
According to an eyewitness, Eric Benard, the car, with the registration number GR4022Z, was heading towards town from the MOFA offices while the tanker, which was full of water, was also heading towards the same direction.
He said when the tanker got to the junction, the driver failed to stop and hit the car that was parked.
‘‘From all indications, it looked like the brake of the tanker was faulty because when it eventually managed to stop after hitting the car a number of times as the car owner attempted to move ahead, the mate had to use a wood stump to impede its movement,’’ Benard alleged.
A taxi driver, Moses Tinko, said a couple of months ago, the same tanker hit a motorist at the Jisonayili junction on the same Tamale-Bolgatanga road killing the rider instantly.
‘‘It is high time the Military Command ensured that the rickety tanker is parked off the roads to ensure our safety and that of the pedestrians,’’ he said.
Other motorists the Daily Graphic spoke to wondered why the police could not candidly advise the military to take the vehicle off the road.
‘‘It is about our safety on the roads, so I wonder why the police looks on while this same tanker continues to cause havoc to law-abiding motorists such as the car owner who parked safely at the junction when the traffic lights indicated so,’’ a female driver, Maria Tanko wondered.
The Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the police are handling the matter.

FEMALE TEACHERS IN NORTHERN REGION RECEIVE BICYCLES (PAGE 11)

STORY: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

A U.K. charity organisation, Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), has presented bicycles to female teachers and community health peer educators in some selected districts in the Northern Region.
The 132 bicycles are to help facilitate the work of the beneficiaries who operate at deprived communities in the region.
CAMFED was established in the Northern Region in 1998 and has been providing various interventions to improve on female education in the region over the years.
The organisation was also engaged in the provision of small loans and skills training for out-of-school young women to engage in economic activities to help reduce their vulnerability to life hazards associated with economic dependency.
According to the head of programmes for CAMFED in Tamale, Dolores Dickson, her outfit currently provides bursary support to 1800 girls in primary and junior and senior high schools in the region.
She further explained that as part of the organisation’s contribution to improving quality education in the region, CAMFED had collaborated with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to engage 109 volunteer teachers across 15 districts in the area.
She said it was in response to the volunteer teachers’ appeal for means of transport, that the organisation acquired the bicycles to improve contact hours with their pupils.
The Northern Regional Director of Education, Mr John K. Hobenu, commended the management of CAMFED for their immense support to the education sector over the years and urged beneficiaries to put in their best to justify the investments made.
He urged teachers to serve as role models to their pupils and students, saying that as teachers they must remember that God was using them to transform the lives of people. He added that teaching was a divine work.
On behalf of her colleagues, Ms Deborah Mankutui expressed appreciation to the benefactors and promised to live up to expectation.

IDRIS: MEDIA MUST PROTECT PEACE IN NORTHERN REGION (PAGE 17)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, has urged media practitioners in the region to play their roles responsibly to help ensure peaceful, free and fair elections to demonstrate to the world that the people in that part of the country were mature and united in the face of their political differences and divergent opinions.
He has underlined the need for media practitioners in the region to exercise maximum restraint and care in their reportage on political activities in order not to disturb the prevailing peace in the region.
He observed that being an election year, "it is very important for the media to be cautious in what they say and write as the campaigns for the general election in December is slowly building up in the region".
Alhaji Idris was speaking during a courtesy call on him by the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Nicholas Wescott, in Tamale as part of the High Commissioner’s two-day working visit to the Northern Region. He was accompanied by the Political Officer of the commission, Rosie Tapper.
He observed that the media was an important institution that wielded much power in the affairs of the region and the nation in general and that their input into the elections could either help promote the current peaceful atmosphere in the region or mar the gains made so far in the forward march of the area.
The minister said the Regional Co-ordinating Council would soon hold a meeting with the leadership of political parties in the region and the various stakeholders in the electoral process to impress on them, the need to ensure clean campaigns and free and fair elections in the area.
He, however, stated that it was the people's responsibility to also monitor the process and report any electoral malfeasance to the appropriate quarters for redress, instead of taking the law into their own hands.
Alhaji Idris described as unfortunate, the penchant for some self-seeking individuals and groups to use the chieftaincy divide in Dagbon in particular to score political points and advised the people not to allow themselves to be used at the least opportunity.
"I became a political casualty as a result of the chieftaincy issue that I had no hand in but for which reason I lost my parliamentary seat in then Gukpegu/Sabonjida Constituency in Tamale in the 2004 elections," he explained.
The High Commissioner, for his part, described the Electoral Commission’s (EC) strive to ensure free and fair elections as encouraging.
He said the EC had resolved to ensure that during his recent meeting with it in Accra.
"The electoral process should be transparent and the people should be free to vote for any party or candidate of their choice," he said.
Mr Westcott said it was to further strengthen the nascent democracy in Ghana that his country had over the years, been committing some resources to help in building the capacities of stakeholders in the electoral process.

