Monday, May 30, 2011

JOURNALISTS SENSITISED ON PEACE REPORTING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION


The failure by journalists in most times to cross-examine or find out the root causes of conflict anytime they arise, according to security analysts is very unprofessional and dangerous in the context of peace journalism, because that conduct could exacerbate the conflict situation or spark violence between the parties involved.

Mr. Justin Bayor, National Network Coordinator of the West Africa Network for Peace-Building (WANEP-Ghana), said it is incumbent on journalists and editors of media houses, to often try hard to investigate the background of conflicts when they breakout.

Speaking on the topic “Conflict Transformation and Peace Reporting” at a day’s workshop on peace journalism in Tamale, he said researching into the background of conflicts at the early or full blown stages would give media practitioners a broad understanding of the issues surrounding the conflict in order to report objectively without hurting the feelings of parties involved or worsening the situation.

The workshop organized by Rural Media Network (RUMNET), a media-based non-governmental organization, was aimed at exploring the usage of early warning and conflict transformation in peace reporting.

Peace journalism according to historical accounts is a new study, which started in the 1970s. It is a practical discipline which takes a stand to the traditional discipline of “war journalism”, which has been reporting on war from around the world, focusing on the outbreak of direct violence without taking into account the root causes.

Peace journalism strives on reflecting on the world more accurately; focusing on root causes of issues and problems, contextualisng conflicts and reporting professionally. This includes differentiating between conflict and violence, identifying all the actors in a conflict, understanding their interests and needs and investigating into the underlying root causes of a conflict.

Earlier in his welcome address, Executive Director of RUMNET, Mr. Abdallah Kassim, said the media plays an important role in the process of peace-building and is a critical partner in promoting a culture of peace and non-violence.

The media has the capacity to promote peace and to trigger escalation of conflict and violence, he observed, adding “whatever a journalist does in his/her work has an effect on a society and influences the behaviour of individuals and groups”.

According to Mr. Kassim, peace reporting demands an increased critical self-awareness from reporters and editors.

In a time where almost every company or organization operates a media-relations office, specialists are hired to write speeches, and events are organized just to obtain some media publicity he said, warning that editors and reporters must be more aware than ever where they receive their information from and search for useful alternatives sources of information.

Mr. Abdallah Kassim who is also managing editor of the Advocate newspaper maintained that, it is required of journalists and editors to be conflict-sensitive and to take responsibility for their reportage.

LACK OF A COMMON PLATFORM FOR NGOs, THE CAUSE OF WIDESPREAD POVERTY IN N/R


The lack of a common platform for the numerous Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) operating in the Northern Region, to enable them meet to discuss relevant issues of common interest that probably could help in addressing serious development needs of the masses, has been cited as one of the obstacles thwarting efforts by NGOs to alleviate widespread poverty in the region.

Development practitioners claim that, the lack of a common platform has led to the execution of similar development projects from different NGOs in one particular geographical area, which are detrimental to the progress of those communities.


For these people, the duplication of their efforts in the Northern Region and for that matter Northern Ghana, is a matter of concern and thus, should be addressed immediately.


In view of this, over ninety (90) organizations that attended this year’s Annual Festival of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Local NGOs under the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) had on their agenda, the creation of a common platform for all CBOs and Local NGOs to come together and show what really each of them was doing in their various intervention areas and also in a way advocate towards minimizing duplication of their own efforts.


According to Mr. Ismail Lansah, CBO Technical Committee Chairman, the festival also sought to encourage networking among CBOs and other informal groups to advocate on these issues for accelerated grassroots development in Northern Ghana; and furthermore, to expose the activities of CBOs and Local NGOs for potential partnerships and collaborations.


Undeniably, the aforementioned he noted is worth encouraging because Northern Ghana is the poorest and the most marginalized area in Ghana with a population of over three million people.


