Month: December 2023

The Bolgatanga, Nangodi, Bongo, and Tongo (BONABOTO), an advocacy civil society organisation, has called on government to address the infrastructure deficit in the Upper East Region to enhance socio-economic development.

According to the organisation, the region is confronted with various developmental challenges, including serious infrastructure deficits such as poor roads, lack of an airport, poor health facilities, and security issues.

This, it noted, was drawing back development of the region while denying its people the opportunities some of these infrastructures provided.

Professor Samuel Awinkine Atintono, the National President of BONABOTO, made this call at its 13th biannual delegates` congress held at Gbeogo in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.

It was held on the theme: ‘Promoting Peaceful Coexistence, Protecting the Environment for Sustainable Development: The Role of BONABOTO.’

Prof Atintono said BONABOTO had been pushing for the construction of the airport, which already had so
me groundwork at Sumbrungu, and called on the government and all partners, especially the mining companies to ensure its construction.

He also appealed to ethnic groups in the region to co-exist peacefully to ensure the needed development.

‘You will all attest to the fact that there has never been any record of development where conflict exists. Conflict comes to destroy, and in our case, it will aggravate our already deprived areas, and we would therefore like to see all ethnic groups in the region co-exist? peacefully,’ he stated.

Highlighting some of the achievements of BONABOTO, the National President said over 200 students had received various BONABOTO Education Assistance Fund (BEAF) scholarships since its launch in 2001.

He said the organisation had also, among other things, contributed an amount of GH15,000 in support of the Upper East Regional Dialysis Centre Project.

It also facilitated the implementation of Gurune language in basic schools within BONABOTO areas while currently working on WAEC`
s approval for its external examination, he added.

Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, in a speech, reiterated that the government was working with relevant stakeholders to start the construction of the airport and facilitate its completion and the ongoing passport office project before the end of the year 2024.

He, however, said despite the fact that the region was abound with varied natural resources in commercial quantities, it remained one of the poorest in the country.

The Minister called on BONABOTO to collaborate with the Regional Coordinating Council and the academic institutions to come up with a Regional Development Strategic Plan to capitalise on the human and material resources the region was endowed with to turn its fortunes around.

Very Reverend Father Monsignor Roger Abotiyuure, Patron and Founding father of BONABOTO, urged the members to stay united and continue to advocate for the advancement of development for the people.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Nana Ainoo Kwagyan III, the Chief of Esiama, in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, has appealed to the government for basic social amenities to modernise the community.

He said although Esiama was one of the fastest-growing towns in the Region, it lacked the basic social and economic infrastructure needed to meet the increasing demands of the population.

Nana Kwagyan III who made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at his palace, said the community deserved better as the third oldest and ancient town in Nzema after Axim and Beyin.

He, however, lauded the government’s efforts in establishing a Nursing and Midwifery Training College in the area.

He said: ‘That being said, we are appealing to the government to build more hostel facilities to absorb more students to create economic opportunities for the town.’

Nana Kwagyan III also expressed worry over the accommodation situation for lecturers in the College, saying ‘Even the Principal is sharing a common hall with other lectur
ers.’

He noted that efforts to get corporate bodies to assist in constructing lecturers’ accommodation had proved futile.

‘I am appealing to oil and gas companies such as Ghana Gas and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to respond to letters we have written to them to build flats for our lecturers.’

Touching on the Esiama Secondary Technical School, the Chief noted that the school had similar accommodation challenges for teachers, saying with a population of 1,600 students, the school could not even boast of two teachers’ bungalows.

Nana Kwagyan III appealed to the GNPC and Ghana Gas to complete a dining hall project they had started to help reduce the infrastructural deficit in the school.

On a market project, he appealed to the authorities to ensure its speedy completion to help move women selling by the roadside to the place for their safety.

Speaking on the state of health care facility, he said Esiama had one of the oldest clinics established in 1936 that could not cater for the health nee
ds of all residents.

He indicated that the government had started the construction of a new one for the area, but work had stalled.

‘We wanted to raise funds during the Kundum festival for developmental projects but could not work due to the fact that people were not able to donate to the fund, because we realised that our clinic does not befit our status as a town,’ he added.

Nana Kwagyan appealed to the government to initiate steps to complete the project to help them access improved healthcare services.
Source: Ghana News Agency

?Mr. Samuel Dentu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana Export Promotion Agency (GEPA), says giving adequate support for art works can boost the non-traditional exports of the country.

