Monday, 27 June 2011

Binduri set to witness massive development

The Chiefs and people of Binduri, a farming community near Bawku in the Upper East Region has held a development forum in honour of Stephen Atubiga, a native and an illustrious son of the area based in the United State of America. The durbar was to officially welcome his return as he sets to invest and embark on developmental projects in the area. The occassion celebrated amidst drumming and dancing brought together natives of Binduri and its catchment area including opinion leaders, heads of departments, teachers, assembly members and religious leaders among other invited personalities. The Chief of the Binduri Traditional Area, Naba Agap-Wine Akolbila Robert was grateful for the exemplary vision of Mr. Atubiga since the area is saddled with numerous developmental challenges. He said the projects when finally embarked upon would ease the problem of youth unemployment in the area which will as well better the lot of the people. Naba Akolbila Robert, therefore charged the people to rally their support behind Mr. Atubiga as he rolls out his developmental agenda to complement the efforts of the government. Mr. Atubiga in a brief remark assured the people of his support in the area of development and stressed that efforts are being made to secure enough funding to cater for the projects to be undertaken in the area and called for their prayer and support in that regard. He also encouraged the people to maintain the prevailing peace in the area and also forge ahead to contribute their quota to the development of the area by throwing their weight behind the chiefs. Mr. Atubiga, moreover urged the youth to call on him for any assistance deem necessary. The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Musa Abdullai in a speech read for him advised the people to take advantage of the developmental programmes and policies of government to sustain their livelihood. He highlighted a number of successes chalked by the government over the past few years and encouraged the people to support the government in its quest to ensuring massive development in all sectors of the economy. He also appealed to the chiefs and custodians of the land to release portions of their land for developmental projects. This he noted is the surest way chiefs could contribute their quota to accelerated development in the area.
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Schools with Pigeons Holes Pose a Serious Hazard to Pupils in the U/E Region

27-06-2011
A Principal Pharmacy Technologist, Alogskoma Asakeya Noble is appealing to the various assemblies in the Upper East Region to adopt different technology in the construction of public buildings especially schools to be able to withstand rainstorms. He noted with concern that most public buildings easily fall prey to rainstorms and are not able to stand the test of time due to their shoddy nature and charged the assemblies to call contractors to order for any shoddy work done. According to him contractors should be directed to grow trees to serve as wind breaks and shade before their last certificates for payment is given to them by the awarding institution or assembly. This he said would ensure the safety of the buildings. Mr. Asakeya made the appeal in an interview with Radio Ghana at Bolgatanga. He said efforts must be made to ensure the welfare and safety of the citizenry, hence the need to embark on pragmatic measures to forestall any unforeseen circumstances including rainstorms. Mr. Asakeya Noble also described as worrying the manner at which public buildings are constructed with “pigeon” holes that serves as vents. This, he noted is common among basic school buildings in the region and called for interventions to deal with the practice. The pigeon holes, he indicated, impact negatively on the visual health of pupils, stating that visual impairment in children have long time effect on every aspect of child’s life and becomes a burden on family and the society as well. Moreover overcrowding and inadequate ventilations also become a fertile ground for the spread of skin diseases since children easily contracts diseases when they are crowded or confined in low ventilated buildings. Mr. Asakeya Noble therefore called on the Ministry of Education to swiftly send experts to assess the situation for the necessary action to be taken.
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Saturday, 18 June 2011

MFWA to hold forum on the use of media to promote effective local governance in Ghana

18-06-2011

The Media Foundation for West Africa, a regional independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Accra, will on Monday organize a two -day training workshop for some selected media practitioners across the country. The workshop will be carried out under a project dubbed: “Using Radio to Promote Participatory and Effective Local Governance in Ghana” and aimed at building the capacity of selected journalists from radio stations nationwide in local governance reporting and programming, and supporting stations financially and technically to produce and broadcast quality programmes. Focus would be on governance issues at the local level with the view to enhancing opportunities for citizen’s participation in the local governance processes and debates. The meeting would also discuss the possibilities of using the media to sustain democracy in Ghana and would be attended by other partners from neigbouring countries including Burkina Faso, Mali and Benin. The Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Prof. Kwame Karikari in an interview with Radio Ghana said the project will build a strong collaboration between the selected radio stations and their respective Municipal Assemblies as a way of facilitating access to the radio stations by officials of the assemblies. The Project, according to Prof Karikari is considered crucial for Ghana’s development and democratic progress given the crucial role radio stations play in mobilizing, influencing and supporting the citizenry to contribute to local community development effort. It is also unique in its design as it seeks to provide a platform for the various assemblies to better engage with the populace through the radio stations in their areas of jurisdiction. Participants at the end of the workshop are expected to use their medium to promote good governance at the community since they have the potential to influence societal and behavorial change in society.
GBC END IA/

