OXFAM Ghana Tackles Climate Change Issues In Northern Ghana

OXFAM Ghana, an international charity organisation– is implementing a three-year Climate-Resilient Agricultural and Food Systems (CRAFS) project in Northern Ghana, targeting a total of 4,500 farm households who are living in poor conditions.

CRAFS is a three-year project (April 2015 – March 2018) and it is being implemented in four (4) districts in Northern Ghana. The districts include East Mamprusi (Northern Region), Garu-Tempane (Upper East Region), Nandom and Daffiama-Bussie-Issah (Upper West Region) covering a total of 20 communities. 

“The goal of the project is to contribute to the fight against poverty and the negative effects of climate change, by enhancing the livelihood security and capacity for community-based adaptation measures for the most vulnerable in Northern Ghana”, Mohammed Anwar-Sadat Adam, Programmes and Campaigns Manager at OXFAM Ghana said this at an orientation and training workshop in Tamale.  

The training and orientation workshop which was organized by OXFAM Ghana in collaboration with the Media Advocates for Sustainable Environment (MASE-Ghana), brought together over 30 media practitioners, journalists and other civil society organizations.

Advocacy Officer with OXFAM Ghana Mrs. Lilian Mwintome Kuutiero explained that, the workshop sought to create awareness of the CRAFS project and its objectives, and to enhance media practitioners understanding of climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

 

She said it was also intended to build the communication and reporting skills of participants on climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and to create an opportunity for OXFAM to work with a network of media practitioners in communicating communities’ experiences.

Mr. Adam enumerated a number of projects being implemented by OXFAM Ghana in the regions and districts targeted at addressing climate change effects on the livelihoods of farmers. He envisaged that, by March 2018, 3,150 women of the total of 4,500 beneficiaries would have understood the likely impact of climate change on their lives and livelihoods.  

Cross section of participants at workshop

Mr. Adam also projected that, by the end of the project, the 4,500 small-scale farmers in all 20 beneficiary communities would have had access to improved farming methods and demonstrating climate sensitive models of livelihoods which are economically viable and environmentally friendly.

Furthermore, about 100 community savings and safety net initiatives he believed would have been strengthened, whereas 4,500 women and men small-scale farmers being able to secure and improve the fast-depleting natural resource base which their livelihoods depended on.

Till date, OXFAM Ghana has spent about 200,000 British Pound Sterling on the CRAFS project. Whereas £12,000 is being spent to support 100 people to establish tree nurseries and train 100 people to construct energy-efficient stoves, £27,400 is also spent to support people to diversify their livelihoods through trainings, create community saving groups, and enable farmers to make compost and use water resources during the dry season in a sustainable manner.

Moreover, £62,100 is being spent to raise community awareness on the effects of climate change through mass public communication, establish two Climate Information Centres, train 100 farmers in climate sensitive techniques, and create field schools in the four beneficiary districts.

Mrs. Kuutiero further explained that series of meetings have also been held with 20 communities and local authorities in the four districts to enable local people to identify key challenges they face and support them to work with the authorities to address these challenges.

According to her, the organisation has also raised community awareness on climate change and how community people could cope with erratic weather conditions. “We have disseminated 10,000 leaflets, working with five radio stations, advertising on 45 billboards, running clubs in 25 schools and training 30 journalists to report on the issues”, she noted.

Oxfam Ghana is an international confederation of 19 organisations networked in over 90 countries with the common aim of building a future free from the injustices of poverty. Since 1986, Oxfam has invested in water and sanitation, education, agriculture and other sectors in Ghana, especially Northern Ghana. 

UDS Appoints Prof. Teye As New Vice Chancellor

Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye

The Governing Council of the University for Development Studies (UDS) has appointed Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, as its new Vice Chancellor.

According to a press release published on the University’s website, www.uds.edu.gh– on Monday September 28, 2015 and signed by the Registrar and Secretary of the UDS Governing Council Dr. A.B.T. Zakaria, the appointment of Prof. Teye takes effect from Tuesday October 1, 2015.

Prof. Teye replaces Prof. Haruna Yakubu whose tenure as Vice Chancellor of the UDS expires on October 1, 2015. Prof. Yakubu served for five years (2010-2015) as Vice Chancellor after he was appointed by the former Council of the University to take over from Prof. Sagary Nokoe who was acting Vice Chancellor. 

Prof. Teye was appointed a lecturer in the Animal Science Department of the Faculty of Agriculture, UDS in 1996. He was promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer in 2006. In October 2011, he was promoted to the position of Associate Professor, and July 2014, he was promoted to the rank of full professor.

Prof. Teye graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Agriculture (Animal Science), from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, in 1991. In 1996, he obtained a Master of Science (Meat Science) also from KNUST, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Meat Science and Technology) from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom (UK) in 2005. He also holds a Diploma in Modern Management and Administration, which he obtained in 2004 from Cambridge International College, UK.  

