The Anniversary will be on the theme; “Consolidating Our Values through Sense of Unity and Purpose”.

BONABOTO is an association of students in the various tertiary institutions in the country based in Bolgatanga, Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo in the Upper East Region.

The President of the BONABOTO National Tertiary Education Wing of the UDS, Joachim Tizaaba Elbazar, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga, said the anniversary will bring all the students who come from those areas together to discuss issues that would promote development.

He said education, agriculture, roads, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) were issues of national concern and the association had started to develop proposals to address them.

While commending the leadership of the association for working towards the progress of the region and the nation as a whole, Mr Elbazar said that the body was developing plans to link up effectively with the BONABOTO Mother Union to achieve accelerated and sustained development in the Upper East Region.

He underscored the need for unity of purpose that would prevent conflicts and promote peace and harmony in the region to ensure smooth development.

Mr Elbazar appealed to the Municipal and District Assemblies, Non-Governmental Organisations, philanthropists and individuals to collaborate with the association to provide the necessary support the region needs.

He said some cultural and social beliefs and practices were very detrimental to the development of the region and called for effective education, sensitisation and advocacy to change the phenomena and promote development.

“Negative cultural practices such as child marriages and teenage pregnancies are among the factors that affect the growth of the region. While some parents withdraw their female children from school for marriage, many of the girls also become pregnant and drop out of school.

“These, we all need to join hands with each other to fight to pave way for rapid development”, he said.

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Source: GNA

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According to the group, Ghanaians can only get value for money when only capable contractors are awarded infrastructural projects to execute instead of awarding contracts to non-performing contractors and party cronies.

[contextly_sidebar id=”OsmDPw9XbQPExIMoTxzoxMrUGH7A9uh5″]The outgoing National President of BONABOTO, Mr. Vitus Azeem, made these remarks at the 10th National Biennial Congress in Bolgatnaga on the theme “Climate Change, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation in Northern Ghana.”

He reiterated that, governments in power should desist from awarding contracts to party cronies and non-performing contractors, but rather to qualified contractors irrespective of their political affiliations, hence the need to review and re-award all non-performing contracts.

“BONABOTO wishes to call on the incoming government to review all ongoing contracts and determine those that have come to a standstill and re-award them to more capable contractors. please, don’t get me wrong. I am not asking the incoming NPP government to take contracts away from the NDC contractors and re-award them to NPP contractors. I am asking that those that have come to a standstill and those that are delivering shoddy work should be reviewed using due process.”

He added that, “It is important that the incoming government cease the practice of awarding contracts to party people alone, especially those who do not have the capacity to deliver quality and timely work. What is wrong with the NDC will also be wrong with the NPP and the practice must stop. The procurement law must be followed.”

Mr. Azeem also appealed to the NPP government to make the Gurune language examinable subject at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) level.

“BONABOTO would follow up on this when the new Minister is appointed to ensure that the language is included in the BECE for the benefit of our children to improve educational outcomes in the area.”

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By: Frederick Awuni/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to the group, the poverty situation in northern Ghana can only be drastically reduced when government shows commitment to addressing the devastating effects of climate change and make agriculture attractive through farmer-friendly policies.

In a communiqué issued on the 10th Biennial National delegates congress of BONABOTO in Bolgatanga, on the theme: “Climate Change, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation in Northern Ghana”  the National President-elect, Dr. Andrew Akolaa, was optimistic that, farmer incentives and subsidized inputs can make the north the food basket of Ghana and alleviate poverty.”

“Government should as a matter of priority support the BONABOTO area with the one village, one dam manifesto promise to mitigate the effects of climate change and improve dry season irrigation farming in the area. This will be enhanced by a serious policy on water harvesting.”

Farmers in the area should be supported with adequate credit facilities, good yielding seedlings, storage facilities and subsidized farm inputs as well as ready market to enable subsistence farmers diversify into commercial farming to accelerate the reduction of poverty.

Dr. Akolaa called on government to empower staff of forestry commission to arrest and prosecute recalcitrant individuals who indiscriminately fell commercial trees like shea and rosewood trees.

“Government should urgently support the people of the area with subsidized gas cylinders and intensify the distribution of solar panels to encourage the use of environmentally friendly energy.”

He appealed to the government to consider adopting the Northern Savanna Ecological Zone Regional concept plan 2016, which was developed by SADA to aid in the reduction of poverty in the north.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to spokesperson for BONABOTO, Stanley Abopam, the erstwhile John Kufour administration neglected the region in his appointment of cabinet ministers except for the regional minister.

This according to him was unfair and Nana Akufo-Addo should work hard to diffuse the ethnocentric ‘NPP Akan party’ perception.

[contextly_sidebar id=”LGoL0JF9KILlny9ULfTukJAESyXdpJi8″]Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Abopam said the incoming NPP government must take actions to permanently cure the perception by ensuring regional equity in its ministerial appointments.

“At a time in Former President Kuffour’s government there was no minister from the Upper East Region except the Regional minister and we (BONABOTO) felt so marginalized and disappointed. We are expecting that, to permanently cure this perception we expect Nana Addo to appoint cabinet ministers from this region because we have the men and women who can fill ministerial positions. So we will not buy into the idea that, the NPP did not get anybody to appoint from the region, that will be very suicidal and insulting.”

Feeding grants for SHS students in the North

BONABOTO also expressed high expectation on the NPP government elect to as a matter of urgency in its first 100 days defray all arrears owe  senior high schools in the North in respect of feeding grants whilst in the long-run take steps to regularly pay the grants on time.

According to Abopam, the current government’s indebtedness to second cycle schools in the three regions of the North was worrying and needed urgent attention.

He added that, government deliberately through the Ghana Education Service made students pay for their own feeding by paying in full their school fees or forfeit their meals.

Currently government owe feeding grants for second and third terms of 2015/2016 and the first term of 2016/2017 academic years respectively.

Meanwhile government has not also paid the absorbed fees for day students under the progressively free SHS in the Upper East Region for 2015/2016 academic year.

Don’t abandoned NDC projects

Mr. Apobam appealed to the Nana Addo government not to abandoned projects commenced by the out- going John Mahama government in the region but work assiduously to complete them to boost the socio-economic prospects of the region.

“We expect the continuity of the asphalting of most of the town roads in most of the district capitals, particularly the Bolgatanga-Bawku road, Sandema-Fumbisi road and the re-asphalting of the Tamale-Paga high way.”

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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