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. 

SADA CEO Launches Media Review Platform

Dr. Charles Abugre

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Dr. Charles Abugre has launched the SADA Zone Media Review Platform, with a call on the media to play a critical role in the acceleration of development in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone (NSEZ). 

The SADA Zone Media Review Platform is to bring SADA and its key partners and the media together in every quarter to review the activities of SADA and update journalists on any new projections by SADA in respect to the development of the Zone. The platform would also afford all partner organisations of SADA, the opportunity to brief the media about their activities and the role they play in the implementation of SADA’s agenda. 

Launching the platform at a media sensitisation programme organised by the Private Journalists Association of Ghana (PJA) with support from SADA, Dr. Abugre further implored journalists not to hesitate to draw the attention of management of SADA to developments they also found inappropriate in the implementation of projects. 

The media sensitization programme brought together over 50 Journalists from the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions to sensitize them on the mandate of SADA and achievements made so far by SADA. It also provided an opportunity for participants to gain a better understanding of how they could utilize their unique positions as agenda setters, to strategically and consistently give balanced and accurate reportage about the activities of SADA.                        

                                     

The President of PJA Edmond Nana Gyebi, said the SADA Zone Media Review Platform was mooted by the Association to create a symbiotic relationship between SADA and the media, so that together, they could push the SADA agenda forward. 

SADA CEO in a Hand Shake With Prez of PJA After Launching Media Platform

He also observed that despite the numerous developmental projects SADA had undertaken, majority of the people living in the SADA Zone had in the past been kept in the dark. This, he attributed to the total breakdown of information flow between SADA and the public as well as the media.

He appealed to journalists to further suggest innovative ways of helping SADA to transform the NSEZ. He also made a passionate appeal to employers and private media owners to take critical look at the salaries and the general conditions of service of their employees and provide them with the needed tools to work.         

Undoubtedly, Northern Ghana has the highest percentage of people living in extreme poverty, with more than 60 percent of the population living on less than US$1 a day. The region’s environmental, epidemiological and geographical challenges including low agricultural productivity, a high disease burden rate and high transportation cost makes villagers who are the most vulnerable to live in extreme poverty. This means that to collect safe drinking water and firewood for domestic use, people must walk several miles every day.

With these rural communities trapped in a poverty web, they are unable to make the investments in human capital and infrastructure required to achieve self-sustaining economic growth.

Based on these facts, SADA, a government policy initiative established by an Act of Parliament (Act 805, 2010) is aimed at transforming the NSEZ. SADA’s mandate is to accelerate the socio-economic development of the NSEZ through strategic investment in resource development. It envisions a “Forested North” by 2030, where agricultural production is modernised and oriented towards a larger market. 

The SADA initiative has six unique pillars which include the development of a comprehensive regional and ecological strategy; a model for the modernisation of agriculture; development of strategic infrastructure; strong linkage between Northern Savannah and the Sahelian countries; a vigorous private sector initiative that strengthens existing private operators and active support for Civil Society Organizations and NGOs.