Prior to his appointment as Vice Chancellor, Prof. Teye held several positions in the University for Development Studies. He was the Head of the Department of Animal Science from 2005 to 2008, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture from 2008 to 2012 and the Dean-in-Charge of the Nyankpala Campus from 2009 to 2013. 

He was elected and appointed as Pro-Vice Chancellor from November 2012 to October 2014. He again contested and won the election for the position of Pro-Vice Chancellor in November 2014, and he was still serving his second term in office as Pro-Vice Chancellor, which was to end in November 2016, when the University Council appointed him as the new Vice Chancellor.

Prof. Teye also contested and won an election as Convocation representative (professorial) on the University Council in September 2011 and served in this capacity from 2011 to 2012, when he was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor. He has served as Chairman and Member of several statutory and adhoc Committees and Boards in the University.

Prof. Haruna Yakubu

Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye has fifty-eight (58) academic research publications in refereed journals, twenty-eight (28) papers in referenced conference proceedings and magazines, and thirty-eight (38) non-referenced conference proceedings. He has also published four (4) books.

Established in May 1992 by the Government of Ghana, the UDS exist to blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two for the total development of Northern Ghana, in particular, and the country as a whole. 

It began academic work in September 1993 with the admission of thirty-nine (39) students into the Faculty of Agriculture, (FOA), Nyankpala campus. The Faculty of Integrated Development Studies, (FIDS), Faculty of Planning and Land Management (FPLM) and Faculty of Education (FOE), Wa, School of Business, Wa, School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), Tamale, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR), Nyankpala, Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS), Faculty of Mathematical Sciences (FMS), Navrongo and the Graduate School now in Tamale were phased in from 1994 to date.

UDS is unique compared to other public universities considering its location and multi campuses which are spread out in rural Northern Ghana where the incidence and depth of poverty is high. The UDS has four (4) campuses, seven (7) Faculties, a Business School, one Medical School, one Graduate School and three (3) centres. Several programs are run at these places.

Defeated Assemblyman To Drag EC To Court

EC Boss, Charlotte Osei

One of the defeated Assembly members in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region is threatening to drag the Electoral Commission (EC) to Court for allegedly presiding over an incident of “over voting” in one of the polling stations at Walewale in the just ended District Level Election.

The 31 year old discontented Assemblyman, Aziz Dingana, who is also a teacher told Savannahnews that, he had sought the advice of his Lawyer and was ready to take legal action against the EC for failing to address the issue of “over voting” he had raised after the election.

He explained that out of the 722 registered voters, 458 voted and were verified by the Biometric Verification Machine. But during counting, it was detected that 461 people had voted indicating an “over voting” of three (3) votes. 

Two of the agents for the three candidates according to Mr. Dingana refused to sign or accept the results. But the EC officials insisted that they should append their signatures, which attracted confrontations from the supporters of the contestants.

After recounting for the third time, there was a detection of three excess votes. He said that the Sagadugu polling station was won by one James Sampana with 391 votes followed Aziz Dingana (Complainant) with 38 votes, 29 spoilt votes and 3 votes for the other candidate. 

According to Mr. Aziz Dingana, even though he was aware that the three votes suspected to be in excess could not still make him a winner in that polling station when added to his vote, he was interested in ensuring that the “right thing was done by the EC”.

He asserted that the attempt by the EC to give a blind eye to the over voting, if not condemned could be translated into the 2016 election.

The defeated Assemblyman told Savannahnews that he was expecting the EC to cancel the result in that Sagadugu polling to avoid any form of irregularity.

“I am contesting this issue not because I lost but because it can repeat itself in the 2016 general elections. I know if they add the three votes to mine, I will still not win, but I expect that the right thing should be done”.  Election is supposed to be free and fair, but that is not what happened in the Sagadugu polling station”, he fumed.

Mr. Dingana asserted that he was asked by the West Mamprusi District EC to come for further discussion on the matter. But to his dismay, they went ahead and declared the results two days before the day fixed for him.

However, when Savannahnews contacted the Northern Regional Director of the EC, Mr. Bruce Ayisi and his Deputy, Mr. Benjamin Bano-Bioh, they confirmed receiving complaints from Mr. Aziz Dingana after he lost the polls. 

According to them, the incident that occurred at the Sagadugu Polling Station could not be described as “over voting” and that it could not in any way affect the outcome of the election result at the polling station.  

“Over voting occurs only when the number of people who vote at a particular polling station exceed the number of voters in the Voters Registers,” they explained.

The Regional EC officials even though sympathized with Mr. Aziz Dingana and appreciated his efforts; they insisted that the District EC officials did no wrong in declaring the result. 

They said that the incident could probably result from some technical challenges from the Biometric Verification Device or any other way, but that they said could not have any effect on the result, since the difference between him and the winner was so wide.

