TRADERS IN TAMALE UP IN ARMS WITH ASSEMBLY

Traders in the Tamale Central Market are up in arms with the authorities of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly for imposing high levies on them without any justification.
The Assembly “without any consultation” has astronomically adjusted the market levy from the original GHp70 to GH¢3.00 a day. But the aggrieved traders insist that the fee was highly unreasonable and that they would do everything possible to ensure that it was reversed or unanimously agreed upon by both the traders and the city authorities.
The Chairman of the Tamale Central Market Union, Mr. Laminu Kasim told FIILANEWS that if by August 29, 2011 the authorities of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly did not rescind their decision or follow the laid down procedure by way of soliciting their collective views, they would strongly hit the streets or vacate the market indefinitely.
According to him, even though the traders were aware of their tax obligations and were always predicting some kind of increment in the future, they were fiercely resisting the current adjustment basically because the Assembly within the last 30 years had completely failed to properly utilize the levies they collect from the traders.
He indicated that the Tamale Central Market was currently sitting on time bomb since it was highly prone to fire outbreak due to the numerous illegal tapping of electricity by most of the traders.
“We have told the Assembly to negotiate with VRA to provide electricity polls within the market to enable the traders do proper connection, but nothing has been done about that and because of that the traders are left with no other option than to tap electricity from their neighbours in the market. It is a very dangerous thing and all of us are afraid but what can you do? the Chairman asked.
Mr. Kasim bemoaned that any incident of fire outbreak in any part of the market would cause a very devastating situation, because fire tenders would not be able to access the market as a result of congestions and poor construction of the place.
FIILANEWS gathered that almost all the structures or stores in the market were put up by individual traders but they pay levies on them to the assembly.
Sanitation situation in the Tamale Central Market is indeed not pleasant and the traders alleged that the assembly had refused to employ sweepers to manage waste in the market, in spite of the taxes they pay.
They complained about the lack of toilet facilities in the market and how filth that had engulfed the place especially in this raining season was driving their customers away.
Some of the aggrieved traders including, Madam Joyce Boateng a.k.a. Ataa Maame, Madam Safura Osman and Alhaji Musah Amadu also complained about the refusal by the Assembly to provide security lights in the market to drive away thieves, wee smokers, prostitutes and other criminals who had turned the market into their haven at nights.
They hinted that some traders who accidentally returned from their trips at mid-nights and tried to off load their goods sometimes ended up being victimized or robbed by those criminals.
At the moment, the traders have reported the matter to the Chief of Tamale, Naa Dakpema Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni to prevail on the city authorities to reverse their decision to increase the market levy from GHp70 to GH¢3.00 a day.
It is being rumoured that the Chief had ordered the traders not to make any payment to any tax collector until they come to consensus with the assembly.
As a result, the assembly is said to have also refused a meeting summoned by the Chief to mediate between the traders and the city authorities.

LACK OF POLITICAL COMMITMENT AFFECTING BUSINESSES IN THE NORTH

Lack of serious political commitment by the government to put in place favorable economic policies in the North is a major factor thwarting the efforts of farmers and other business operators to make capital gains; this is the assertion often made by many in the private sector.
According to the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, an organization working to promote private sector development in Ghana through advocacy, the Northern Region for instance plays a significant role in national development given its potential in the areas of agriculture and other natural resources such as the sheanut trees.
The agriculture and sheanuts industry it observed provides employment opportunities for majority of people in the private sector in the region that could contribute immensely to local economic growth and poverty reduction.
However, unfavorable market prices and especially non-availability of a proposed Sheanut Board to facilitate the activities of farmers, processors and buyers was still a huge challenge to the various actors in the sheanuts industry.
Addressing Coordinating Directors, Planning Officers and Budget Officers from all 20 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Northern Region, Mr. Dennis Puorideme, BUSAC Fund Tamale Office Chief in charge of the SADA operational area, encouraged participants to apprise business associations, small and medium enterprises and farmer-based organizations in their respective districts about the enormous opportunities available for them at BUSAC Fund.
The workshop was to foster and deepen public-private partnership to promote private sector development in the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority operational area.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister San Nasamu Asabigi, acknowledged the efforts being made by the government to promote economic development and improve the lives of people in the three regions of the North – Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, but was quick to add that much needed to be done to improve upon the situation.
According to the Minister, the government has decided to partner with BUSAC Fund phase II project in the SADA operational area to accelerate the development of Ghana and the North in particular.
Mr. Asabigi urged all the participants to apply the knowledge acquired in the workshop to the benefit of the people and support the private sector to enhance local economic development in the North.
Meanwhile, the BUSAC Fund phase II designed with lessons drawn from BUSAC phase I is being supported by DANIDA with other support coming from USAID and European Commission totaling US$20 million. The second phase also, is a five year extension to the first phase which lasted for six years, and is intended to consolidate the gains made in BUSAC Fund I and to further spread the concept and practice of advocacy to all sectors of the economy in all regions and districts of Ghana.
Emerging and established private sector organizations particularly in the area of business are eligible to apply to the Fund. These include business associations, trade unions, business media, small business associations of micro, small and medium enterprises, and Farmer-Based Organisations. But, individuals and individual companies other than media houses are not eligible.