He said the art also needed a level of support other traditional and non-traditional exports had enjoyed to harness the sector’s potential and generate revenue.

Mr Dentu said this during the 4th edition of the Sound Out Homecoming Art Expo, held at the Ghana Science and Technology Museum in Accra.

He said Ghana’s artists had been among the best on the African continent and with financial, technical and marketing support from the government and corporate organisations, the artists could provide products that could be exported to other countries to generate foreign exchange.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Dentu said: ‘If we are able to expose our artists to the world, we stand to rake in a lot of foreign exchange for the country, which is essentially the mandate of the Ghana Export Promotion Aut
hority.’?

During the event Ghanaian artists showcased their works and interacted?with industry players at the Expo to learn about the inspiration behind many art works and the visual message being communicated.

The art works relished many situations, personalities, and symbols as the guests asked series of questions and made purchases.

Mr. Amarkine Amartefio, an artist, commended GEPA for organising the Expo, adding that it afforded them an opportunity to turn their experiences of the world into a ‘brain-bursting moment.”

He said all the art works on display represented how artists viewed the world and wanted society to reconsider and reimagine them into reality.

GEPA, in its 2021 report, indicated that the industrial arts and crafts, which included textiles and garments, were still contributing two percent of Ghana’s non-traditional exports, although the sector employed a huge number of youth.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Mount Moriah Congregation of the Presbyterian Church, Danfa on Sunday, 31st December, held an all white Church Service to mark the end of the year.

Members of the Congregation sang praises and danced to the glory of God for bringing them to a successful end of the year.

Rev. Daniel Kwesi Ayim, Pastor in charge of the Congregation urged them to give continuous praise to God no matter what.

‘In the year 2024, praise God always in good times and in the not so good times.’

Speaking on the theme: Praise the Lord, Rev. Ayim said we must not forget the habit to praise God in our lives

He said Praising God despite your challenges will lift your spirit.

A cocktail event was held after the church service where church members were encouraged to fraternise and make new friends
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Daniel Dickson Dogbe, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Chair, Holy Family Catholic Church, Mataheko, has urged the youth to be resolute and hold on to faith in the coming year.

He said it was time the youth saw themselves to be the future leaders and be more involved in the activities of the Parish and the community for rapid developments.

Mr Dogbe said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the climax of the 75th anniversary celebration of the Parish.

The celebration was on the theme: ’75 years of Catholic faith in Mataheko: Repositioning the Youth for Future Gains’.

The PPC Chair said the theme underscored the need to empower the youth to know that the future belonged to them, stating that going forward, everything the Church did, they wanted the youth to get involved to be able to appropriately take over the mantle where needed.

‘So, we are targeting the youth in general but we want to start with those in the Church because you have to start from home and begin to spread.

‘We are
in a community so we will not neglect those around us, as much as possible the concentration is on the youth in the Holy Family but with time, we will reach out to all,’ he added.

Mr Dogbe said as part of the Church’s responsibility to show love to all, they reached out to the poor and needy within the Church and its environs during the yuletide.

Mr Mac Anthony Tettey Ocloo, Chairman of the 75th anniversary planning committee, said the preparation of the celebration started mid-year with fundraising prograes, religious programmes and retreats to commemorate the day.

He said they targeted the youth for future developments, stating that the future belonged to them, hence the need to reposition them.

‘We noticed that of late the youth have gone to sleep, they are not as they used to be vibrant back in the days so we decided to target them to be able to revamp the enthusiasm in them, to wake up from their slumber,’ he added.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Northern Regional Chapter of Activista Ghana, a youth advocacy organisation, is to hold a constitutional review summit in Tamale on January 7, 2024.

It is to offer young people the platform to engage with various stakeholders on the need to review some constitutional provisions that impede the growth and development of the youth.

Mr Issahaku Abdul-Latif, Northern Regional Coordinator, Activista Ghana, announced this during the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Tamale.

He said the provisions that allowed teenagers at 16 years to have carnal knowledge but considered marriage at the same age as child marriage would be discussed during the summit.

He mentioned some of the advocacy activities carried out during the year under review, including climate justice campaigns and road safety campaigns, which enhanced the awareness of beneficiary communities.

Sumaya Sulemana, Northern Regional Chairperson of Young Urban Women Movement, expressed need for the youth to use all legal avenues to get stakehold
ers to amend and review portions of the constitution that affected the development of women and girls.
Source: Ghana News Agency