However, they promised that the Regional EC was picking the mater up to ascertain what exactly brought about the three excess votes.

A.B.A Fuseini Worried Politicians Are Engaged In Dirty Politics

A.B.A. Fuseini

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sagnarigu who doubles as the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini has taken a swipe on the current crop of politicians who have reduced politics into a mere dirty game which is played by people who are mischievous, liars and are always interested in tarnishing the image of people they regard as opponents in the same political party or another.

According to him, the only thing that had disappointed him and sometimes made him to feel sorry for being a politician was the people’s inability to speak the truth but rather go the extra miles to perpetuate falsehood just for political pragmatism or to score cheap political points.

The Former Editor of the Daily Graphic who is also a known freedom fighter insisted on his colleague politicians to engage in enlightened debates in every contest rather than to concoct, fabricate and peddle falsehoods just to tarnish the image of political opponents.

Speaking in an interview with Savannahnews in Tamale after he picked and filed his nomination form for the parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Sagnarigu Constituency, Alhaji A.B. A. Fuseini described it “as cheap and immature” for any politician to waste his or her time to run an opponent down, instead of addressing issues.

He cited instances where people contesting sitting MPs even in the same political party had engaged in serious propaganda and fictitiously lie to the people that the sitting MP had not executed a single project in the whole of the four year term. 

“If you want to contest me for instance, I want us to take the facts, take the issues and deal with them on the strength of their own merit, but not cheapen politics. 

Somebody said the MP (me) I have not executed a single project in my constituency, thinking that will make him a better choice. When I think or hear of all these lies it makes me feel very disappointed”.

The MP for Sagnarigu Constituency therefore promised to embark on a clean and insult free campaign in the upcoming parliamentary primaries of the NDC.

He also cautioned his followers to learn from his demeanor and avoid insults and any form of attack on other contestants in the race.

During the filing of his nomination form, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini attracted several hundreds of party activists who organised themselves in four metro mass buses, benz buses, private vehicles and on motorbikes amidst drumming and dancing to show strong solidarity to him. 

He was first to pick his nomination and filed it on the same day. The Nomination Form was received by the Sagnarigu Constituency Secretary, Mohammed Abdul-Rahman, who admonished the aspirants to respect the rules governing the primaries and also allow the interest of the party to reign supreme. He also charged them to see the primaries as internal contest and thus avoid insults and petty squabbles. 

A.B.A. Beaming With Smiles After Filing His Nomination To Contest NDC Primaries

The MP for Sagnarigu who worked as Journalist for over 30 years, indicated that he was in politics to serve the people. Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini who is seeking re-election after winning the mandate of the people of Sagnarigu in 2012, said that his decision to contest the seat again was largely based on calls from the NDC youth, some founding fathers and other opinion leaders in the constituency.

He said that since his assumption of office as an MP, he had prioritized education, health, rural electrification, provision of water and economic empowerment of women and the youth in Sagnarigu. 

According to him, even though he was blowing his own trumpet, he could confidently state that the development that had taken place in the constituency in the last two and half years was unprecedented. 

Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini indicated that 23 out of the 26 communities in the constituency that were connected to the national grid, had now had electricity and the remaining three were also had also received their transformers and they would soon be connected. 

He further indicated that 24 out of the 32 communities that had no sources of drinking water had been provided with pipe water. The remaining 8 communities he said would get pipe water before the end of 2015, since pipes were already laid in six of those communities. 

Through his efforts and with support from the Sagnarigu District Assembly several 3 units and 6 units classroom blocks had been constructed and commissioned for most of the communities in the constituency with auxiliary facilities such as offices, stores, toilet and libraries among others.   

The MP has also donated computers, furniture and other learning materials to most of the schools in the area including Bagabaga Junior High, Hilaliya Junior High, Kamina, Garishagu, Kunyavila and Chanayi. 

Several roads have also been constructed to link the communities together including T-Poly/Kpalsi road and the main Sagnarigu Town road, which were threat to pedestrians and vehicular movement. 

Last two weeks, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini supported some 120 deprived women with some seed capital of GHC24, 000 to start up their own small scale businesses.

Aside that the MP has also managed to secure a substantial funding from EDAIF to support four (4) large women groups in Sagnarigu, Shishagu, Gurugu and Wayamba who are into rice and shea nut processing in the constituency. Apart from giving them some seed capitals in a form of grant to expand their businesses, Alhaji A.B.A. 

Fuseini has also procured four (4) brand new KIA trucks and eight (8) brand new tricycles popularly known as “Motor Kings” for the same groups and also built brand new state of the arts rice and shea nut processing machines from the EDAIF support. 

He therefore expressed his deepest gratitude to the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Directors and Management of EDAIF for the huge support extended to the women in his constituency. 

On the other hand, the MP for Sagnarigu appealed to the youth, the chiefs and other groups in the area to maintain the prevailing peace and stability in the area to facilitate more development.