BLAME YAWNING DEVELOPMENTAL GAP BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH ON LEADERSHIP

Tamale based business magnate, William Majeed Mahama has blamed Members of Parliament from the three regions of the north for the under-developed nature of northern Ghana. He said MP’s from northern Ghana lacked the political goodwill to push successive government to fulfill their campaign promises to the people of the area. According to William Majeed, the people of northern Ghana will continue to languish in abject poverty unless their MPs especially those whose party is in power whip the government to fulfill some its major campaign promises. William Majeed Mahama was contributing to the topic, “Bridging the yawning gap between northern and southern Ghana: the role of stakeholders from the north” at a symposium in Tamale.” He commended government for initiating the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority but was quick to state that it will have no positive impact on the people of northern Ghana if government does not allocate the required resources needed for its smooth implementation. William Majeed Mahama thus implored the Mills-Mahama led NDC administration to explain to the good people of northern Ghana why it deposited only 8 million Ghana cedis into the SADA kitty instead of the 25 million Ghana cedis that was captured on the 2011 supplementary budget. “SADA is an unquestionable programme that is geared towards bridging the developmental gap between the north and south: government promised a certain seed capital towards this programme and so far only eight million Ghana cedis has been paid into SADA account, why, he questioned? The Tamale based business magnate charged chiefs in northern Ghana to emulate the shining examples of their southern colleagues who have initiated self help projects to alleviate the plight of their people. William Majeed Mahama impressed upon the chiefs to place premium on education by establishing education endowment funds as the basis to help needy but brilliant students acquire higher academic laurels to support their deprived communities. “Until we get a political, social and traditional leadership that will truly represent us and inspire and reorient the mentality of our people towards development, central governments handouts would continue to be white elephants” he observed.

NPP NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZER DARES PRESIDENT MILLS

National youth Organizer of the opposition New Patriotic Party has jumped to the conclusion that President John Evans Atta Mills’ recent outburst in Ho that he will hand over power in 2017 confirmed the NDC’s grand agenda to rig the 2012 general elections. Anthony Abayifa Karbo who sounded furious on President Mills’ comment in an exclusive interview with FIILANEWS said the NPP was much aware of the Mills-Mahama led NDC administration’s trick to rig the 2012 general elections. He urged the Electoral Commission and the security agencies to safe Ghana from the Cote D’I Voire situation by ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in 2012. He reiterated his earlier warning that the NPP will meet the NDC “Fire for fire” if the ruling party attempts to subvert the will of the Ghanaian electorate in 2012. The NPP national youth Organizer challenged President Mills to stop making such false impressions and rather concentrate on fixing national problems such as the current gas shortage, the industrial unrest emanating from the labour front, the escalating youth unemployment and university students agitation on their fees payment. Anthony Abayifa Karbo issued these militant statements at the opening ceremony of a three day conference in Tamale which drew all NPP youth organizers from the 26 constituencies in the northern region. The conference formed part of the NPP national youth Organizer’s working visit to the three regions of the north where he is expected to map out a strategy to recapture the northern region in 2012. Anthony Abayifa Karbo is also inaugurating regional youth committees alongside the meetings to boost the NPP’s chance of winning the 2012 general elections in northern Ghana. He indicated that the NPP’s victory in 2012 will largely depend on the efforts of the youth, hence the need for the youth organizers across board to stand firm and implement, Nana Akufo Addo’s infamous “All die be die” comment by resisting NDC supporters attempt to intimidate them in their various constituencies. Anthony Abayifa Karbo demystified what he described as “The NDC’s blanket propaganda” that the NPP is an Akan party and called on Ghanaians to ignore that misconception and vote massively for Nana Akufo Addo and all his Parliamentary candidates in 2012. He cited himself, the National women’s Organizer, Otiku Afisah Djabah, Sheikh Tahidu Damba, a national vice Chairman and many others in the NPP’s leadership front as some party bigwigs of northern extraction who are very influential in the party’s decision making processes. He disclosed his administration’s determination to raise funds in the three northern regions to provide moveable logistics to the entire constituency Organizers. Anthony Abayifa Karbo further encouraged the youth Organizers to be vigilant when the biometric registration exercise begins.

