NGO constructs GH¢11,370 rain harvesting water tank for Gnani community in Yendi

From: Francis Npong, Gnani,

A sod has been cut for the construction of three rain water harvesting tanks for the pupils of Gnani primary and junior high school at a short ceremony held at Gnani in the Yendi Municipality.

The project valued at GH¢ 11, 370 and funded by Eagle Communication Filming Company based in Canada through Christian Children Fund of Canada (CCFC) was part of the efforts to promote children health and education.

The tanks when completed would bring the number of rainwater harvesting tanks constructed by CCFC through partner organisations in the northern region to 107 at the cost of GH¢305, 000 according to the country Director of CCFC, Mrs Sanatu Nantogma.

She said the project is part of the water, health, nutrition, sanitation, sustainable livelihood development and hygiene intervention area under CCFC which aimed at reducing water and sanitation related diseases among school pupils. The organisation is registered in Canada as charity organization, also member of Child Fund Alliance- a child focused alliance of international organisations operating in over 55 countries protecting and promote children development, education and health.

Mrs. Nantogma explained that CCFC addresses the needs of children in economically poor areas and that provision of water to school children would help them stay and learn in the school, promote hygiene and prevent sanitation and water related diseases. She said the project would also discourage absenteeism, child delinquency among other things.

The Vice president of CCFC-Canada, Carol Froom said children are the future world leaders and deserved every encouragement and support they deserve to development as responsible adults and that her outfit would continue to support the needs of children in Ghana and for that matter the whole wide world.

The project which is being implemented by Tuma Kavi Development Association, a community based non-for profit organisation is parts efforts to solve perennial water crisis faced community schools. The project Coordinator of Tuma Kavi, Mr. Jonathan Nasona Zakaria said aside these water tanks CCFC is financing $32,000 3-class room Early Childhood Development Center at Gnani to improve children education in the Yendi Municipality.

The rainwater harvesting tanks which is being constructed by Duraqua Company Ltd (DCL), would contain 30,000 litres which is enough to last for six months dry season period and would serve the pupils and community members from the difficulties they go through before accessing water during dry season.

Ghana gov’t urged to lead role in climate change talks in Africa

From: Francis Npong, Tamale

The stakeholders in development have called on government of Ghana to play an influential role in forging a concerted and strong African voice at the Copenhagen talks and beyond to signal the seriousness of climate change issues to Africa and other vulnerable countries in the world.

According to them, a concerted and strong position by Africa governments in Copenhagen talks would give a good signal of the seriousness of climate change for Africa and developing world that are most likely to bear the brunt of climate change.

In a nine-point communiqué signed by the Director of SEND-Ghana, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Delasie Frank Amable, Care/KASA, Tony Dogbe, Participatory Development Associates, Tzvetelina Arsova, Christian Aid and Bashiru Daballi for chief of Tamale, and issued at the end of a two-day consultative forum on climate change organized by SEND-Ghana held in Tamale, the stakeholders commanded government on her efforts so far undertaken and its willingness to continue to engage civil society in the run-up toCopenhagen climate change talks and it related issues.

They however called on government of Ghana to play an influential role in forging a concerted and strong African voice at the Copenhagen talks to advocate for a comprehensive deal on climate change that recognizes climate as an issue that was central to development, growth and poverty reduction, fair and equitable, recognizes the need to support vulnerable countries to adopt, and enable them to benefit substantially from financial mechanisms in responding to climate change.

They stressed the need for sustained efforts by civil society to partner government with the view to shaping a strong position at the Copenhagen climate change talks. They also encouraged government to build capacity across government institutions and integrate responses to climate change in relation to their development mandates and objectives.

They urged government to empower traditional authorities to play their role of stewardship over natural resources at the local in a responsible and accountable manner. They also urged civil society organizations to commit themselves to participate in the government of Ghana consultative processes in the lead up to the Copenhagen talks and beyond and also continue their own independent engagement on climate change issues through areas like sensitization, tracking government commitments, advocacy and lobbying.

They also called on civil society to enhance their capacity and broadening the consultative processes leading to the Copenhagen talks and beyond at the levels of society and developing a broad constituency and consensus on the causes, impacts and responses to climate change, climate vulnerability and adaptation among other things.

Farmer Group Demands enforcement of Anti-Bushfire Law

section of chiefs at anti-bush fire workshop

Frustrated members of Organic Mango Out-growers Association (OMOA) are agitating for the upright enforcement of anti-bushfire laws in northern region after its members have lost about 3,500 acres of mango plantation valued at 1,560,000Ghana cedis to bushfire.

According to the Coordinator of OMOA, Mr. Isahaku Idrissu, its members were frustrated by the consistent and indiscriminate bush burning that was wrecking havoc to farm plantations increasing poverty levels among them.

The Association was formed by Integrated Tamale Fruit Company (ITFC), a fruit processing and exporting company based in the region after its recruited 1,375 farmers to plant about 130,000 organic mango trees between 2001 and 2002 respectively.

These farmers however lost 3,500 acres of mango plantation approximately about 30,000 trees from 2008 to 2012 to bushfire. This rendered their five years of hard labour in vain increasing poverty level among them. “They are frustrated by the advent effects of bushfire and were ready to volunteer to enforce the bye-law, that’s why we are engaging necessary government agencies such as agric, forestry, EPA, and fire service and district assemblies to reintroduce anti-bushfire bye laws in the region”, the Coordinator told the Enquirer after he had addressed participants during anti-bushfire workshop in Savelugu.

The workshop that brought chiefs and youth leaders from Savelugu/Nanton, Karaga, and Tolon/Kunbumgu districts was parts of efforts to get assemblies to re-introduce anti-bushfire bye laws in the country.

The workshop was also used to educate chiefs on the devastating effects of bushfire, bush management and prevention techniques.

“We are currently out of one district because the one hundred acres of mango plantation there got burnt totally this year”, the coordinator said.

Mr. Iddrissu said that, the association was now approaching chiefs, District Assemblies, EPA and Agric and Forestry departments to enforce anti-bushfire law in the region.

Though, there was anti-bush burning law in the country that prohibits bush burning in northern region it was not being enforced to protect the vegetation as it was intended to.

“We want that law to be enforced now through chiefs who themselves are farmers and victims of the bushfire”, Mr, Iddrissu demanded.

He said that to reintroducing the bye laws by the assemblies would the prevent this unfortunate situation their members go through each year saying the devastating effects of bush buring were too much to cope with.

He hinted that about 450 local rice, maize, soy beans farmers lost their farm produce to bushfire this year alone and that until somebody supported them, their livelihoods would be hard to sustain throughout the year.

The District Chief Executive for Savelugu/Nanton, Alhaji Prince Askia Mohammed in an interview disclosed that the assembly could not enforce anti-bushfire law because of interferences from chiefs, community leaders and even politicians. Pointing out the negative effects of wildfires, he said the assembly was mobilizing food and other relief items for about 450 farmers who lost their farm produces to bushfires this year alone. He said the financial burden on the assembly relating bushfire was too great to bear considering other important pressing needs of the assembly.

He however appealed for collaboration from chiefs, youth leaders and other stakeholders for effective implementation of anti-bushfire laws.