The Navrongo Prison in the Kasena-Nankana Municipality for the past nine months has not received funding from government for feeding of its inmates.
For this reason, the prison authorities now rely on individuals and religious organizations that make donations to the prison, to feed the inmates.

Deputy Director of Prisons, Alhassan Nahii, Upper East Regional Commander f Prisons who spoke to A1 News about the situation said the situation is causing a lot of frustration for them.

Meanwhile the Prison Ministry of Ghana has donated some food items and a cash of GHC 300 to the prison. The items included bags of rice, cooking oil, water and toilet roles whiles the cash of Three Hundred Ghana Cedis was presented to the smock-weaving department of the prison.

Upper East Regional Chairman of the Prison Ministry of Ghana, Vincent Chaitey called on government to equip the Navrongo prison and other prisons in the country with trade and vocational materials for inmates.

Also, the Royal Family International Chapel in conjunction with the A1 Radio All-Night Prayer Team visited the Navrongo Prison to share the Word of God with the inmates there. The delegation led by Prophet Allen Botchway, Founder of the Royal Family International Chapel and Host of In His Presence on A1 Radio took the opportunity to present some items worth One Thousand Ghana Cedis to the inmates.

The items included bags of rice and sugar, cartons of assorted soft drinks, boxes of soap, milk and 14 plastic buckets.

By: Joshua Asaah | A1radioonline.com | Ghana

The National Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Benard Monah has called on youth of the three northern regions of Ghana, to demand from government, a greater share of the two hundred Senior High Schools it intends to build across the country. This he said will help cut down the education gap between the south and the north which has left the north lagging behind by at least a hundred years. Mr. Monah was delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the International Youth Network Summit (Ghana Chapter) in Bolgatanga on Monday.

 Upper East Regional Coordinator of the National Youth Council, James Daud Aban-Gos advised the youth to desist from political violence and concentrate on their education.

The theme for the International Youth Summit was: “Strengthening and Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development”. It was spearheaded by the Youth Network for Societal Transformation.

Christopher Kevin Asima, President of the Youth Network for Societal Transformation said the aim of the summit was to bring together various youth groups to share ideas and to network.

By: Albert Sore | A1radioonline.com | Ghana

Government says it is grateful to Ghanaians for working hard to render essential services to the nation and extended its felicitations to all on the occasion of Christmas.

Government also expressed its gratitude to all Ghanaians, who by virtue of the need to be on duty to render essential service to the nation, both within and outside the country, would not be celebrating Christmas with their families and loved ones.

“Your sacrifices at this time are very much appreciated by all,” a statement signed by Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, said.

He was optimistic that after an exhaustive year filled with hard work and significant challenges, the occasion of Christmas gave cause for merry­‐making and rest, it said.

“Even as we mark this joyous season with our loved ones, let us bear in mind that Christmas is a time of giving which enjoins us to spare a thought for the underprivileged, the infirm, the destitute and those unfortunate to find themselves in prison,” the statement said.

It said remembering those in need this Christmas would afford Ghanaians an opportunity to reflect on the bountiful blessings bestowed on the nation by the Almighty.

Government also called for the exercise of moderation in the celebrations during this period in order to preserve the lives of people who remained the country’s most valuable asset.

“May the coming year usher in a period of greater success and prosperity for our nation,’’ the statement said.

Source: GNA

The General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has defended the President’s trip to the United Arab Emirates for the Christmas holidays.

Ghanaians have taken to the social media networking sites to criticize the president for taking the trip in the wake of the current economic hardship.

But Mr. Asiedu Nketia in an interview with Citi News dismissed those arguments saying, it is much more economical for the President to travel than stay in the country for the holidays.

The trip he said was necessitated by the unending demands and expectations some individuals make from the President. Therefore, the trip is to curb that practice.

Citing his personal experience as an example, Mr. Asiedu Nketia explained that “if I had anywhere that I can go to be able to get away from the various demands that people troop in to your house…I would have done the same thing.”

He therefore urged the general public not to consider the President’s trip as a “spending spree” but think of it as he “going there to avoid spending monies which do not exist anyway.”

According to him, the President also needs “some time to rest and recover. The body he is carrying is fallible; it is a body that can break down.”