VEHICLES INCREASE IN TAMALE (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THERE is no doubt that the number of vehicles in the Tamale metropolis is growing by the day. However, what is of utmost concern to many motorists is the lack of parking space to contain the large number of vehicles whose owners come to do business, especially in the central business district (CBD).
As a result, motorists, particularly taxi drivers have turned portions of the busy roads into parking lots, thereby inhibiting free flow of vehicles with impunity, resulting in minor accidents.
There are only a few parking spaces at the CBD where a lot of people come to shop and trade. Therefore, it becomes very difficult to get a convenient space to park, especially at weekends thus, compelling motorists to flout the law by parking at unauthorised places.
Particular mention can be made of the road behind the Ghana Telecom the Water Works Road, the Aboabo Road, the Melcom stretch and the Kalpohini Road in the old hospital area.
On all these roads, pedestrians endanger their lives by competing with motorists on such single carriage roads for the right of way.
It is for these reasons that most motorists have described the practice by a private company, Umarib Ghana Limited, that was contracted by the assembly to clamp wheels of vehicles that are unlawfully parked as unacceptable, ‘‘because there are simply inadequate spaces for us to park’’, Mr Kassim Samande, a private car owner, said.
‘‘We do not understand why the people would clamp the tyres of our vehicles for stopping for a brief moment to either deliver a message or offload a few items for some persons,’’ he said.
When contacted, the managing director of the company, Mr Umaru Bawa, stressed that “we are not here to harass people, but are operating in accordance with our mandate to enforce discipline on the roads”.
According to him, the task force consisted of well-trained personnel, and that “if a vehicle parks to deliver a message to someone or to offload some items, the law enjoins the driver to leave the engine running and to switch on the hazard lights to sensitise other road users that there is a vehicle ahead”.
The director further explained that the GH¢50 fine imposed on offending drivers was meant to deter recalcitrant residents and motorists from parking indiscriminately on the roads, thereby creating congestion in the CBD.
The Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Adam Baba, for his part, said the assembly had demarcated some areas around the market square for use as parking lots, but acknowledged that it was not adequate.
He said the only long-term solution would include the expansion of the Savelugu Station behind the State Transport Company (STC) yard which would involve the demolition of the houses in that area, relocate the houses behind the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and those behind the Ghana Telecom.
Alhaji Baba further intimated that designs for the project had been completed and that the assembly was now sourcing funds to embark on the work.
‘‘We are also planning to put up truck holding bays around Datoyili, a suburb along the Tamale-Kumasi road for heavy duty vehicles that ply the roads to park and relax,’’ he added.
The director, however, acknowledged that the project was capital-intensive and would, therefore, require private sector participation as facilities such as guest houses and restaurants would be included in the project.
It is hoped that these laudable plans by the assembly would be put into practice to ensure sanity and avoid accidents and inconveniences on the roads in one of the fastest- growing metropolis in the West African sub-region.