COMMITTEE’S REPORT EXONERATES TOLON GES DIRECTOR

T

he Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Ms. Elizabeth De-Souza has presented findings and recommendations into allegations leveled against Mr. John Cudjo Kumah, the Director of Education for Tolon/Kumbungu District to the Northern Regional Minister.
It would be recalled that about three months ago there were series of press releases and demonstrations by people of the Tolon/Kumbungu District against the continuous stay in office by Mr. Kumah as District Director of Education over several allegations leveled against him including the use of Capitation Grants to conduct mock exams without the consent of management of the various schools involved, parking of official vehicles at his residence and alleged spending money given to execute a British Council Project known as Connecting Classrooms Project.
Ms. De-Souza at a meeting at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council explained that it was appropriate to disseminate the findings of the Fact Finding Committee, and spell out the way forward in restoring normalcy in the operations of the Tolon/Kumbungu Directorate of Education as a way of ensuring quality education in the district which has been jeopardized for about three months now.
Presenting the findings, Charles Adama, Chairman of the five-member Committee mandated to investigate into the administration of Mr. Kumah, revealed that Mr. Kumah had suspended salaries of One Hundred and Sixty (160) teachers for vacating their post, securing illegal promotions with adjusted salaries, absenteeism, impersonation among several other irregularities.
The Committee also deduced that Mr. Kumah had returned an amount of Fifty-Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-Eight Ghana Cedis, Eighty-One Pesewas (56,448.81) to government’s chest and several other good practices as an administrator and that might have incurred the wrath of some disgruntled teachers and residents.
The Committee, thus, found Mr. John Cudjo Kumah, the Tolon/Kumbungu District Director of GES innocent of all the allegations leveled against him by some residents and teachers saying “the demonstration was borne out of some people’s parochial interest and vendetta”.
Meanwhile, the Regional Directorate of Education noted that with assurance from the DCE, traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the Tolon/Kumbungu District, regarding the safety of its personnel, they were making efforts to get a new District Director to accept posting to the district.

GES ACCOUNTANTS WANT GOV’T RECONSIDER PARAMETERS SET FOR THEIR WORK

The National Chairman of the Association of Educational Accountants, Charles Adama, has asked government to improve upon the parameters within which accounting systems in the Ghana Education Service (GES) operate.
According to him, accounting challenges such as low Information Communication and Technology (ICT) knowledge coupled with pay-roll related fraud, calls for serious improvement in the accounting system or practices.
Mr. Adama was speaking at the opening session of the annual National Biennial Conference of the Association of Educational Accountants in Tamale.
The five-day conference which brought together delegates from all over the country was under the theme: "Enhancing Financial Management and Accountability in the Ghana Education Service; the role of the Educational Accountant".
The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Benedicta Naana Biney said the work of the educational accountant was more demanding in view of the accounting challenges facing the educational accountant.
She expressed worry about the revelations from the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament where many school managements were found wanting during accountability processes.
Ms. Naana Biney challenged school accountants to do more to update themselves by attending workshops and taking short professional courses adding, “Government is working in line with the Ministry of Education to help improve the skills of accountants”.
Ms. Elizabeth De-Souza, Northern Regional Director of the GES on her part, said accountants must execute their profession with high ethical principles, adding “the accountant works within the tenets of probity and accountability”.
She therefore, called for a paradigm shift from the accountants in their way of doing things.