Friday, 17 June 2011

International Day of the African Child Marked at Tanga

17-06-11
Narration: The Bawku West District Programme Manager of World Vision, Bernard Kpare has stated that investing in the health and education of African children and their mothers is a sound economic decision and one of the surest ways for a country to secure its future. He added however, that reducing child mortality and ensuring universal primary education requires concerted effort and commitment. Mr. Kpare was addressing a durbar of students and parents to commemorate the International Day of the African child at Tanga in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region. Isaac Asare and Abraham Dimmie was at the durbar and have filed this report for Radio Ghana.
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The day which was on the theme;”Make Africa fit for the survival of children” brought together 16 Primary and Junior High school human rights club members as well as their parents. The day is in memory of the African children who were killed in cold blood in Soweto for embarking on a peaceful demonstration to demand quality education. The United Nations has also set the day aside for African states to reflect on the dire needs of children across Africa States and to give focus on the need to increase equal access to suitable education ,health and the protection against abuses such as physical and sexual abuse, trafficking , child labour and child marriages. Pupils and students of the 16 human right clubs performed cultural displays, poetry recitals, songs and drama. The message that ran through all these was the call to respect children’s rights. The Bawku West District Programme Officer of World Vision, Bernard Kpare disclosed that research indicates that as many as 50,000 African children under the age five will lose their lives as a result of preventable diseases. Equally worrying is the revelation that as many as 38 million children of primary school age in Africa still remain out of school. Mr. Kpare said the situation is compounded by the unacceptable high maternal death rate in Africa. Mr. Kpare said they in World Vision think that all children in Africa must be given equal opportunity to live and develop their full potentials. The Voluntary Services Overseas, VSO Volunteer attached to the Bawku West District Education Office, Stephen Mbarushimana whose duty is to promote and encourage the human right education in schools and communities disclosed that the district has 68 school human right clubs. Twenty of them are in junior high schools while the remaining 48 are in primary schools. Mr. Mbarushimana said children are resourceful citizens capable of helping to build a better future for all. He said we must therefore respect their right to express themselves and to participate in all matters that affect their lives in accordance with their age and maturity. The Bawku West District Director of Education, Paul Apanga called on all stakeholders to provide the needed structures that would enhance the full development of children. He said the Ghana Education Service would not relent in its effort to promote the welfare of children especially those in school.
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Thursday, 16 June 2011

Heightened Surveillance: the key to Guinea Worm Eradication

17-06-2011
Narration: The Upper East Health Promotion Officer, Gastron Bosie has challenged all Municipal and District Directors of Health Services in the Region to heighten their surveillance mechanisms on Guinea- worm eradication through community sensitization and dialogue with all organized groups at the community level. This, he noted, is the surest way to maintain the zero-reporting case of the disease. According to him efforts aimed at achieving the desired results rely solely on health professionals and community based surveillance volunteers manning the various health facilities across the region and charged them to initiate communication plans and strategies to reach out to the people at the community level. Mr. Bosie was addressing Municipal and District Health Officers at a two-day training seminar on Guinea-worm Eradication at Bolgatanga as part of the National GW Eradication Programme instituted by the Ghana Health Service. Here is a report by correspondent Isaac Asare.