Mr. Lansah indicated that, poverty is endemic because of little income earning opportunities that have left the rural areas desolate and in terms of human development indicators, Northern Ghana has 20% of the national population and accounts for the 60% of the poorest tenth of the national population.


The last three decades have seen the emergence of NGOs in Northern Ghana from faith based to those based on friendship to contribute towards bringing relief to the people of the three regions of Northern Ghana – Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions. Today, the Northern Region of Ghana is host of many international and local NGOs than any other region in Ghana, all contributing with different strategies towards alleviating poverty in the area.


GDCA, one of the earliest NGOs that started operations in the Northern Region collaborated with IBIS Ghana to organize the fourth edition of the annual festival of CBOs and Local NGOs in Tamale under the theme: “Citizen’s participation in development planning; a key to achieving sustainable development”.


Both GDCA and IBIS Ghana are funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and have a common operational area in the Northern Region of Ghana.

PRESS RELEASE BY NORTHERN GHANA YOUTH NETWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT (NGYND) ON RECENT CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING SADA.


The Northern Ghana Youth Network for Development (NGYND) expresses worry about the unending controversies surrounding the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) initiative. The controversies in the view of NGYND will muddy the waters and confuse the minds of the teeming populace of Northern Ghana since they already have little or no knowledge at all about the SADA initiative.

NGYND also notes with grieve the unbridled partisan politicization of SADA, this has created the impression in the minds of many as though SADA belongs to a certain political party or some few individuals in government and for that matter must be antagonized by people on the other side of the political divide. This perception has gained grounds because there has not been any conscious effort by officials currently at the helm of affairs of SADA to sensitize and enlighten the people about the essence of SADA and its implications on the general development of the people in the Savanna Belt of Ghana. It is so strange that three years into the infant stages of SADA, majority of northerners including the youth still do not know about SADA. For the past three years issues about SADA continue to remain at the top echelon of the northern elite.

NGYND is also worried about the processes leading to the recruitment of management personnel for the SADA Secretariat. Signals that we have had in the last few days point to the fact that a well known top politician is at the verge of being appointed to head SADA. Government is therefore cautioned to thread with caution about the likely negative implications of recruiting political party faithfuls into the top management of SADA. The recruitment process should be undertaken with fairness, transparency, competence and merit. Anything otherwise will deepen the politically bias perceptions that people already have about SADA.

We finally urge the Board and interim management of SADA to move beyond the elite of northern Ghana to publicly engage people at the grass root and rural levels of the north of Ghana since they are the vulnerable and form the broad base likely beneficiaries of the positive impact that SADA may be coming with. Government should also speed up facilitation of the process of helping the Board of SADA to raise the needed seed capital and wooing the appropriate investors into northern Ghana to realize the dreams of SADA.

Long Live the SADA initiative, Long Live Northern Ghana.

…….SIGNED……….

Muhammed A. Yakubu

Team Leader, NGYND

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

PHOTO-BOOK BY NGO DEPICTS HORRIFIC STATE OF MENTAL HEALTH SITUATION IN GHANA


A region with a population of over 60 percent classified under the poorest and mostly underserved in terms of mental health services, Northern Ghana does not have a single psychiatric clinic or hospital, although it has a large number of mental patients.

Also, there is not a single psychiatrist in the three Northern Regions – comprising of the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions – and only 34 out of 600 psychiatric nurses countrywide serve the population, estimated at 3,317,478.

Nationally, the country has only fifteen psychiatrists and just four of them in active service. There are 600 psychiatric nurses when Ghana needs 3000 of them, and 115 community psychiatric nurses when 3000 would have been nearer the mark.

Records also show that Ghana has only three psychiatric hospitals, all of which are under-funded, overcrowded and located in the urban and better-developed south of the country.

Despite the gravity of these statistics, mental health continues to suffer neglect in terms of practical, sustainable action that could benefit poor, marginalized people with mental illness.

