Ambrose Dery Gives Nandom District A ‘Facelift’

MP for Nandom Constituency

The Member of Parliament for the Nandom Constituency and Minister for The Interior, Lawyer Ambrose Dery, has reiterated his promise to bring unmatched development to his constituents.

He says he would not renege on his 2016 election campaign promise to the people of Nandom, but urged constituents to exercise restraint as he takes on one project at a time. “I want to thank you very much for reposing your confidence in me. I promise you, myself and our President, Nana Akuffo-Addo will not fail you”, he said during a four-day visit to the constituency which began last Thursday.

For many years, the Nandom District which was carved out of the then Lawra-Nandom Constituency in 2011 has been confronted with myriad of developmental challenges such as poor road networks, lack of electricity, potable water, hospitals and among others.

However, with the election of Lawyer Dery to Parliament, many opportunities seem to be coming the way of constituents after just three months as legislator. He has been able to start the construction of major road networks in the Nandom area, an initiative many constituents are happy about and hailing him for his hard work.

Even though Nandom does not qualify as an urban town, the former Upper West Regional Minister successfully lobbied the Urban Roads Department to agree to work on some major roads in the Nandom township under the urban road projects. This means that, major road networks in Nandom will also be asphalted by road contractors, P & W Ghanem Limited.

For instance, the Monyupelle-Kusele-Gengengkpe-Baselb through Tom to Ko and Dumaje to the Nandom Hospital roads are currently awarded on contract. Another road network from the Nandom township to Kogle, Naapaal, Dabagteng, Betaglu and Goziir Nag-nyaa are to be constructed. 

Besides, the roads within the entire township of Nandom and Nadomkpee, Dondometeng and Biiregangn whereas the Nandom,Tampelle, Kokoligu and Hamile roads from the main road at Bu  through Tampelle, Kokoligu and Hamile are to be constructed. Work has already began simultaneously on most of the roads. 

Furthermore, he noted that his office through the Ghana Education Service was also organising extra classes for all pupils of Junior High Schools as a stopgap measure to arrest the fallen standards of education in the district.

“I have an office in the township of Nandom where you can submit your concerns to my secretary for redress. If you are in Accra and you need to see me, come to my office on Tuesdays I am available to meet you”, he stated.

Lawyer Dery during his visit also donated a grinding mill each and some fishing nets to women groups and fishermen in Ketuo, Tankyara, Sonne, Gengengkpe, Guri and Kokoligu communities.

The Nandom legislator also held series of closed door meetings with all the Heads of security agencies, constituency and polling station executives of the New Patriotic Party as well as traditional leaders. 

While donating a brand new pickup to the Nandom District Police Command, he assured the other security services who still operate from Lawra his resolve to establish permanent district offices for them in Nandom. 

He also announced the establishment of two new police stations; one in Ko and the other in Kokoligu just so that cases around the Hamile area and other communities are not sent to the Lambussie-Karni District.

Lawyer Ambrose Dery rounded up his tour of his constituency by holding meetings with other constituents resident in Wa the Upper West Regional capital and Tamale on Saturday and Sunday respectively. 

He adviced them to remain united and pray for him to succeed with the vision he has for all Nandom people.

Restrict Mobile Phones From Polling Booths During Elections – CSOs

Representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Northern Region, have expressed serious concern over some people taking pictures of their thumb printed ballot papers during crucial national elections.

They cited the last presidential and parliamentary elections where some people took pictures of their thumb printed ballot papers as evidence to claim money and other inducements promised them by some unscrupulous politicians. 

Thus, the CSOs called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to ban or restrict voters from carrying mobile phones and other devices that are capable of aiding them to take pictures in the polling booths in future elections.

A representative of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Madam Luknia Joyce contributing discussions at a stakeholders workshop, warned that failure by the EC to curb the phenomenon can ‘corrupt’ the electoral system and further create deep-seated acrimony among contending parties or candidates.

“There are watches, pens, necklaces and other devices besides phones that can be used to secretly take pictures. I want the EC officials to avert their minds to this happening in order to prevent any future election disputes”, she stressed.

The training programme, which was organised by Legal Resources Centre (LRC) through the support of STAR-Ghana in Tamale, was a follow up to an earlier one organised in November, prior to the December elections. It sought to enlighten election stakeholders on the electoral justice system of Ghana as a way of consolidating the country’s democracy.

The participants include GNAT, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Department of Gender and Children, Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled, the Ghana Prisons Service, Council of Local Churches and among others.