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About 30 District Health Directors and health promotion officers including focal persons on Guinea –worm Eradication attended the two-day training programme organized in preparation for the pre-certification phase of the Guinea –worm Eradication Programme. The meeting among other interventions was geared at motivating health officers and community volunteers in the dissemination of information on GW. Topics on data management, reward systems, and criteria for certification as GW free region, were brought to the fore for discussion. Mr. Bosie in a presentation noted that the breaking of indigenous transmission of guinea-worm in the region was achieved through the tireless efforts of health workers and community based surveillance volunteers among other community members, hence the need for concerted and integrated effort to ensure its total eradication. What is needed, according to him, was strong political will by chiefs and community leaders in achieving the desired result. He therefore stressed the need to bring all expertise on board to keep Ghanaians healthy and thus continue to be role models for counterparts in the sub region to emulate. He moreover asked the media to partner the GHS to carry out vigorous educational campaign to facilitate the declaration of Ghana free from guinea worm. The Regional Disease Surveillance Officer, Thomas Abachie, entreated health professionals to complement plans to embark on serious monitoring and supervision on the disease at the local level. He said the region since 1992 has not recorded any case of GW and charged community volunteers to scale up their communication and awareness programme to maintain the success chalked. Mr. Abachie also entreated health officers to stay vigilant and report any suspected case of the disease since it has not gone completely and can emerge at any time. Active surveillance he stressed is the key to GW eradication in the country. He further said that any reliable information leading to suspected case of GW nationwide attracts a cash reward of 100 Ghana Cedis and charged the general public not to hesitate to report any suspected case of the disease including measles, meningitis and polio. The Regional Disease Control Officer, Madam Faustina Bezen and the Regional Guinea-worm Coordinator, Mr. Lawrence Yelifare both charged district health promotion officers and volunteers to provide accurate data on reported cases of ailments in their areas and later announced that a team of GW free certification consultants would visit the region to monitor surveillance activities of volunteers, community members and the extent of support from the district assemblies in the fight against the disease. They however called on the government, stakeholders and district assemblies to ensure the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities to help stem the spread of communicable diseases.
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Wednesday, 15 June 2011

'Project Citizen' Regional Showcase contest underway at Bolgatanga

15-06-2011
Narration: The Upper East Regional Showcase of “Project citizen Ghana” has been officially inaugurated at Bolgatanga on the theme: “Qualitative Youth Participation in Ghana’s Democracy. The 5-day programme which is currently underway involves Civic Education Clubs of twenty selected Junior High and Senior High Schools from the three adjoining Municipality and Districts namely, Bolgatanga, Bongo and Talensi Nabdam. It is the third in the series to be organized in the region and features schools like Zamse Senior High, Bolgatanga Girls Senior High and the defending regional champions of Project Citizen School contest, Bolgatanga Senior High. In attendance were heads and teachers of participating schools as well as civic education club patrons and a cross section of the public including parents and guardians. Isaac Asare was there for Radio Ghana.
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“Project Citizen Ghana” is an adaptation for project citizen which originated from the United State of America under the auspices of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE). The project which began in 2006 is being sponsorsed by Hanns Seidel Foundation with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as its sole media partner. The project among other interventions seeks to enhance the knowledge base of student so as to help them acquire civic knowledge and develop their skills and disposition to monitor and influence public policy. Project Citizen as a school based programme also stipulates the youth to explore and demonstrate their initiative and ingenuity to solve community problems through practical application of skills in research and formulation of policies. This broadens their communication and reflective thinking skills and moreover, develop their democratic values and traits of character that persuades them to have respect for human rights, freedom and responsibility with commitment and confidence. At the regional showcase contest, selected students from participatory schools are made to demonstrate and provide solutions to problems they have identified in their respective localities. Winners from the 10 regions would be made to contest at the national level competition in Accra later this year. The Regional Director of the NCCE, Mr. Peter Mensah bemoaned the level of apathy by teachers towards the programme describing it as worrisome. He said some teachers do not demonstrate true commitment to the progamme and after training, some of them fail to introduce it to the students. Some of the teachers, he noted, even withdraw their school’s participation in the competition at the last moment due to inadequate preparation among other lapses. Mr. Mensah therefore used the platform to encourage teacher patrons to attach importance to the progamme since it serves as an effective tool for intellectual and civic consciousness development. The National Coordinator of Project Citizen Ghana, Fanny Judith Kumah, was hopeful that the project would be extended to other schools in the foreseeable future and challenged stakeholders to help ensure its sustainability through funding. The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Lucy Awuni for her part, described the project as a welcome gesture in view of the fact that it is an interdisciplinary civic education aimed at championing the cause of the youth in Ghana’s democracy. Madam Awuni also seized the opportunity to caution students in the region against acts of indiscipline and vandalism. She said the high level of indiscipline exhibited by some second cycle schools in the region is a reflection of the lost societal values in such students and called for concerted efforts by stakeholders including parents, teachers, opinion leaders and relevant institution to intensify their campaign on good citizenship.
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Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Upper East Caucus of UCF appeals to the Rawlings’s