However, in this 21st Century when mental health is viewed as a right, most people still consider the condition as a privilege. The new mental health bill, though delayed for many years, seeks, when passed into law, to improve the care of poor, vulnerable people with mental illness or epilepsy, safeguard their human rights and promote their participation in restoration and recovery.

Launching a photo-book in Tamale on the horrific state of mental health situation in Ghana particularly the three Northern Regions, the Country Programme Manager of BasicNeeds Ghana, an NGO, Yaro Peter Badimak, stressed the need to highlight the living conditions of people with mental health problems saying “there are human rights issues to such lives that cannot be ignored”.

He indicated that, a significant number of Ghana’s population experience one form of mental illness or epilepsy, disclosing that Ghana has 2.4 million people who experience one form of mental illness or the other, hence the need to advocate the concerns of people with mental problems.

According to Mr. Badimak Peter, people with mental health problems contribute to a large proportion of persons with disability, globally estimated to be 650 million people.

The photo-book highlighting the lives that most people with mental illness or epilepsy and their care-givers, including some of the people that work in the sector live, was produced from a project called “Ghana – A picture of Mental Health”, which was funded under the Mwananchi Grant Scheme managed by participatory Development Associates of Ghana.

The photo-book depicted horrific situations whereby mentally challenged persons have been chained, legs pinned through tree trunks, confined or kept in partially-enclosed porches or rooms, shackled and among others. Those in confined rooms eat, sleep and answer nature call there.

The collection of photos did not just portray the disgusting treatment and living conditions under which persons with mental disorders or epilepsy have to undergo, but also to show the humanness and hiding potential that people who are currently ill, or have stabilized in their condition, as well as their primary care-givers, have to contribute to their own wellbeing and those of their families.

Most of these people according to the photo documentary were once teachers, traders, hardworking wives or husbands, lovely children of parents and families. Unfortunately, the social stigma so often associated with mental illness or epilepsy, poverty and inadequate healthcare facilities have conspired to rob these people of the care and support they deserve.

The documentary clearly revealed that there is much to done to improve the situation of people suffering from mental illness and epilepsy in Ghana.

BasicNeeds Ghana since its establishment in 2002 has reached 18,838 people with mental illness or epilepsy from over 18,700 families, together with 18,335 care-givers.

Currently, the Non-Governmental Organisation (BasicNeeds Ghana) working actively with 17,603 people with mental illness or epilepsy, all of whom are receiving regular treatment. 4,681 of them have been trained or being trained in vocational skills; 2,014 people are operating small businesses; 1,032 are engaged in horticultural activities; and 8,476 of them are involved in several different income generating activities to cater for themselves.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

UDS TO CUT DOWN ON ADMISSION DUE TO INADEQUATE RESOURCES


The Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Haruna Yakubu has hinted that the authourities of the University would from the next academic years cut down the number of admissions in order to correspond with the existing infrastructure on the four campuses of the University.

He explained that the officials of the university have observed with dismay the over-populated nature of the various campuses of the UDS across the three Northern Regions (Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions), hence the need to take that drastic measure to ensure that there is no excessive pressure on its meager resources.

Professor Haruna who was responding to concerns raised by the UDS Alumni Association during its 2nd National Delegates Congress in Tamale, admitted the over-populated nature of the School especially at the faculty of Integrated Development Studies (IDS) in Wa.

The UDS which started academic work in September 1993 with a humble 40 students now has a population of 19,210, rising astronomically from less than 6,000 from the 2004/2005 academic year.

However, the current classroom infrastructure and hostel facilities on the various campuses including Faculties of Integrated Development Studies (IDS), Planning and Land Management (PLM) and Education, Law and Business Studies (ELBS) in Wa in the Upper West Region, Applied Sciences and Computational and Developmental Mathematics (CDM) in Navrongo in the Upper East Region, Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources in Nyankpala and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Tamale in the Northern Region are inadequate.

The Acting Registrar of the UDS, DR. A.B.T. Zakariah in an address recounting the history of the University also attributed indiscipline, examination malpractices and among others to the increased numbers of students admitted within the last few years.

