We need attitudinal change in Ghana - lecturer and business dev't consultant

We need attitudinal change in Ghana - lecturer and business dev't consultant

A senior lecturer at the University for Development Studies and Business Development Consultant, Dr. Abdul Fatahi Kambala,has joined the bandwagon for attitudinal change among Ghanaians, especially the youth of society today.

Addressing a crop of young leaders at the first ever Startup Summit for young leaders in the Savannah Region held at Damongo,the good old doctor wondered why we were still where we are as a country, despite the many knowledgeable people we have such as scientist, researchers, medical doctors inter alia.

He said despite the enthusiasm of the youth, there was currently a gap in knowledge between the frustrations of society today and solutions available to address those frustrations,which can be blamed squarely on our attitude.

"Anytime I look around,I see frustrations and at the same time I see solutions...We cannot at the moment say we don't have knowledge. But there is a gap between the knowledge and the solutions.Why are we still where we despite the knowledge and enthusiasm of the youth?Why are we still where we are? Because of the attitude I keep talking about.

 "We have to do something to change our attitude here and now. We all have to come together to make that change. The world is changing on a daily basis. We should be agents of change,but not victims of this change that is happening.

We have moved from green revolution to industrial revolution. Now, information is what is bringing us the needed change and if we do not look for information and knowledge,we will be where we are. Progress is at the corner,"he stressed.

The headmistress of the Damongo Senior High School,madam Aluguba Mercy, who was recognized with a citation for her outstanding contribution towards women empowerment in the Savannah Region expressed joy that she was being appreciated for the change she effected in society thus far.

She said looking round, she sees many of her products through the Campaign for Female Education and School For Life doing marvelously well in various fields of endeavors in society to the glory of God.

The gender advocate was however, not happy with the inferiority complex,lack of self confidence and stage fright exibited by most young girls of today and launched a passionate appeal for change.

The Co-founder of iValley Ghana,Prince Nabil Mahama said his outfit intends to take technology and innovation to the doorsteps of the people of the Savannah Region.

He emphasized the need for young people to identify problems confronting their communities and devise solutions to address those challenges with the help of technology.

According to him,the goal is to reduce business failures in the Savannah Region and equip the youth with capacity building and entrepreneural skills towards reducing youth unemployment in the region and Ghana at large.

The summit he disclosed was in partnership with the GhanaTechLab after six weeks of intensive training in Mobile Application Development for 13 young people in the Savannah Region,adding that," we started this program with 23 people,10 dropped out because of numerous reasons leaving these 13".

The trainees after the six weeks were given the opportunity to identify problems within their communities and develop a mobile application to address the identified problems.

Four groups namely: Smart Farms,Gyeeda, Savannah tours and delivery hub came up with various solutions to challenges surrounding farming, culture, tourism and food delivery in the Savannah Region for pitching. 

At the end, Savannah tours was adjudged winners and selected alongside Gyeeda and delivery hub for the incubation stage of the competition. A seed capital of Ghc200.00 was given to each of the winning groups to assist register their businesses.

Some groups of investors expressed interest in partnering with Smart Farms in realizing their innovative idea of changing the face of farming in the Savannah Region using technology.

Source : Ananpansah, B Abraham

West Gonja MCE elected Savannah Regional representative of NALAG

West Gonja MCE elected Savannah Regional representative of NALAG

The Municipal Chief Executive for West Gonja,Karim Musah Kusubari has been elected as the Savannah Regional representative for the National Association of Local Authorities in Ghana (NALAG).

At a NALAG Regional Delegate conference held at Damongo,the Savannah Regional capital,the honorable MCE was unanimously nominated and affirmed as the Savannah Regional representative for the association.

He takes over from the immediate past Central Gonja District Chief Executive, Mustapha Mahama,who was formerly occupying the said representative position for the region.

Present for the all important delegate conference were the seven Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief executives from the region, presiding members and some selected Assembly members from the region.

Thus,in all,seven MMDCEs, seven presiding members and some selected Assembly members drawn across the Savannah region took part in the crucial election.

In a brief acceptance speech,the West Gonja MCE expressed gratitude to the National Executive Committee for the timely organization of the conference in the region.