14-06-11
The Upper East branch of United Cadre Front (UCF) of the National Democratic Congress is appealing to the Council of Elders and the leadership of the party to as a matter of concern work tirelessly towards resolving the simmering issues that have the potential of generating rancour and acrimony within the rank and file of the party. This they believe could help avert division among party faithfuls. In a statement signed by the Regional Chairman of the UCF, Comrade Alagskoma Asakeya Noble, all hands must be put on deck to facilitate a speedy resolution of the challenges facing the party. He said in order to uplift the spirit of continuity and unity within the party and government, there is the urgent need for the former first lady to rescind her decision to contest the sitting President.. He noted that though UCF as a body supports and share in the ideologies and concerns of the Rawlings’s, they are of the conviction that her withdrawal from the race will inure to the benefit of the NDC party in the 2012 general elections. Mr. Asakeya Noble moreover seized the opportunity to caution party members to be circumspect in their utterances and as well assist in projecting the policies and programmes of the government to the public. He therefore stressed the need to organize workshops on public relations and communication skills for government appointees to enhance their daily dealing with the public and party faithfuls in particular. Public officials on the other hand were also urged emulate the leadership style of the President by being transparent, accountable and honest since they will be called to account for their stewardship in future. Mr. Asakeya Noble later encouraged all cadres especially those in government to continue to uphold to the principles of probity and accountability on which June 4th revolution was nurtured. He also appealed to the president not to renege on his promise to compensate all hardworking cadres who were thrown out of employment in organizations such as the National Mobilization Programme in 200.
GBC END IA/

Bolgatanga Municipality assured of speedy development

13-06-2011
Narration: The Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly as part of its medium term development plan for the year 2009/2013 is poised to ensure the speedy completion of all developmental projects being undertaken in the municipality by the government. In line with this vision, 47 basic schools in the area would be resourced to increase school enrolment whilst most abandoned school projects would be completed. On the other hand, all schools under trees in the municipality would soon be a thing of the past as they would be converted into mortar blocks and bricks to ensure a safe environment for effective teaching and learning. This was announced by the Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Edward Ayiriba Ayagle, during a community sensitization programme held for the chiefs and people at Zaare, a community near Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. Here is a report by Isaac Asare
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The programme which was being spearheaded by the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA) was on the theme: “The Medium Term development Plan of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, the Role of Citizens for its effective implementation”. In attendance were community members and dignitaries including chiefs, opinion leaders, assembly and unit committee as well as officials from the Non-Formal Education Division of the Ghana Education Service among others. In a keynote address, Mr. Ayagle said his outfit is in the process of securing adequate funds to undertake more developmental projects in five key areas which include education, health, construction of access road as well as Water and Sanitation. On Rural Electrification, Mr Ayagle disclosed that most deprived communities of the region including Zaare would be connected to the national electrification grid as the project officially commence in July, this year. Mr. Ayagle also outlined measures to provide borehole facilities to most of the deprived communities and appealed to other communities with the facility to share parts of the cost of broken down boreholes to augment efforts of the government. He also urged the people to take the issue of sanitation seriously and most importantly continue to live in peace to ensure speedy development. The Assembly member for Zaare West, Atogue Sulemana proposed the establishment of an education and health endowment fund through the formation of sub groups. The fund, he noted, would assist brilliant but needy students as it would also help register and for renewing health insurance cards for those who cannot afford it. Each member of the sub group would be required to pay a monthly contribution of 1 Ghana Cedis towards the defrayment of fees owed by students. Mr. Sulemana also cautioned the people against sand winning in the area. The President of NORPRA, Bismark Adongo Ayorogo, later in an interview with Radio Ghana said the purpose of organizing the programme was geared at increasing public participation in the promotion of good and accountable governance since a good number of citizens both at the local and national levels are not fully aware of the developmental agendas of their respective communities and districts and as a result are unable to actively participate in the governance and development process. This, he said, incapacitates citizens to take advantage of existing opportunities and disable them from contributing their quota to the development of the communities as required by Article 41 of the 1992 constitution. The programme he further stated seeks to create a common platform where government leaders meet with the people to discuss and share common development issues that affect their daily lives and to collectively determine local level development priorities for accelerated development.
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Saturday, 4 June 2011