THEFT OF MOTORBIKES ON TAMALE BANK PREMISES (PAGE 30)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

STEALING of motorbikes and bicycles on the premises of banks in the Tamale metropolis has become the bane of many customers of various banks.
As a result, some customers now prefer to either walk to the banks or entrust their motorbikes to identifiable persons, instead of leaving them under the care of security officers of banks who cannot identify real owners, let alone ward off potential thieves who parade themselves as the real owners.
The customers park their motorbikes and bicycles outside the bank premises while busily transacting business inside the banking halls. Even though there are supposed to be security officers in the yards, they are either not enough or are often preoccupied with other schedules.
The most unfortunate thing is that the banks leave the victims of such thefts to their fate without giving them any support whatsoever.
The latest of such incidents occurred at the main yard of a bank where one Mr Sualisu Alhassan, allegedly stole a customer’s bicycle.
A security officer at the bank, Alex Owusu Ansah, apprehended him and handed him over to the Tamale Police.
According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Albert Johnson, the police were conducting further checks into the matter and that the suspect would be prosecuted after investigations.
In a related development, one Awani Da-boye is in police custody for breaking into a vehicle with registration number GE 4878 W at the Russian Bungalow, a suburb of Tamale, to steal a car tape.
Even though the suspect succeeded in his mischief, he was, however, accosted by a neighbour, Mr Edward Ebkang, and escorted to the police station with a pair of scissors, with which they suspected he used for the theft.
Inspector Johnson said the incident occurred around 6 a.m. on May 6, 2008.

NPP ACTIVIST ENDORSES IDRI (PAGE 14)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

A New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist in Tamale, Alhaji Abdallah Hindu, has appealed to the flag bearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to select the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, to partner him for victory in this year’s December general elections.
According to him, Alhaji Idris was not only the most eligible person for the position following his enormous contribution to the party over the years, but also had the ability to attract floating voters to the NPP.
‘‘As a thoroughbred Danquah-Busia loyalist and faithful believer in the UP tradition, Alhaji Idris has contributed significantly to the establishment and growth of the NPP in the northern and the nation as a whole,’’ he said.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Tamale at the weekend, Alhaji Hindu further described the minister as one of the dedicated and ardent followers of the party who never abandoned ship when the going was tough, particularly during the PNDC/NDC eras when most of his contemporaries had to defect.
‘‘If Nana Addo is going to consider a northerner and for that matter a Muslim as his running mate, then Alhaji Idris stands tall among the rest,’’ he acknowledged.
He added that the affable and humble minister could also be considered on merit since he had the wherewithal, capabilities and wealth of experience to partner the flag bearer to face any opposition to the party’s quest for victory in the forthcoming elections.
‘‘Alhaji Idris’s down-to-earth nature endears him to majority of the youth and so can help significantly to win most young voters who constitute the majority to the party. Being a Waterloo of the party, wooing voters in the north would be very significant in the forthcoming elections that are considered very crucial to the party’s ambition of handing over power to another NPP,’’ Alhaji Hindu further intimated.
After graduating from the University of Ghana, Alhaji Idris taught for some years at the Tamale Senior High School. He later became a businessman and worked tirelessly to ensure the victory of the NPP in 2000 when he joined the NPP government to serve the nation.
He was a deputy minister of foreign affairs at the inception of the government. As a result of his distinguished service, he was later made the substantive minister of Works and Housing.

WATER SHORTAGE HITS YENDI MUNICIPALITY (PAGE 21)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Yendi

ECONOMIC and social activities in the Yendi Municipality have suffered a serious setback following an acute water shortage that has hit the area for some weeks now.
The only source of potable water for the area, River Dakar (White Volta), also known as Kulekpeni, has virtually dried up compelling the people to travel long distances in search of potable water.
The education sector has suffered most as pupils and students have to wake up early in the morning to search for water for use before attending classes.
It is for this reason that residents have passionately appealed to the government and other philanthropic organisations to come to their aid to ameliorate their current difficulties.
As an interim measure, the Northern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), in collaboration with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), despatched eight water tankers from Tamale to the municipality on Wednesday to serve the people.
The Northern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Mr Alhassan Mahmoud, on behalf of the Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, led a group which included the Regional Manager of the GWCL, Mr Samuel Mensah.
The tankers were mobilised from the GWCL, the Prisons Service, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management organisation.
Mr Mensah gave the assurance that his outfit would strive to sustain the supplies until the situation was brought under control.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani, said if measures were not taken to address the situation, there could be an epidemic.
He said the municipality was vast and that more tankers were needed to extend their services to the rural communities.
Alhaji Tijani further stated that most people had resorted to drinking contaminated water, a situation that could result in the emergence of guinea worm and other water- borne diseases.
He, however, stressed the need for the people to protect the water source by planting trees and also desisting from farming and engaging in other activities around the water banks to prevent the river from further drying up in future.