Project Officer of LRC, Enock Jengre, said the LRC is a non-governmental organisation that promotes the full realisation of individuals’ human rights through education and representation of such persons in court when they have a case but cannot afford to hire a lawyer to defend them.

Besides doing advocacy on law, justice and development, he also noted that, the LRC offer services in the areas of health, education, food security, housing and employment among others.

Mr. Jengre urged the participants to work in partnership with LRC in order to promote fairness and transparency in the country’s electoral and justice system.

33 Health Facilities Get Support To Fight Maternal And Infant Mortalities

Exe. Dir. Savana Signatures

Reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in all of its health facilities across the country to the barest minimum has been a major headache to the Ghana Health Service over the years.

In Northern Ghana for instance, statistics suggest that maternal mortality rates are exceedingly higher than the national average of 320 deaths per 100,000 live births. 

Challenges such as poor road network, female genital mutilation, anaemia, lack of or inadequate health personnel as well as essential lifesaving medicines among others, account for these deaths.

That notwithstanding, improper documentation or storage of data on infants and pregnant women by nurses and midwives, sometimes lead to needless deaths that further cause an increase of the already alarming statistics.

But thanks to Savana Signatures, Salasan Incorporated and Musttimhw Solutions with funding support from Global Affairs Canada, a project called “Technology for Maternal and Child Health (T4MCH)” is currently being implemented in 33 health facilities in 9 districts in the Upper West, Northern and Volta Regions of Ghana. The districts are Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, North Gonja, Sagnarigu, Kajebi, Mamprugu-Moaduri, Wa West, Jirapa, Wa East and Nkwanta North Districts.

According to the Executive Director, Savana Signatures, John Stephen Agbenyo, T4MCH seeks to drastically reduce maternal and infant mortalities in the beneficiary districts especially communities the 33 health facilities are serving.

T4MCH is an upgrade of Technology for Maternal Health (T4MH) implemented in 2011 through the support of STAR-Ghana in 10 hospitals in the Northern Region. Like the first project, T4MCH design maternal and child health (MCH) messages and deliver them through mobile phones in SMS and Voice messages format to pregnant women up till six months after they have delivered. 

“SMS are in English but beneficiaries may choose from nine different languages including Dagbani, Gonja, Birifo, Dagaare, Ewe, Twi, Sissala among others for voice messages”, Mr. Agbenyo indicated.

As part of the implementation of T4MCH, each of the 33 health facilities will be provided with a laptop, projector, projector screen, 2 smartphones and a public address system to enable nurses disseminate educational information to pregnant women through powerpoint presentations, videos and pictures for their understanding.

The Programmes Manager, T4MCH, Abdul-Rashid Imoro told Savannahnews that, each of the health facilities will also receive a cash amount of GH¢800.00 monthly throughout the implementation of the 3-year project to enable them fuel their motorbikes so that they can carry out effective community health outreach services.

Moreover, in order to ensure an effective utilisation of the electronic or ICT equipments that will be given to the health facilities, Savana Signatures is also training selected midwives and Community health nurses (CHN) on how to operate and use them efficiently.

Programmes Manager, Savana Signatures

Recently, about 16 CHN and midwives from four beneficiary health facilities in the Sagnarigu District were trained. “The aim is to improve their skills with computers and ultimately women’s and families’ access to good MCH information.

“The trainings are designed to improve ICT skills amongst midwives and CHN and specifically focus on ICT skills for better MCH outcomes”, Mr. Imoro explained.

Ms Linda Dery, a CHN with the Kalpohin Health Centre who took part in the training in an interview with Savannahnews, lauded the initiative by Savana Signatures saying “Now, with the kind of training I have received through the T4MCH project, my knowledge will be adequately enhanced to enable me store accurate data of patients who visit the facility.

“We will no longer encounter problems with regards to data collection and storage and this means that patients conditions are monitored very well and the appropriate actions taken to address their health needs”, she noted.

With the provision of fuel money, she is happy she and her colleagues will be able to visit communities often to carry out health outreach services and this she believes will go a long way to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

Meanwhile, T4MCH is expected to benefit some 30,000 pregnant women by increasing their access to health facilities, increasing their knowledge about healthy pregnancies and safe childbirth. 

It will encourage regular attendance at antenatal care and postnatal care appointments. Infants born to these women will benefit from health facility deliveries under the care of a qualified midwife and follow-up postnatal care including vaccinations.

Being important decision makers about their wives’ health, husbands are also beneficiaries of mobile messaging and knowledge sharing sessions that take place between a health official and pregnant women and their spouses.