Refrain from promiscuity _Youth urged

04-06-2011
The youth in the Upper East Region have been cautioned to refrain from promiscuous lifestyles and live decent lives worthy of emulation. This is because the youth constitutes the nation’s entire workforce and are required to lead moral lives devoid of indiscipline and other social vices that have the tendency of impeding their progress in life. The Deputy Upper East Regional Ministry, Lucy Awuni gave the advice in an interview with Radio Ghana at Bolgatanga. Mrs. Awuni who is also a retired educationist, described as worrying the upsurge of homosexuality and lesbianism among the Ghanaian youth and challenged stakeholders including parents and school authorities to come on board and condemn such acts which, she recounted goes against the country’s rich culture. According to her the youth are the greatest assets that the country’ could boast of, noting that if conscious efforts are not made to instill discipline in them, then the country stands the risk of loosing its hard won reputation and respect. She said though every human has feelings and at a point in time may be led into temptation by our weaknesses; the best defence is our sense of morality and commitment to uphold the virtues of truth, responsibility, compassion and integrity. Madam Awuni therefore charged the youth not to allow themselves to be lured into acts of indecency but rather let their conscience guide them in whatever they do. This, she said, creates a decent and virtuous society where all citizens will feel safe and secured. She further encouraged students to face the difficulties in life and live above reproach to ensure their total wellbeing in society. Madam Awuni later cautioned the youth against unprotected sex to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS, which she indicated is assuming an alarming proportion in the country, particularly Upper East. She said whereas the prevalence rate of the disease is reducing in all the sentinel sites in the country that of Upper East notably, Navrongo, Bolgatanga and Bawku is increasing each passing day. She said the 2010 sentinel report on HIV and AIDS reveals that out of 40 sentinel sites covered in the country, Bolgatanga was placed at the fourth position with a prevalence rate of 3.8 percent. This according to her is a sad development and charged all and sundry to join in the fight against the menace by instilling in the youth good moral values and increased public awareness creation in all levels of society.
GBC END IA/

Hospitality Industries tasked to add value to the countries indigenous foods

Management of the country’s hospitality industry had been encouraged to take bold initiatives to package our indigenous foods to make them attractive and healthy for both Ghanaians and foreigners. Adherence will give the industry a major boost as well as economically empower producers and processers. A renowned caterer, Florence Bobi who made the call said the initiative will as well help add value to indigenous foods to increase their patronage. Madam Bobi was addressing participants on the occasion of exhibition of food bazaar show organized by the Catering department of the Bolgatanga Technical Institute at Bolgatanga in the upper East Region. The occasion which was on the theme: “Enhancing Indigenous foods for a healthy life” attracted various stakeholders in the region. It was the first of its kind since the establishment of the school 26 years ago with the aim to showcase one aspect of the institute’s capabilities and to expose graduants to the hospitality industry. It was also held with the aimed of enhancing the region’s indigenous foods for healthy life. Studies have shown that indigenous or locally processed foods are not well patronized due to the poor quality, taste and pack, texture and packaging of foods. Majority of the people in the country particularly, urban dwellers do not buy or use local or indigenous foods in spite of their nutritional values. According to Madam Bobi most people across the country undoubtedly have high preference for imported over locally produced rice and attributed the trend to physical characteristics, nutritional quality and cooking and pasting behaviours as stated in (GLG-SOFRENCO) survey of 1997. Other factors, she added, could be attributed to education, cultural influence, foreign trade and technological advancement among others and called on Ghanaians to stick to their local indigenous foods since they are rewarding and taken fresh from the locality and therefore contains the right nutritional qualities for public consumption. The Head of the Catering Department of the institute, Madam Fuseni Memuna in a brief message said the use of local dishes also serves medicinal purposes and improve the health status of individuals. She cautioned Ghanaians against the use of foreign dishes as they poses a lot of health risk to the human body due to their mode of preparation and packaging. She said though the institute lacks the requisite working tool equipment, much effort would be made to showcase the local indigenous food to the outside world for healthy life. Madam Fusieni further stressed that, as an institution that is turning out to support the manpower needs of the country in the private and public sector, there is the urgent need to train students to develop innovative skills to enable them to be creative in the presentation of meals or dishes to attract consumers. She therefore charged other catering institutions to step up their effort in ensuring that local foods are well packaged to suit the market. The Headmaster of the school, Alhaji Alhassan Umar and the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Lucy Awuni called on the government to give technical and vocational education a major boost to enhance the country’s chances of attaining the millennium development goals. Some of the local dishes on display were Tubani, Saifi Zokom, bambara beans, dawadawa dasaduka ,roasted guinea fowl and goat among others .
GBC NEWS END IA/