TWO TEACHERS HELD FOR IMPERSONATION (PAGES 24 & 25)

Story: Zackaria Alhassan, Tamale

TWO teachers who used the payslip of their indisposed colleague to successfully secure a loan at a bank at Bole in the Northern Region have been arrested by the police.
The suspects, Moses Adams and Yahaya Mohammed, were arrested upon a tip-off by an official of the Bole District Directorate of Education after they had received GH¢800 loan from a bank with the payslip of their colleague who was on sick leave.
The Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Albert Johnson, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that the suspects impersonated their colleague teacher, whose name was not disclosed by the police, and also used his payslip in the deal.
The suspects would soon be arraigned.
In a another incident, one Anthony Yawo Vedze has been placed under police custody for allegedly defrauding a resident of Kpandai also in the Northern Region.
Inspector Johnson said the suspect took GH¢300 from the victim, Togbe Agbeti, with the pretext of supplying him with a computer, which was never delivered.
He said the suspect began playing hide and seek with the victim until May 3 this month when Vedze was spotted and arrested at Damonko in the Volta Region.

BORIMANGA RURAL BANK HOLDS AGM (PAGE 40)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Savelugu

THE Borimanga Rural Bank at Savelugu in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region has held its first annual general meeting (AGM) to review its operations.
The bank was established in 2004 through the initiative of the Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), and other stakeholders.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Alhaji Fuseini Seidu, said the board and the management had over the years adopted a strategy of extensive deposit and share mobilisation to give the bank the needed resources to undertake reliable, prudent and sustainable financial intermediation.
‘‘The strategies put in place immediately paid off as reflected in the bank’s performance last year. We recorded a modest profit of GH¢5,000 while our capital base stood at over GH¢106,000 as of December, last year, reflecting a determination on the part of the bank to be profitable and in good time,’’ he stated.
Alhaji Seidu said the modest gains were achieved due to the relentless efforts, dedication and team work of both the board and management whose capacity was built through a number of training programmes, and the recruitment of competent personnel.
The chairman said being an agricultural dominated community, the bank had embarked on agricultural financing that added value to the rural producer without compromising its capacity to sustain the bank’s lending operations and profitability.
Other micro-credit lines disbursed by the bank include those of the Ministry of Fisheries that supports women in Diare and the Ministry of Women and Children that serve women at some deprived communities in the district.
‘‘The bank now reaches out to 3,000 rural borrowers lending out GH¢355,600 in the process while our recovery rates have also been outstanding, ensuring that we maintain a very strong portfolio quality,’’ he stated.
Alhaji Seidu added that the bank was constantly seeking new opportunities and partnerships with organisations, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), SPEED Ghana, an international NGO, and the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), for both technical and financial support to its numerous clients.
The chairman observed that the operation of the bank for the first quarter of this year was very encouraging, adding that it intended to open two agencies in Tamale and Nanton this year.
‘‘We also have plans to develop and launch two more products in 2008, computerise our operations and further acquire land for the future construction of the bank’s head office,’’ he stated.
Alhaji Seidu, however, appealed to the people to increase their share holdings to at least 200 shares with total value of GH¢2, stressing that it would not only raise the capital base, but would also generate funds for customers and expand micro-credit to the entire catchment area of the bank.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Managing Director of the ARB APEX Bank, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu, urged the bank to strengthen its internal control mechanisms to ensure that the management and the staff performed creditably and above reproach.
He commended the staff and the management of the bank for the modest gains made and asked them to work harder in the coming years.
The District Chief Executive for the area, Alhaji Abubakari Atori, advised the people to avail themselves of the opportunities offered by the bank to improve on their lot.