COALITION TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST RECKLESS USE OF AGRO-CHEMICALS

A coalition of Agricultural Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector, are set to wage a campaign against the reckless application of agro chemicals on the natural environment which have direct effect on living creatures including humans.
The Coalition’s main target which is the Parliament of Ghana, it said did not only enact laws and policies, but also ensured that such policies and laws were made to function properly.
The Presbyterian Farmers’ Training and Child Development Program also known as Presby Mile Seven Project, a faith-based NGO is leading the campaign dubbed “Road to Parliament”.
At a workshop on misuse of chemical pesticides and weedicides, participants called for more efforts and collaborations to deal effectively with the harmful effects of agro-chemicals on both human and the natural environment.
Azumah Shaibu, an Advocacy Officer at Mile Seven Agric Project Office, explained that the formation of the Coalition was necessitated by the many challenges that were currently being encountered in the agro-chemical supply chain system, particularly the wrongful acquisitions, sale and application of such chemicals that needed to be checked.
He cited a draft proposal titled ‘Ghana pesticide crisis; when will the government really act?’, a document which listed that as many as 15 people died through food that had been contaminated with agro-chemicals in the Upper East Region alone in 2010, while many others were hospitalized through careless handling of such chemicals.
Only about a week ago, an entire family of five was wipe-off at a farming community near Walewale in the West Mamprusi District after eating contaminated beans and these are some of the issues we want to bring to the attention of the entire country, Mr. Azumah stressed.
Mr. Shaibu said a proper legislation which synchronizes the activities of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) including importers, sellers and farmers, would help correct the challenges and the dangers posed by these agro-chemicals and fertilizers.
According to him, from now up till March 2012 when the Coalition will be meeting Parliament on the issue of pesticides and other chemicals, they were going to embark on series of campaigns, sensitization workshops and forums that would target farmers and agro-chemical dealers to solicit their support for the rightful application of such farm inputs.
The Coalition proposed organic farming as an alternative to be explored, adding that it wanted to see government establish health institutions that would routinely conduct test on samples of agro-chemicals and guarantee their safety to all forms of life.
The Coalition said it also wanted a review of lists of permitted pesticides and suspension of those considered to be dangerous to life.

WANEP WARNS GHANA OVER COMPLACENCY

Mr. Justin Bayor, National Coordinator of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (GHANEP-WANEP) says Ghana should not be complacent over the Global Peace Index latest report which rated the nation as the World’s 42nd and Africa’s 3rd most peaceful country. He maintained that the smuggle of small arms and ammunitions into Ghana from neighbouring Ivory Coast should be a source of worry to all peace loving Ghanaians as elections 2012 are fast approaching. Mr. Justin Bayor was reacting to the Global Peace Index report and the Daily Graphic’s Friday August 19 edition which quoted a former NACOB Director, Mr. Kofi Bentum Quantson’s assertion that Ghana’s security agencies lacked the capacity to control the nation’s “Porous borders.” The WANEP National Coordinator cited occasions when two suspected Rebels from Cote d’I Voire were recently arrested with weapons in Tamale and Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo in the northern part of the country. He bemoaned the increasing rate of political intolerance in Ghana ahead of the 2012 general elections and called on the leadership and supporters of the two main parties, NDC and NPP to be civil during their political discourse. On the Libyan uprising, Mr. Justin Bayor advocated the use of diplomacy by NATO, the rebels and the pro Ghaddafi forces to save that North African country from total collapse. He warned that the Libyan uprising’s spill over could adversely affect many African countries. The West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) recently revealed that some weapons used during the Ivorian political turmoil were smuggled into Ghana. The organization expressed fear that such weapons were likely to be used during the 2012 general elections to cause mayhem in Ghana. This was contained in the organization’s quarterly security briefing report for the year 2011 in which an appeal was made to the security agencies to conduct periodic community swoops to retrieve such weapons and ammunitions from illegal possessors.

