Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, has stated that he played key roles in the writing of the party’s 2016 and 2020 manifestoes due to his background as an Agricultural Economist and Economic Policy Expert.
The NDC’s Deputy General Secretary recently graduated with a doctorate degree in Agricultural Economics and Policy from the University of Ghana.
“Economic Policy has also been my thing and because of the roles I play in the NDC, my knowledge in policy, particularly economic policy, has helped significantly. As you may be aware, in the last two manifestos that we had written in the NDC, 2016 and 2020, I played a critical role; actually, a critical role in writing all those manifestos. And some of you have judged those manifestos as the best the NDC has ever produced. So that tells you my capacity and knowledge in policy as well.”
Dr Otokunor was speaking to Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show. He is seeking to replace John Asiedu Nketiah, who has served the NDC as General Secretary for the past 17 years.
Farmers in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region have reduced their farm sizes due to the high cost of agricultural inputs and production. Meanwhile, the farmers have asked the public to brace themselves for an increase in price of local rice on the market.
Richard Akuka, a member of the Commercial Rice Farmers in the Builsa South said tractor services have increased from 120 cedis to 200 cedis. This including insufficient fertilizer and high cost of labour compelled most farmers to reduce their farm sizes for the 2022 farming season.
“Builsa South areas this year, the land sizes have been reduced due to the production cost; the tractor service has increased from 120 cedis last year to 200 cedis. Urea is 500 cedis, whereas last year we were buying 250 cedis, that’s double the price. So actually the costs of production have doubled and some areas have tripled. So the sizes of acreages have reduced.”
Mr Akuka mentioned that poor rains in the beginning of the farming season also affected their production. He added that because of insufficient fertilizer, the yields of farmers have reduced.
“We have started harvesting becauhave beense of all these problems people could not get sufficient fertilizer for their farms and then the yields have drastically reduced. I could remember last year a plot I harvested 264 bags yesterday when the Combine Harvester entered I had 168 bags.”
Richard Akuka who was speaking on A1Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show says the cost of a Combine Harvester has increased from 300 cedis last year to 500 cedis.
The farmers have increased the price of a bag of rice from 400 cedis to 500 cedis due to the high cost of production and low yields.
Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child with the students of Asoegoom primary school in Sumbrungu, a suburb of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, and educated elementary school students about girls’ rights and empowerment.
The foundation says it is time for stakeholders and policy implementers to stand accountable with and for girls, as well as invest in their education and future progress.
“Deeply entrenched issues and problematic mindsets that have been passed on for generations have made gender-based discrimination and oppression threateningly common in every household, particularly in developing countries. International Day of the Girl Child seeks to eliminate the tragic predicaments of little girls around the world.”
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Priscilla Nyaaba said this when she spoke to the media. She added that celebrating the day gives underprivileged girls the platform to raise their voices and demand equal rights, education, and health.
“Celebrating this day internationally gives a platform to those underprivileged girls to raise their voices and demand equality of rights, education, and health. It gives them a forum to talk about the violence they are subjected to and voice their pleas to end this cruelty. Our efforts in raising their voice will help them grow and be free of this inequality.”
She stressed that “adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, political leaders, and mothers. Empowered girls grow up to be empowered women. So, it is on this day we get to appreciate the girl or young woman who brightens up our world. Adolescence is a critical point in every person’s life. It determines the trajectory of girls’ lives, which is why caring for girls in their youth benefits all. If they are empowered at a vulnerable age, they can mature into liberated, wise women of the future. As a society, we all win.”
This year’s theme “Girls deserve better—the world deserves better” focuses the attention of the world on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
The pupils, numbering up to 143, including boys, expressed their excitement for the foundation for choosing their school to celebrate the day with them as well as donating sanitary pads and other learning materials.
They held placards with messages such as #BrighterFutureForGirls, create a safe place for girls to thrive and lead, hear our voice to change the future, Government should scrap 20% luxury tax on sanitary pads, Girls at the center stage in decision making.
According to the Talensi District’s National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), over 700 local farmers have already had their crops ruined by flood waters brought on by the Bagre Dam’s spillover. This is according to preliminary information available to NADMO.
According to the organization, an assessment-based report was ongoing to ascertain the level of damage and how stakeholders can collectively support the affected farmers.
The District Director of the Organization in Talensi, Alpha Robert, made this known to A1 Radio.
Some of the affected farmers who also spoke to our reporter, Moses Apiah called on the government to find a lasting solution to the yearly occurrence.
A farmer by the name of Emmanuel said, “It is not easy for us to recount our losses.”