WATER HINDERS DEVT IN NORTHERN REGION (PAGE 40)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

WATER is life. This wise but simple expression amply explains the importance of water to the survival of human beings and all living things alike.
It further gives meaning to the desperation of the people of the Northern Region, who often walk for long distances in search of water for consumption and domestic purposes.
Even though water is found everywhere, especially during the rainy season, there is indeed very little to drink resulting in wastage of the abundant rainwater that is allowed to slip away as a result of the lack of dugouts, dams and wells to store it for the dry season.
It is a common sight to see women and children walking dangerously along roads, paths and bushes at the various villages and towns in search of water that has not only become a precious commodity, but also difficult to get in the region.
The deplorable and recurrent situation is not limited to the rural communities, as the Tamale metropolis has also gone through worst times during the recurrent water crisis in the metropolis over the years now. The latest area to suffer from the crisis are the Yendi Municipality and Tamale.
People normally cut short their sleep to search for potable water at every nook and cranny of the metropolis, resulting in workers and students reporting to their workplaces and schools late. Some schoolchildren simply abandon school to assist their parents and guardians in their search of water.
During such difficult times, plastic water cans in various shapes and colours, buckets and big size metal containers (garawa), are commonly seen in the metropolis, dangling on the heads of despondent and weary looking girls and women.
The most pathetic people are the nursing mothers, who strap their babies on their backs. The ‘‘lucky’’ ones carry the containers on their bicycles, motorbikes and vehicles.
It is, therefore, little wonder that guinea worm and other waterborne diseases are still prevalent in this part of the country in spite of the various interventions to stem the tide. The only solution lies in the constant provision of potable water for the people.
A 41-year-old housewife at Tali, in the Tolon/Kumbungu District, Madam Azara Fuseini, had this to say, ‘‘My brother, we are tired of these recurrent shortage of water. It is time the government identifies our plight and come to our aid because we all pay taxes in one way or the other”.
Master Ibrahim Sule, a class six pupil in the most endemic guinea worm area in the country at the moment, the Savelugu/Nanton District, said as a result of the perennial water shortage, ‘‘I often abandon school for days to help my mother look for water to cook and bath me and my siblings.”
He said some of his siblings and schoolmates have often contracted the debilitating guinea worm disease that kept them away from school for several months.
This sad situation is not peculiar to the area alone as it pertains in almost all the 23 districts of the region, including Tamale.
‘‘I have now come to accept the situation as normal because constant water shortage has existed in Tamale since I was born 20 years ago; my mother told me,’’ Balchisu Inusah of Kalpohini Senior High School in Tamale bemoaned.
It is, however, hoped that work on the 45 million euro water rehabilitation and expansion project for the Tamale metropolis and its surrounding areas would be completed this year as scheduled.
The funds include a 24 million euro grant from the Dutch government and a loan of 20 million euros from the ING Bank of The Netherlands. The project is, however, yet to commence.
The two-year project, which commenced in 2006, is being executed by Messrs Biwater of Netherlands.

GHS COMMENDED FOR TRANSFORMING TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

RESIDENTS of Tamale have commended the Ghana Health Service for the ongoing transfer of officers at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, which is aimed at ensuring efficiency and improving quality health delivery at the hospital, the only referral one in the north.
They have, however, expressed concern about the decision to include the hospital accountant in the transfers since, according to them, she is the only female member of the management and native on the team.
According to the President of the Concerned Citizens Association (CCAT) of Tamale, a pressure group, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, ‘‘being the only female on the management, the accountant does not only serve as a role model to female students in the area, but also ensures gender balance at the management level’’.
He explained that, ‘‘it is against this background that we are appealing to the Minister of Health to intervene and rescind the decision to transfer the accountant and a few others to ensure harmony and the accelerated development of the hospital.”
Among the senior staff affected by the transfers so far are the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Daniel Tapang and the administrator, Mr George Atampugre.
Their positions have since been taken over by Dr Ken Sagoe and Mr K.K. Boachie respectively.
The association further appealed to government, as matter urgency, to rehabilitate the hospital to befit its status as a referral centre in the northern sector.
They noted that the continuous neglect of the hospital was seriously affecting effective health care delivery in the area.
‘‘At the moment, patients on the third and fourth floors of the main tower block have been relocated to temporary structures while work on the abandoned floors are yet to be completed,’’ the association said.
He added ‘‘since the hospital was constructed over 30 years ago, there has not been any major rehabilitation work on the facility, thus leaving in its wake serious deterioration and gloom.’’
He further observed that, ‘‘although the people of Tamale have made several appeals to past governments to rehabilitate the hospital, these had gone unheeded.’’
Apart from the inadequate health personnel and poor infrastructure, most of the equipment is obsolete, with the rest broken down.
He said even though there are some minor works going on at the ground floor and some parts of the hospital, this could, however, be likened to ‘‘drawing water from the sea with a spoon.’’
According to Mr Daballi, even though past and present government officials have visited the hospital, its fortunes have not changed.