Friday, 3 June 2011

Deputy Information Minister ends tour of the Upper East Region

03-05-2011
Narration: A Deputy Information Minister, Baba Jamal has ended a day's official working visits to the Upper East Region with a call on staff of the Information Services Departments to partner Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) to execute their mandate. Such collaboration, Mr. Jamal indicated will help strengthen institutional capacity for effective policy formulation and execution and as well ensure free flow of public information in pursuance of the open Government policy. Mr. Jamal made the call at Bolgatanga when he met with the staff and officers of the ISD to familiarize himself with their operations and also know of their challenges and deliberate on the way forward in addressing those challenges. He was accompanied by the Deputy Public Relations Officer, Noel Arcton Tetteh and other staff members at the headquarters. Correspondent Isaac Asare and Joyce Kantam were there for Radio Ghana.

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Mr. Jamal’s first point of call was at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) when he and his entourage paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo at his office to announce their presence in the region and also brainstorm on issues that could contribute in enhancing the free flow of information through maximum and effective collaboration by key stakeholders. Present at the meeting were Municipal and District Chief Executives among other dignitaries. A staff durbar was later held in honour of Mr. Jamal to interact with staff under his ministry. The Regional Information Officer, Mr. Nelson Mba in a welcome address outlined numerous challenges militating against the operations of the ISD and mentioned inadequate staffing and lack of financial support as some of the constraints and called on the minister to help address those challenges. Mr. Mba also acknowledged the efforts of the MDCEs in the execution of their duties and encouraged them to involve the district officers in all their activities Mr. Jamal in a brief remark announced plans by his outfit to embark on a project dubbed: “Ghana Portal” which will be in a form of a website to help portray all the existing features and resources that abound in each district. The site, he said, will project the image of the country in collaboration with other agencies to attract foreign investment in consonance with government policy. He therefore charged the various MDCEs to foster close relations with staff of the ISD to enhance the flow of information in the region. He also urged the District Information Officers to work hand in hand with the MDCEs to bring out the hidden developments of their respective areas of jurisdiction. Such collaboration according to him could accelerate the rate of information at the grassroot level and importantly, expose the districts to the outside world. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo in his submission challenged staff of the ISD to be proactive in their activities and not relent on their effort in executing their mandate as the mouthpiece of the government. He challenged them to put behind them all political influences but rather remain neutral in their operations and work towards improving the flow of information in the country. Mr. Woyongo, moreover, stressed on the urgent need for maximum corporation between staff of the ISD and the MDCEs to bring information to the doorstep of the public. At a press meeting held at the RCC, Mr. Woyongo charged the media to exercise the duties with circumspection and not allow themselves to be used by selfish individuals. He also tasked them to broaden their scope and learn to be abreast with the current trend of the profession. Mr. Woyongo in his reaction to some of the concerns raised by the media, pledged to provide the media with means of transport to facilitate their movement. The Regional GJA Chairman Eric Amo thanked the Deputy Information minister for the visit and called on the ministry to help create equal opportunity for media practitioners in the country. He also charged the ministry to help advance the cause of the media at all levels.