He also extended a debt of appreciation to all the delegates for the unanimous confidence reposed in him as the their representative, pledging good stewardship under his watch towards the overall growth and development of the Savannah Region.

The young MCE lauded his predecessor,the former Central Gonja DCE for the good representation over the years and solemnly pledged to continue the baton of leadership from where he stopped.

Source: Ananpansah, B Abraham

Middlemen exploiting cashew farmers in West Gonja - president of cashew farmers alleges

Middlemen exploiting cashew farmers in West Gonja - president of cashew farmers alleges

The president of the West Gonja chapter of the Cooperative Cashew Farmers and Marketing Union,Iddrisu Sumani Azambuja,is accusing some allied middlemen in the cashew value chain of conspiring to exploit cashew farmers in the West Gonja Municipal of the Savannah Region.

This he said was barefaced in the low prices these middlemen hide behind the value chain to offer to cashew farmers in the municipality for their many years of toil.

In an engagement with the media,the vociferous president noted rather regrettably that cashew farmers in the municipality were currently being paid as low as Ghc2 to Ghc3 per kilo of raw cashew nuts against the minimum price set by the minister somewhere December,2021.

"Friends from to the media,it is disgusting to point out that cashew farmers in our municipality after toiling many years to take care of the tree crops are offered between Ghc2 and Ghc3 per kilo of raw cashew nuts purchased and same is sold to exporters at a rate above Ghc7  per kilo. 

It can be recalled that in December 2021,the Minister of Food and Agriculture,Dr.Owusu Afriyie Akoto announced the minimum price of raw cashew nuts to be Ghc5 per kilo and cautioned all buyers not to offer any price below the minimum price at farm gates accross all cashew growing areas in Ghana,"he said.

He said the cashew farmers are compelled by pressing social needs to sell the raw cashew nuts to these allied middlemen at any price offered,a situation which he believed was discouraging  many farmers and especially,the youth from venturing into cashew farming in the municipality.

Mr. Azambuja called for unity and a collaborative effort among cashew farmers under one umbrella to foster a stronger voice and increased bargaining power through the cashew union for a guaranteed price.

The cashew advocate disclosed that, there was the need for the over 3,000 existing cashew farmers in the muncipality to adopt and discuss the Cashew Pricing Notification System developed by TreeAid Ghana for cashew farmers,buyers and processors to transact a win-win cashew business deals with cashew farmers directly into contract signing for a competitive cashew prices to members. He also hinted of plans to go into future processing of cashew into fruit juice,jams and cashew kernels for domestic market consumption in northern Ghana.

Whilst calling for stakeholder support to reverse the current trend,he launched a passionate appeal to the Regional and Municipal Agric Directorates to help build the capacity of cashew farmers in the union, especially in the areas of pricing and marketing.

He disclosed that henceforth,legal actions would be taken against any middlemen who will attempt to exploit cashew farmers through the backdoor and non cooperative members will be sanctioned accordingly.

Source: Ananpansah, B Abraham

We intend to take technology to grassroots - Co-founder of iValley Ghana

We intend to take technology to grassroots - Co-founder of iValley Ghana

The Co-founder of iValley Ghana,Prince Nabil Mahama has said his outfit intends to take technology and innovation to the doorsteps of the people of the Savannah Region.

Addressing a crop of young leaders at the first ever Startup Summit for young entrepreneurs in the Savannah Region held at Damongo,the regional capital, he said there was the need for young people to identify problems confronting their communities and devise solutions to address those challenges with the help of technology.

According to him,the goal is to reduce business failures in the Savannah Region and equip the youth with capacity building and entrepreneural skills towards reducing youth unemployment in the region and Ghana at large.

He said the summit was in partnership with the GhanaTechLab after six weeks of intensive training in Mobile Application Development for 13 young people in the Savannah Region,adding that," we started this program with 23 people,10 dropped out because of numerous reasons leaving these 13".

The trainees after the six weeks were given the opportunity to identify problems within their communities and develop a mobile application to address the identified problems. Four groups namely: Smart Farms,Gyeeda, Savannah tours and delivery hub came up with various solutions to challenges surrounding farming, culture, tourism and food delivery in the Savannah Region for pitching. At the end,Gyeeda was adjudged winners and selected alongside Savannah tours and delivery hub for the incubation stage of the competition. A seed capital of Ghc200.00 was given to each of the winning groups to assist register their businesses.