MORE BANKS GO TO TAMALE (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE prevailing growth of business enterprises and vibrant commercial activities in the fast-growing Tamale metropolis is now attracting the attention of the banking sector.
As a result, a number of private banks have established branches in the area while others have also expressed their desire to extend their services to the northern regional capital to take advantage of the existing commercial boom.
The only problem that seems to be delaying the speedy opening of the branches is the lack of suitable office accommodation in the central business district (CBD) of the metropolis.
The banks could, however, be sited at other busy suburbs to decongest the CBD and also make their services accessible to people in those areas.
Indeed the management of Ecobank has taken a bold step by preparing the grounds for their offices at the Gumani Junction where there is the conglomeration of NGOs and other offices.
Among the private banks that have already opened branches at the Tamale central market square are Home Finance Company (HFC) and Amalgamated Bank.
Other banks that are gearing up are Stanbic, Zenith Ecobank which are working around the clock to complete work on their new buildings. The Intercontinental Bank has already commenced business and awaiting official inauguration.
The Divisional Head, Operations and Controls of Intercontinental, Mr Taslim Wintope, explained that Tamale is the gateway to the north and the Sahelian regions.
‘‘And what informed our decision is that, the people deserve nothing but a world-class banking, and we will not rest until we satisfy the needs of our customers’’.
The Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) also intends to establish more branches in the metropolis in addition to the two existing ones. Other banks that are already in business in the area are the National Investment Bank (NIB), SG-SSB, Standard Chartered and Barclays.
Some of the old banks such as Barclays have renovated their premises and given them a befitting facelift for modern banks that are poised for the competition.
Unfortunately, little has been done by the management of the Standard Chartered Bank to modernise their colonial building which is at a strategic location but lacks adequate parking space.
The Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Mohammed Amin Adam Anta, said everything was being done to assist the private banks to get office accommodation ‘‘because we believe that, the proliferation of banks in the metropolis would engender competition that could lead to the reduction of poverty.’’
He urged them to introduce innovative products and services that would be attractive to the general public.
Most residents have also expressed satisfaction with the new development which they said would offer them a choice to go in for the best.
Ms Hannah Dzekoe, a student, observed that, ‘‘long queues are still being formed at some banks, especially at the end of the month , but with the proliferation of the new banks, some customers will now have options and that will end their frustrations.’’

USD TO PARTNER GALILEE COLLEGE OF ISRAEL (PAGE 11)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE University for Development Studies (UDS) is to enter into partnership with the Galilee College of Israel to run some programmes to benefit both Ghana and Israel.
This followed discussions held by the authorities of the UDS and the President of the Galilee College, Dr Joseph Shevel, during a visit to the UDS in Tamale.
Present at the discussions were the Chairman of the UDS Council, Sir Daniel Charles Gyimah, who was instrumental in getting Dr Shevel to visit the university, and the acting Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Kaku Sagary Nokoe.
Details of the collaboration were not disclosed. However, Dr Shevel intimated that the areas of collaboration would include academic, training and Applied Sciences.
According to the President, “a university must develop international ties or be left behind” adding that ”togetherness for development” was a laudable concept.
Dr Shevel earlier interacted with the deans and selected senior members of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Faculties of Agriculture and Integrated Development Studies. For his part, Professor Nokoe also welcomed the initiative and said when pursued, it would be of enormous benefit to both students and people of the two countries.
He explained that the university’s mission was, among others, to facilitate the promotion of equitable and socio-economic transformation of communities.
“This would be achieved through problem-solving, gender-sensitive, community-based, interactive and lifelong research, teaching and learning and outreach programmes,” the Vice Chancellor added.