REDEPLOYED TEACHERS PETITION PRESIDENT MILLS

REDEPLOYED TEACHERS PETITION PRESIDENT MILLS

About 10,240 Ghanaian redeployed pupil teachers have petitioned President John Evans Atta Mills to fast track the payment of their severance award due them as ordered by the Supreme Court of Ghana’s ruling on suit NO MISC 2076/97 of April 1997.
The disgruntled redeployed pupil teachers recounted how under very harsh working conditions they served Ghana their beloved country several years to improve the educational standards in their communities and hamlets where the few trained teachers at the time refused postings to.
In the petition, the frustrated redeployed pupil teachers said they held the fort working relentlessly to serve their nation only to be wiped off under very uncompromising circumstances during a mass redeployment exercise aimed at replacing their members with trained teachers in all public schools between 1986-87.
Mr. Bawa Abdul Wahab, northern regional Coordinator of the Redeployed Pupil Teachers Association made available a copy of their petition to Newsmen in Tamale.
According to Mr. Bawa Abdul Wahab, the Redeployed Pupil Teachers Association national secretariat made a similar request during the erstwhile NPP administration and that former President John Agyekum Kufour authorized his then Minister for Finance to pay about 7,240 of the association’s registered members 300 Ghana cedis each.
He revealed that majority of the redeployed pupil teachers contributed to the Social Security Fund and have since 1987 not benefited from their contributions.
Mr. Bawa Abdul Wahab, the northern regional Coordinator of the Redeployed Pupil Teachers Association therefore appealed to President John Mills to speed up the process in paying them their severance award.

RELEASE OUR BROTHER S NOW-ANTHONY KARBO

National youth Organizer of opposition New Patriotic Party has called for the immediate release of five of his party’s youth activists who have been detained almost three years down the line as a result of a political clash between NPP and NDC supporters in Tamale, February 17, 2009.
Anthony Abayifa Karbo mentioned the detainees as Yahuza Yakubu, Abibu Dagbana, Majeed Alhassan, Alhassan Sayibu and Imoro Gundaana all NPP youth activists in Tamale who have been languishing in the Tamale Prisons without any preferred charges against them.
He challenged President John Evans Atta Mills to walk his talk as “Father for all” by ensuring the release of those detainees who in his own words have not committed any crime.
Anthony Abayifa Karbo made the call at a press briefing in Tamale as part of his three days working visit to the northern region meant to draw a strategy that will maximize the NPP’s votes in the three northern regions during the upcoming 2012 elections.
“It is a fact that the fundamental human rights of our brothers have been infringed upon and we are no longer going to sit unconcerned for them to be used as sacrificial lambs for mere political rhetorics” he charged.
Yahuza Yakubu, Abibu Dagbana, Majeed Alhassan, Alhassan Sayibu and Imoro Gundaana were arrested as a result of a political clash between NPP and NDC youth in front of the old butchers’ house at the Tamale Central Market on February 17, 2009.
During that clash, one Rashid Alhassan, NDC member died which led to the burning of 27 houses, vehicles, motorbikes and other valuables belonging to NPP members in Gumbihini, Choggu and other surrounding communities in the Tamale metropolis.
Reading a six page press statement headlined, “Exposing the hypocrisy of the Mills-Mahama led NDC government” he talked on a wide range issues he described as government’s failed promises to the people of northern Ghana.
Anthony Abayifa Karbo condemned government for dragging its feet on the successful implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority carved out as a pro-poor government policy expected to alleviate the plight of the suffering masses in the three northern regions and beyond.
On the issue of the Yaa-Naa murder case, the NPP national youth Organizer appealed to the people of Dagbon to reject the NDC government in 2012 for reneging its promise to find the killers of the late overlord of Dagbon, Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani II.
He expressed worry over some government functionaries continued attempt to play to the emotions of the people of Dagbon and called for an end to the politics of Yaa-Naa and Issah Mobila’s murder.
Anthony Abayifa Karbo admitted that no single political party could resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute, hence the need for government to de-politicize it by getting all the major stakeholders on board to find a lasting solution to it.
He alleged that farm machinery including tractors and combine harvesters that were imported into the country by the erstwhile Kufour administration were distributed to government officials and some party executives nationwide.
This according to Anthony Karbo crippled the agric sector which compelled the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr. Kwamena Ahoi to confess that beneficiaries of the farm machinery were not willing to pay.