Dr. Abdul Fatahi Kambala, a lecturer at the University for Development Studies and a Business Development Consultant commended iValley and its partners for the initiative.

He said despite the enthusiasm of the youth of today, there was currently a gap in knowledge between their frustrations and solutions available to address those frustrations.

According to him,the youth of society in this modern era need to change their attitude towards progress and be agents of change instead of victims of this change.

"We have to do something to change our attitude here and now. We all have to come together to make that change. The world is changing on a daily basis. We should be agents of change,but not victims of this change that is happening.We have moved from green revolution to industrial revolution. Now, information is what is bringing us the needed change and if we do not look for information and knowledge,we will be where we are. Progress is at the corner,"the good old lecturer stressed.

The headmistress of the Damongo Senior High School,madam Aluguba Mercy, who was recognized with a citation for her outstanding contribution towards women empowerment in the Savannah Region expressed joy that she was being recognized for the change she effected in society thus far.

She said looking round, she sees many of her products through the Campaign for Female Education and School For Life doing marvelously well in various fields of endeavors in society to the glory of God.

The gender advocate was however, not happy with the inferiority complex,lack of self confidence and stage fright exibited by most young girls of today and launched a passionate appeal for change.

Madam Amida Sibenlira,the CEO of Gyeeda and winners of the pitch competition was grateful to the Almighty God for the victory bestowed. 

She thanked her other team members for the collaborative effort that led to the victory,whilst pledging that her team will double up efforts to connect to more investors to support grow their idea to reality.

Some groups of investors also expressed interest in partnering with Smart Farms in realizing their innovative idea of changing the face of farming in the Savannah Region.

Source : Ananpansah, B Abraham

Gifts program is golden opportunity to eradicate anemia from Ghana- GHS

Gifts program is golden opportunity to eradicate anemia from Ghana- GHS

The Ghana Health Service in the Savannah Region is calling on the general public to embrace the Girls' Iron Folic Tablets Supplementation (Gifts) program as an important step to eradicating anemia among adolescent girls in Ghana.

At a media/stakeholder engagement on Girls' Iron Folic Tablets Supplementation (GIFTS) program held at Damongo,the Savannah Regional capital,the Regional Nutrition Officer, Brian Kamara noted that anemia remains a problem of public health significance in Ghana with a prevalence rate of 26% among young adults aged 15-19 years in 2017.  

He said the GIFTS program was being implemented as an inter-sectorial intervention between the Ghana Health Service and the Ghana Education Service with their partners to promote health and nutrition education and enhance behavior change to control and prevent anemia.

According to him,due to the inadequate cross-sectorial communication and poor institutional commitment, there were a lot of misconceptions around the GIFTs program with some misconceiving the IFA Supplements as family planning pills, adding that," we need the strong partnership and support of the media to correct some of these misconceptions".

The Savannah Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Chrystantus Kubio,used the opportunity to dispel rumors of meningitis outbreak in the region, whilst calling for a collaborative effort to address issues of anemia among adolescent girls.

He said there was the need to incorporate health and nutrition education among adolescent girls both in school and out of school to promote healthy behaviors and eradicate misconceptions surrounding the Iron Folic Acid Supplementation.

On Covid-19,he said there were gaps in the vaccination as we enter the fourth wave of the pandemic with a lot of people resisting the jab.

According to him,the service has received enough stock of the Covid-19 vaccines for the region.

He called on the media to help address the public misconceptions and hesitancy to the Covid-19 jab in order to reduce the risk of spread of the virus.

Source: Ananpansah,B Abraham

Damongo police intercepts bus carrying suspected foreigners

Damongo police intercepts bus carrying suspected foreigners

The Damongo Police Command in the West Gonja Municipal of the Savannah Region has intercepted a Sprinter Bus carrying suspected foreigners from neighbouring Togo.

The bus with registration number AS-9399-12 was interdicted at the Busunu barrier in the evening hours of Monday January 10, carrying about 30 passengers believed to be citizens of Togo and subsequently referred to the Divisional Police Headquarters for further interrogation.