CALM RETURNS TO BAMVIM DOHINI (PAGE 44)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

CALM has returned to Bamvim Dohini, a suburb of Tamale, after misunderstanding between sympathisers of the two rival chiefs of the area.
In the ensuing disturbances, one person was injured while about 10 rooms in separate homes were partially burnt in subsequent arson attacks.
The victim, Yahaya Adam, has since been treated at and discharged from the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
There has not been any arrest.
The two chiefs, Harruna Abu and Yahaya Manguli, and their respective elders have held consultations with the police in Tamale to help find an amicable solution to their differences to forestall further disturbances.
According to the Tamale District Police Commander, DSP Folli Washington, the incident that occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday is now under control.
He explained that the two chiefs, Abu and Manguli, were separately enskinned as Bamvim Dohini Na, a sub-chief, by the Bamvim Lana and the Sagnarigu Na respectively.
As a result of this development, the commander said, there had been some misunderstandings over the years as to who actually held sway and also controlled the land in that community.
Mr Washington said following the disagreements between the two chiefs and their sympathisers, Adam, who was working on his farm, a disputed land, last Sunday, was attacked by some persons suspected to be sympathisers of chief Manguli.
‘‘Adam sustained some injuries from the beatings he received and was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated and discharged on the same day,’’ he said.
The commander further explained that upon receiving information of the assault, supporters of the two rival chiefs then engaged in the arson attacks.
The timely intervention by the police, however, saved the situation from escalating.

CONDUCT CAMPAIGNS WITH CIRCUMSPECTION (PAGE 14)

STORY: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

WITH the various political parties busily mapping out strategies to brighten up their chances in the general elections in December, this year, the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission in charge of Operations, Mr Kwadwo Sarfo Kantanka, has cautioned that the parties should carry out their campaigns with much circumspection.
He reminded them that democracy was only a process and should, therefore, not lead to antagonism; ‘‘politics is not war; we need to do away with actions and practices that have the possibility of marring our nascent democracy.’’
Mr Kantanka equally advised the youth to be steadfast and not allow themselves to be used as pawns in the political process, asking, ‘‘Why don’t those who use these young, innocent people to do their dirty bidding use their own children?’’
The director was speaking at a day’s inter-party advisory committee meeting for political parties, civil society organisations and the media in Tamale. It had the theme; ‘‘Building stakeholders confidence in the outcome of the 2008 elections’’, and was organised by the EC in collaboration with KAB Governance Consult and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Among the topics discussed were, ‘‘towards credible elections-our expectations of political parties’’; ‘‘the forthcoming voters’ registration exercise-expectations and challenges’’; and ‘‘the inbuilt integrity of Ghana’s electoral process’’.
Mr Kantanka also mentioned bribery, corruption, intimidation and violence as some of the unorthodox methods used by some political activists in their attempt to annex power.
He, however, said ‘‘those people who engage in such negative practices that are contrary to the laws of this country do that because they simply fail to get their messages across to the people in the first place”.
On the forthcoming voters registration exercise, the director advised all eligible voters to avail themselves of the opportunity to register but reminded the public that the exercise was not a census.
‘‘We should ensure that minors are not allowed to register; neither should people engage in multiple registration because the law would eventually get you if you attempt it,” he warned.
Mr Kantanka further entreated political party representatives to always channel their respective complaints and grievances to the commission for redress instead of taking the law into their own hands at the least opportunity.
The Deputy Chairman in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr David Adenzi Kanga, said one of the means of making the electoral process credible was to ensure decent collation of results at the end of polls.
He added that it was necessary for all party representatives to be present during the collation period in order to ensure that the outcome of the results was acceptable to all.
‘‘It is unacceptable to organise thugs to destroy or terrorise others during the collation exercise just because your party is losing out in the race,’’ Mr Kanga intimated, adding that the ‘‘electoral process has created enough room for resolving problems associated with balloting”.