“The water just took everything from me on the farmland. I did a variety of crops from cassava, maize, yellow melon, and watermelon and it cost me not less than Ghc11,000.00. I don’t even know what to say, but what I want the government to do is just to come and work on the Pwalugu dam to curtail this yearly happening. For the money, even if the government gives me money without working on how to put a stop to this canker, it will be the same thing next year. So, I don’t want money, I want a lasting solution.”
“You know, others farm large but I did only two acres. So, from fertilizers and other labours activities, I spent like Ghc2,000.00. It is sad to be talking about it now, but I hope the government can come and help us through work on the dam. If not, we will continue to suffer from this Bagre Dam spillage”, Emmanuel Atibila another affected farmer.
Another farmer who gave his name as Charles also said, “I spent Ghc1,000.00 on my farm including family support. And as it stands, I don’t know what to do. And one funny thing is that you will be there and the NADMO people will come with rice and pillows that they are coming to support. All that I want as a farmer is the government to work on the Pawulugu dam to curtail the bagre spillage.”
Information available to A1 Radio indicates the contractors and engineers for the Pwalugu Multi-purpose Dam project have vacated the site because of the lack of funds.
The Assemblyman for Bongo-Beo Tankoo Electoral Area in the Bongo District, Emmanuel Akolgo has lamented that the [electoral area] is yet to receive pledges totaling GH₵13,000 made by their Member of Parliament Hon. Edward Bawa to support the construction of a footbridge and two other infrastructural projects.
The footbridge, according to the assemblyman, collapsed almost a decade ago. This has made movement difficult during the rainy season. Mr. Akolgo, the Assemblyman for the area, added that the MP’s pledge of GH₵5000 made in 2019 was yet to be received to execute the project.
“We were having a footbridge which collapsed about 8 years or 9 years ago. For that in particular, I have been with my MP, Hon. Edward Bawa. When he came to us for a meeting, we told him [in 2019] that we don’t even mind if you [Edward Bawa, MP for Bongo] don’t all and you even give us small, then we will be able to solicit funds or the community will mobilize ourselves and see if we can get a culvert or a place where we think we can work on it.”
“He promised giving us GH₵5000. We said no problem. Though it was not enough, it can help. As I’m speaking now, I have the documents with me here.”
Emmanual Akolgo further stated that, other pledges yet to be fulfilled by the MP are a GH₵ 4000 pledge to support the purchase of a fence wire for the women for dry season farming and GH₵ 4000 to renovate a weighing center.
“And the other one was the dry-season irrigation farming. The women there needed some fencing to fence their place and that was about GH₵4000. And then there was a weighing centre where the roof and building was very bad so we needed to do some renovation. So, he also asked us to budget for it. We did and it was GH₵4000 plus. Then he promised to help us but from 2019, 2020 up till now we haven’t received anything from him.”
The Assemblyman for the Bong-Beo Tankoo electoral area said he couldn’t find words to describe the behavior of the MP towards honoring the pledges. He added that all attempts to get the MP to fulfill his pledges have proved futile.
“With this one, I don’t want to use the word deceive, but I don’t know the best word to describe this behavior because you promised us. The community leaders and community elders were there. You asked me to write, and since then I wrote the letter, and I’ve been following up, calling you and even texting and sending you a message and we have to call for a meeting because the money is not coming.”
He made these comments during an interaction with A1 Radio on the state of roads on the Day Break Upper East Show with Gerard Awombadek Asagi.
Agricultural policy consultant Emmanuel Wullingdool is concerned that, despite agriculture’s continued contribution to the nation’s economic growth, successive governments have done very little to advance the sector.
Mr. Wullingdool has expressed serious concerns about the future of agriculture in Ghana because of this.
Speaking to Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show on the backdrop of the recent hike in the price of food in Ghana, Mr. Wullingdool said the government has not invested enough in the sector.
While acknowledging the government’s fertilizer subsidies, the Agric Policy Consultant said the move fell short of a rather comprehensive approach to dealing with the many challenges farmers face within the sector.
It is the responsibility of the government to make sure farmers get the needed inputs across the board, but what the government is doing currently is inadequate for farmers, he insisted.
“Farmers need the right inputs, starting with seed, land preparation, issues of water for irrigation, and all of that, which, if you look at it, is largely inadequate.”
“Because farmers do not get this in the right proportion, it has become difficult for many of them to really do the level of production that they need to do to address food insecurity and feed our factories and all of that.”
“Government I must say, has not done so much with regards to investing in the sector. I will just say we have, over the years, paid lip service. But when it comes to the concrete issues of investing in agriculture where we can create an enabling environment for farmers, I am not sure we have done that,” he said.