DSP Johnson Hessey, the Divisional Police Commander for Damongo,who disclosed the information to this source said the suspects were restrained from entering the town after the driver of the bus failed to furnish the police with accurate information regarding the destination of the bus.

Preliminary investigations reveal that, six (6) of the passengers on board the vehicle were minors, with 24 adults comprising two (2) women.

What was gravely frightening was the fact that,all the passengers on board the vehicle could not speak any of the native Ghanaian languages when queried except french, which gave a signal that the were not Ghanaians.

Police interrogations further revealed that, most of the passengers when probed admitted to be hailing from Togo with some claiming to be of Baasari and Kokomba tribes, who are believed to have migrated into the country.

The leader of the migrating group,Jawien Tien Tinakpatien however explained that, they were heading towards Sawla in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District to engage in some hired labour activities, including farming.

He disclosed that he has been a regular visitor to Sawla almost every year.

The suspects are currently at the Damongo Police Command to assist with investigations.

Details soon...

Source: Ananpansah,B Abraham

We'll ensure Babato farms is connected to national grid to boost production-Savannah regional minister

We'll ensure Babato farms is connected to national grid to boost production-Savannah regional minister

The Savannah Regional Minister,Saaed Muhazu Jibreal has hinted of plans to extend electricity to the Babato Farms Company Limited in the Bole-Bamboi District of the Savannah Region in order to help cut cost and boost production.

He made this remarks when he paid a working visit to the Babato farms in the company of all the MMDCEs in the region and the various security heads as part of activities marking their annual retreat.

According to the minister,the farm has the ability to provide employment to the teaming youth in the Savannah Region and the Bono East Region when supported with the needed logistics.

"We are in the Bole District as Savannah Regional Coordinating Council. We actually came for a retreat to talk about government policies for the past year and what is ahead of us for 2022. Today was designed to see investments by private people and government projects within the Savannah Region...

"And as can be seen, Babato Farms is one of the biggest agricultural investment we have in the Savannah Region with employment potentials for the youth. One of the major problems of the farms is electricity. As can be seen,they have giant machines generating power for the irrigation plants, which in a day takes up to 1500 littres to 1800 littres of Diesel within 30 hours to irrigate this land. 

"And so,there is the need for us to cut cost and by cutting cost means that government in its power will have to make sure that we bring the national grid to this facility here...So as I speak now, myself and my DCE for Bole are going to put our heads together to make sure that we go to see the minister of energy to speed up electricity connection to the farm. We intend to link the ongoing electricity extension work between Babato village and the next Village where the farm is located so that they get access to electricity. We will make sure that the electricity is provided so that they are able to develop 50% of their under utilized land,"he said.

Whilst encouraging other investors to take advantage of the many investment potentials in the region,the minister said the region was poised to reclaim its lost glory as the biggest maize producing region in Northern Ghana.

The manager of Babato Farms,Mahabaleshwar Hegde disclosed that the Babato farm was established in 2016 by a UK based African Agricultural Company,AgDevCo to lease 10,000 hectors of land from the people of Babato to setup a commercial farming hub. The farm in his narration is now being fully owned by Obaapack Ghana,a fruit and vegetable agribusiness conglomerate located at Techiman in the Bono East Region.

According to him,the Babato Farms Company Limited currently has about 353 hectors of land in utilization with 9,000 hectors of under utilized land,adding that,they intend to fill the shortage in maize production in Ghana.

He said they rotate four crops cycles in a year to reduce pest and disease build up in the soil,thus Maize, Soyabeans,onion and Banana with a major focus now on Onion and Soyabeans, which is the main focus of Obaapack.

Recounting the challenges of the farm,he said the high production cost from diesel for the plants is their major challenge and sometime, the weather conditions which affect their output and profit margins. 

The District Chief Executive for Bole-Bamboi, Veronica Alele Heming commended the management of Babato farms for the good work they were doing for the region and pledged the full support of government. 

The Babato Farms located in the Bole-Bamboi District draws water from the Black Volta through floating pipes to irrigate at present about 2 hectors of Banana field,2.4 hectors of onion nursery among others.

Source: Ananpansah,B Abraham