CONSERVATION PROGRAMME INAUGURATED AT MOLE PARK (BACK LEAD)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Mognort

New initiative to promote community participation in the conservation and management of wildlife has been inaugurated at Mognori, a farming community within the Mole National Park in the West Gonja District in the Northern Region.
Dubbed the Mognori Eco-Village, the concept would also help provide the people with additional form of livelihood through the promotion of tourism and job creation.
Under the project, an initial fund of GH¢3,000, which would be increased by 10 per cent annually would also be established, for the infrasructural development of the area.
It is supported by the Northern Savannah Biodiversity Conservation Project (NSBCP) and the Wildlife Division Support Project (WASP).
The WDSP is funded by the Dutch government with 5.4 million Euros to ensure more effective wildlife conservation in the country.
A representative of the Eco-Village, Bukari Mahama, explained that the concept was realised in 2003 after most farmers in the area had lost their crops to elephants in the park.
He said a programme lined up for potential tourists under the project included a guided village walk, cultural performances and canoe trips on the Mole River.
An officer from the Wildlife Division, Mr Cletus Nateg, said the initiative formed part of the Protected Areas Management Advisory Units (PAMAU) of the division. He explained that the unit was a platform for the exchange of views and ideas between the management of the park, the local authorities, communities and interest groups in the development and management of the park.
“I therefore urge all the surrounding communities to join hands to conserve this vital resource we have and take advantage of the opportunities it offers us to develop and lift ourselves out of the vicious circle of poverty,” the officer admonished.
According to Mr Nateg, his outfit was also supporting some communities to undertake livelihood support activities such as bee-keeping and the production of artefacts.
“The Wildlife Division is committed to working closely with all its stakeholders to manage the resources of this park and developing livelihood opportunities in the fringe communities as and when identified,” he further stated.
The West Gonja District Chief Executive, Madam Janet Jambia Alhassan, observed that with the necessary support, the area could contribute significantly to the growth of the tourism industry in the country.
She mentioned the Larabanga Mosque, the Mystic Stone, festivals and smock weaving as some potential areas for investment and commended the partners in the project for their contributions to the development of the sector.

ECYPTIAN COMPANY TO BLAME (PAGE 29)

Story: Zakaria Alhasan, Tamale

RESIDENTS of Tamale have expressed worry over the inability of the Egyptian contractors working on the street lighting project in the metropolis to tidy up the pavements they damaged in the course of their work.
As a result, most of the drains are covered with heap of sand, thus preventing the free passage of water into the drains whenever it rains.
The fear of most people is that as the northern Ghana is gradually entering the main rainy season, the situation could lead to flooding in some areas.
Ironically, the choked drains in the metropolis were cleared at a huge cost to the taxpayer a couple of weeks before the commencement of the project. The exercise was supervised by the Department of Urban Roads in Tamale.
The street lighting project has not only resulted in the choking of the drains but has also led to the partial destruction of pavements along the beautifully laid-out roads in the city.
The construction of the pavement was part of the over GH¢500,000 Non-Motorists Transport Project that was executed in 2003.
Its provision has not only ensured the safety of pedestrians but has also helped to give a facelift to the city in beautifying the roads and houses along them.
A 39-year-old resident, Alhaji Mumuni Issah, wondered ‘‘why we don’t always seem to get our priorities right. Why did they not include the street light project when they were constructing the roads?” He asked.
‘‘I will blame the situation on residents of this area. Why do they always have to sit down unconcerned for people to come and do whatever they want and go away?” Asked Ms Adisah Mohammed, a food vendor.
‘‘Maybe they need to be sensitised to know that they have a stake in whatever development project that is brought to this area; it is high time we became active in such works rather than always being p assive,’’ she added.
A 25-year-old teacher, Abu Iddi, however, holds a contrary view. According to him, the metropolis would continue to experience such situations until some of them began to separate chieftaincy and politics in regard to development issues.
When the attention of the Co-ordinating Director of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Alhaji Adam Mohammed Baba, was drawn to the lapses, he acknowledged its repercussions in affected areas and promised to contact the contractors to rectify the situation soon.
‘‘Indeed the first phase of the lighting project that covered a distance of 31 kilometres was done in a rush to meet the deadline for the commencement of CAN 2008,’’ he said.
The director, however, gave the assurance that the second phase would be done with caution. In all, a distance of about 64 kilometres would be covered in the entire street lighting project in the metropolis.
A development engineer of the Urban Roads Department in Tamale, Mr Charles Abuga Peh, confirmed that it was the responsibility of the contractors to reconstruct the pavement and also tidy up the place.
He added that even though the contractors agreed to do that after the second phase of the project, he promised to immediately impress upon them to begin the work.