Source: Citifmonline.com/Ghana

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has admonished Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Ashanti Region to double their performance next year, to help the President achieve his vision of working to better the lives of the people.

He said although Ghanaians elected the President based on the promises he made to the people, he alone could not do anything better without the involvement of MMDCEs.

At a ceremony on Monday at the Manhyia Palace where the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, led MMDCEs in the region to wish the Ashanti King a Merry Christmas and seek his blessings for the coming year, Otumfuo said as direct representatives of the President in the local areas, MMDCES could not afford to play to the gallery in discharging their duties.

He said since the leader of the nation could not be at every single place at a particular time, it behoves his appointees to step in to do what was right for the people.

In that connection, the Asantehene stressed the need for the various assemblies in the region to seek ways of raising revenues to complement what they received from the central government.

That was one sure way of initiating development projects and programmes to better the lot of the people, he said.

Caution

Otumfuo Osei Tutu told the chief executives to remember that the people were watching them.

For this reason, he said they had to be careful about the way they managed the resources of their respective areas, so that the expected development would go to the people.

He said if MMDCEs did their work well there was no way their regional minister would make bad recommendations about them to the President.

The Asantehene said all chieftaincy disputes in the region would be addressed to ensure the needed peace for development.

He also advised chiefs against the indiscriminate selling of land, which he said, most often, deprived the assemblies of land for development projects.

He assured the chief executives of his continuous support in the coming years.

The regional minister thanked Otumfuo for the great support he had given him and the chief executives in their work this year.

On behalf of the MMDCEs, Mr Opoku presented assorted drinks, food items, a sheep and an undisclosed amount of money to the Asantehene and the Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem.

Present was the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei.

Source: Daily Graphic

Executive Director of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), Emmanuel Bonbande has called for dialogue to help end the long-standing ethnic conflict in Bawku. Mr. Bonbande believes there is an urgent need to restore peace in Bawku in order to re-establish economic activities to eradicate poverty and build a future of prosperity for future generations of the area.

Mr. Bonbande who was the guest speaker at the 50^th Anniversary celebration of the Bawku Senior High School, called for a special effort to integrate peace education into the teaching and training of youth in Bawku to foster peace and stability there The security expert who is also an indigenous son of Bawku emphasized the need for the youth of Bawku to let go of the resentment, hatred and bitterness that they harbor against one another.

President John Dramani Mahama in a speech read on his behalf by the Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed-Muniru, appealed to the Mamprusi ethnic group in Bawku to return to the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee in order for lasting peace to return to Bawku and its environs.

The Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Sigri Abugrago Azoka II also appealed for lasting peace in Bawku.

By: Joshua Asaah | A1radioonline.com | Ghana

The Upper East Regional Office of the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) at the weekend presented an amount of GH₵5,000.00 for the celebration of this year’s Feok Festival by the Chiefs and people of the Builsa Traditional Area. The Donation formed part of an annual support package by the Authority for some selected festivals throughout the country.

The package which included 50 branded NLA t-shirts and a festival banner seeks to support the Builsa Traditional Council through the promotion of Culture and heritage in the region as part of the Authority’s Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The Feok festival celebrated by the Chiefs and People of the Builsa Traditional Area annually from the 17^th to 19^th December aims at giving thanks to the gods and ancestors for a bountiful harvest in the farming season.

Making the presentation at a mini durbar in the Sandema on Friday, Mr John Joseph Dassah, Regional Sales Manager of  the NLA said as part of his outfit’s CSR, it had outline some major initiatives in Health, Education and Climate Change to support communities in its operational areas. Mr Dassah bemoaned the activities of illegal lotto operators (Banka to Banka) in the region and called on the chiefs of the area to as a matter of urgency help eradicate the practice as it was hampering on the Authority’s efforts in generating revenue for national development.

Bonaventure Adangabey, District Chief Executive for BuilsaNorth expressed appreciation for the gesture and pledged to effectively wean off the operations of illegal lotto operators in the district.

Nab-AzagsukAzantilow II, Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area commended the NLA for recognizing the need for togetherness through their support as the Feok festival amongst other significance, symbolizes peaceful coexistence.

By: James Amoh Jnr | A1radioonline.com | Ghana