The Agricultural Policy Consultant also called on the government to avert its attention to the totality of the agricultural value chain totackle the recent high cost of food products and ensure food security in the country.
The youth in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region have been urged to embrace and join the ‘Bolgatanga Municipal Youth On Board’ project.
The Youth on Board project is driven by the Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA).
The Youth Opportunity and Transformation in Africa (YOTA), as part of its two-year project, has embarked on the ‘Youth On Board’ which seeks to mobilize about 3,000 young people across eight selected Districts and Municipalities in the country.
The YOB project which has been initiated by YOTA in the Bolgatanga Municipality is to encourage positive change after the many devastating effects of the COVID-19 on youth activities particularly in the area of education.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Bolgatanga Youth On Board team, Samuel Anaba member of ‘Youth On Board’ called on youth groups to form synergistic alliances to enhance the activities of the Board. Mr. Anaba envisaged that with a lot of youth groups collaborating, the results of the Youth on Board Project can be maximised.
“I want to call on all of you to join us to achieve this common goal. This is important because there is a saying that, if we are together, we would be stronger than standing alone. So as youth we have to come together and be strong for the development and change in our municipality.”
Michael Suhuyini Adam, another member of YOB explained that the existence of the group along with the activities scheduled to take places will bring the needed change. It was Mr. Adam’s hope that young people would actively participate in projects and programmes that are youth oriented and have the ability to cause positive change in their lives.
On her part, Comfort Adongo Nmaah, member of ‘Youth On Board’ expressed a high level of enthusiasm about the project’s focus on advocating for the education of the girl child.
She described the intervention as timely because during the height of the pandemic, while education across the country was hit hugely, many girls, particularly in rural areas suffered the effects more.
“All of us here know that the education of girls in our municipality is not improving as we want it, especially after Covid- 19 hit the country. Many girls did not go back to school because some of them became pregnant while some were forced to go and get married.”
“So these are things that take our girl child education backwards. We as young people should come together and look for a solution to it. So it is important that those of us who are here should all get back and inform our members about projects for them to join us to bring the needed change to these challenges our sisters find themselves in.”
The Notre Dame Seminary Senior High School is likely to qualify for the one-eight stage of the 2022 National Science and Maths quiz.
This is even after losing out on the top spot in their contest.
The school contended with the Notre Dame Girls’ Senior High School and Shama Senior High School. The results were as follows; Shama SHS 46 points, Notre Dame Sem. SHS 43 points and Notre Dame Girls’ SHS 22 points.
SHASS are through to the one-eighth stage. The school could still qualify if it remains in the top 15 schools that finished second in their respective competitions.
At the end of contests on Tuesday 11th October, 2022, here are the standings of Top Runners-up at the Preliminary Stage
The Ghana Enterprise Agency, the body in charge of the government’s YouStart initiative has indicated that youth numbering over 3,000 in the Upper East Region are expected to benefit from the initiative.
The initiative according to the agency will last for three years with different phases of training among qualified youth.
The Upper East Regional Manager of the Agency, Mr. Bukari Mohammed made this known at a sensitization programme held in Bolgatanga.
“This programme aims to tackle unemployment in the country and the region is not insolation. So, youth between the ages of 18 to 40 are qualified to participate, and of course, are Ghanaians because non-Ghanaians will not be accepted. And our main focus is to, first of all, take the participants through various forms of skills training, and then, when one successfully masters it, a grant will be given to the person. And this person will be monitored based on how he is using the grant on his business. And I must say that people of all walks of life are expected to be part of this initiative.”
The initiative is expected to engage 50,000 youth nationwide with reasonable startup capital with funding from World Bank and other proceeds from the Electronic transaction levy. Already, a whooping amount of Ghc10 billion has been committed.
The Assembly Member of Kwatia /Na’ambimbinibisi in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region, Akologo A Norbert has expressed concern about the poor road network in the area.
According to him the road in “Kwatia is too bad to the extent that last two months he had to bring the DCE, David Amoah to come and see the extent of the damage.”
The DCE says “they’re mobilizing funds to do the reshaping,” he added.
He thanked the DCE and says he portrayed leadership by visiting the electoral area to see the extent of the damage on the road.
“But my youth and myself we’re not sleeping on it. Last three years we have to get our own gravels with tipper trucks, last year we have to go all out with our wheelbarrows to gravel it ourselves, this year we did the same thing and I’ll say I really appreciate the support of the youth,” the assembly member added.
Mr Norbert appealed for support from the district assembly to put the road in good shape for pedestrians and motorists.
“We cannot do all, the road need fresh gravel and serious reshaping. I gave my list to assembly for them to cut new roads; is too years ago, up to now I haven’t heard anything.”