Both the Vice Chancellor and Acting Registrar enjoined members of the UDS Alumni Association to try and educate prospective applicants and their parents on why authourities have decided to cut down admission in subsequent years, adding that it is not their wish to do so but due to the serious nature of the challenges at hand.

National President of the UDS Alumni Association, Felix Kofi Abagale in his welcome address, appealed to the government to honour its 2008 campaign promise of “making a special allocation from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for the accelerated development of the UDS”.

He also mentioned the establishment of the School of Allied Health Sciences with a campus at Kintampo in the Brong-Ahafo Region which the ruling government pledged to provide.

Mr. Abagale on behalf of the Association expressed their profound appreciation to President John Evans Mills for visiting the UDS campuses recently, asking him to make time to visit the oldest campus in Nyankpala in future and also attend the university’s 12 congregation this year.

Meanwhile, the 2nd National Delegates Congress of the UDS Alumni Association which was under the theme: “The role of the alumni in the development of the UDS” also discussed other issues like financing of the Third Trimester Field Practical Training Programme; the role of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, challenges of the UDS from the alumni perspective and among others.

CLIP NGO TACKLES FOOD SECURITY, CLIMATE CHANGE


Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP), a local NGO based in Tamale, has organized a two-day training workshop for a select number of farmers in 30 communities in Northern Region to adopt the best farming practices to mitigate the effect of climate change and to maximize national food security.

CLIP is implementing a project dubbed “Food For Life (F4L)” which is being initiated in 30 communities in the Yendi, Karaga and Gushiegu Districts; intended to provide food insecure farmer households with opportunities to improve their household food security situation through climate change adaptation strategies for farming and protection of agricultural assets and livelihood activities. This is to increase agricultural production in vulnerable communities.

According to Dr. Richard Yeboah, a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Agribusiness Management and Finance at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, the short-term objective of F4L is to improve linkages between research and farm household practices in vulnerable communities through dissemination and adoption of climate change resilient technologies.

The goal of the programme is that, 60% of farmers in the 30 communities would apply localized coping and preventive strategies in addressing climate change, he said, adding “The project also intends to improve smallholder farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change coping strategies and innovations for sustainable livelihoods and to promote best practices among duty bearers”.

Dr. Yeboah who was one of three facilitators noted that, the two-day training workshop was to create awareness of climate change and its effects among participants, build concerted efforts to tackle Food Security and Climate Change issues and build capacity of participants to solve local problems of Food Security and Climate Change.

He said as part of efforts to achieve the targets of the F4L, an eleven-member team think-tank was established in August 2010 from a cross-section of institutions and organizations to meet the objective of optimizing institutional effort to address food security in relation to climate change adaptation in Northern Ghana .

However, Dr. Richard Yeboah cited loss of livestock, immediate risk of increased crop failure, new patterns of pests and diseases, lack of appropriate seeds and planting material, inadequate storage facilities, post harvest losses and uncontrolled use of agro chemicals as some of the problems obstructing the achievement of food security in Northern Ghana .

Meanwhile, Messer Vitus Ayingayure of IDA and James M. Kombiok Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) in a presentation, advised farmers to adopt the use of improved varieties of seeds most especially drought, pest and disease resistant ones during cropping seasons in order to avoid the effects of climate change and crop failure or poor yielding.

They observed that currently the majority of farmers are planting food grains bought in the market or grain retained from their produce. Adding, “The result of this is low crop yields which still put the farmers at subsistence levels”.

The two crop scientists attributed reasons for the low usage of improved seeds to non-availability of improved seeds in rural communities, high cost of improved seeds, un-reliable sources of improved seeds, farmers preferring their own seeds due to ignorance and lack of education on use of improved seeds to counteract the climate change situation.

They therefore advocated for the use of improved seeds, selected for local conditions, as options that offer farmers a better chance to harvest lucrative crops.