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Thursday, 2 June 2011

Berekum Chelsea through to MTN FA Cup Semis……

02-06-2011 ..
Following an impressive show at the Bolgatanga stadium, a home base 2nd division side, Bolga All Stars failed to outwit Ghana’s League champions, Brekum Chelsea when they went down by a lone goal in the 18th minute of the first half, kind courtesy, Emmanuel Banahene. The titanic encounter which forms part of the epic MTN FA Cup finals saw the league champions exhibiting their dominance over their opponent to advance to the semi-final stage of the competition. Both teams particularly in the second half of the game thrilled spectators with brilliant skills and charisma to prove beyond doubt that they were indeed determined to lift the FA cup trophy. Bolga All stars after conceding the only goal of the match, missed a lot of scoring chances that came their way, especially in the 21st minute of the first half when Richard Akologo failed to beat goalkeeper Abubakar Iddrisu inside the 18 yard box to level the game. It was therefore, a golden opportunity for the home based side to equalize. Interestingly, Ayile Martin of Bolga All Stars also failed to utilize another golden opportunity in the 3rd minute of the second half and another in the 6th minute into the game. Berekum Chelsea on the other hand was a bit relaxed in the second half paving way for their opponent to dominate the game. Officiating referee Awal Mohammed also had a tough time exercising his duties as some spectators hooted at him to show their displeasure about his performance. This was after he denied the Bolga All Stars an opportunity in the 41st minute of the second half which to them was a clear penalty. Most of the players in that same half attracted a lot of yellow cards as a result of rough tackles and indiscipline. Ahmed Adam of Berekum Chelsea became the worst victim when he was flashed a red card few minutes to the end of proceedings. The fierce battle continued until a five minutes added on elapsed, thus, compelling referee Mohammed to bring the game to an end, with score line still remaining a goal to nil in favour of Berekum Chelsea. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo who was among the dignitaries present said he was impressed about the performance of the home based team. He noted that the performance of the Bolga All Stars is an ample indication that the region has good chances of getting a team to represent the region in the premier division come next year and called on all to support in that regard. The Chairman of the MTN FA Cup Competition, Alhaji M.N.G Jawula, also commended both teams for their outstanding performance during the game and wished the winning teams’ best of luck in their next encounter. The best player of the match went to Owusu Jackson of Chelsea. Berekum Chelsea would now be pushing to scale the tough hurdle against, Abedi Pele’s side Nania FC in the semi finals. A date is yet to be fixed for the said game.
GBC END /IA

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

Care for persons living with Sickle Cell: Advocate charges

01-06-2011
A Sickle Cell Condition Advocate, Charlotte Owusu says persons living with sickle cell disease can live up to 80 years and more only if they are given the needed attention and care to survive. Speaking in an interview with Radio Ghana at Bolgatanga, Mrs. Owusu denounced public claim that sickle cell patients cannot survive up to age 30 and above, hence, the need to erase such negative perceptions attached to the disease. The disease she moreover, indicated is not spiritually acquired but rather a disease transferred from parents to child. She therefore, called for an end to all the injustices meted out to persons living with the disease since it was no fault of theirs that they acquire the disease and should be accorded with the needed care and protection they deserve. She said the wellbeing of persons living with the disease is paramount and called on the general public to show love and compassion to them in order to ensure their total survival. This she noted can only be done if they are supported medically and financially. She revealed that about 2 percent of the country’s population is living with the disease as millions of people are being affected worldwide. According to her, an estimated 20,000 persons worldwide are born each year with the disease whilst 20-25 percent of the said population carries the sickle cell genes. Mrs. Owusu described sickle cell as a genetic inherited condition where one carries the gene for sickle cell, and mentioned some of the possible effects as lungs and kidney infections, delay in growth, stroke, anaemia, jaundice, leg ulcer, as well as severe pains in the chest and abdomen among other damages caused to the body’s organ. She revealed that parents carrying the trait for sickle cell disorder are likely to transmit the disease to their born and unborn children, stressing that, if both parents carry the trait for a sickle cell disorder, then there is a 25 percent with each pregnancy for that child to inherit sickle cell disease. There is also a 50 percent chance for the child to have the trait, whilst, there is a 25 percent chance of the child not getting the trait. According to her, majority of the populace have little or no idea of the disease and die ignorantly due to lack of education. She therefore called on the general public to patronize the various health facilities to be screened and tested to enable them know their status. She said, her outfit as a form of intervention would be embarking on a massive public education in schools, churches, market centers and communities to increase public knowledge on the disease and called for total corporation at all levels.
GBC END IA