The district lacking in social amenities is optimistic that, through the flagship programme, most of its developmental issues can be addressed.

District Chief Executive for Bongo Mr. Peter Ayamga Ayinbisa who disclosed this at a town hall meeting in Bongo said, the assembly has had a successful deliberations with the regional 10-member technical committee of the policy for clearance  to implement projects.

“We will use part of the one million dollars to construct the Namoo Boarder Nyariga road, rehabilitation of the Gorigu-Balungu road, the construction of a bridge at Beo, gravelling of the Bongo Assembly-Bong SHS road and the construction of culverts, aprons and approaches to open up the road network for easy movement of goods and services.

We intend to construct a modern morgue for the district hospital and purchase an ambullance to serve our needs and construct new CHPS compounds. We plan to construct and furnish slaughter houses at Bongo, Zorko and Beo markets”.

Mr. Ayinsiba said, plans were far advanced to establish a clay factory under the One District One Factory Policy to supply clay and bricks to boost the district’s financial fortunes and the construction industry.

“The Bongo District Assembly had some collaboration  with Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and University for Development Studies (USD) in the past and this led to major exploration surveys conducted into clay deposits’ at the Balungu area. We are now awaiting a legal document from SADA to create the opportunity for a joint venture while we are also preparing to legally secure the concession. The clay deposit in the district when explored, could feed the yet-to-be established factory for more than 42 years”.

He added that, the assemble intends to procure 1,000 electric poles at a cost of GHC600,000.00 to undertake extension of electricity to hard-to-reach communities.

Mr. Ayinbisa said, the assembly has paid five months arrears of allowances owed traditional authorities in the area while caterers under the Ghana School Feeding programme have been paid two terms arrears owed them.

He indicated that,GHC533,082.00 has been disburse to 3,526 beneficiaries under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty(LEAP) for the 46th to 48th payment cycle.

He added that, the disability fund has also been increased from 2% to 3%.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The food items included rice, sugar and mats to support them during the period.

Mr. Bawa said the significance of Ramadan in praying for the Bongo District and its development underpinned his support for Muslims in the district as they make amends with  Allah.

Mr. Bawa said this when he presented the items.

“Ramadan in Islam is the period where Muslims fast and ask for purity. It is also the time when Muslims pray for God’s intervention in the activities of men in the  District. So I came to present these items to them to support and facilitate their spiritual activity and ask for prayers for the development of the District and the constituency” Mr. Bawa noted.

He used the opportunity to condemn the unfortunate growing trend of mob action in the country, and urged Muslims to use to period of Ramadan to educate the youth to refrain from such barbaric acts.

Mr. Bawa noted that, mob action is common in the North as person accused of stealing and witchcraft are often attacked, adding that, mob action can only stop if the security and justice agencies can command the trust of Ghanaians.

“…And I will continue to appeal to the police that, these mob actions will continue to happen unless people begin to trust security agencies and the agencies that take care of justice in our country. Let me appeal to the police that, when they hand over these suspects, they should do thorough investigations, and if the need is to prosecute the suspects, it should be done, so that people will begin to have confidence in state institutions and  the lynching of people will stop.”

Mr. Sulemana Asanka, who received the items on behalf of the District Imam, expressed gratitude for the kind gesture.

He prayed against all forms of negativity in the district and asked Allah for the progress and development of the district. He said, the period will be used to sensitize the youth against all forms of violence especially mob actions and other social vices.

Mr. Asanka said the donation of the items was timely, and that every Muslim in the district will receive the rice and sugar to support themselves during the period of Ramadan.

He bemoaned the neglect of the district in the selection of Muslims for Hajj, and appealed to the government to get the Muslim community in Bongo District a slot to Mecca for Hajj this year.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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All the 29 assembly members voted in favour of the nominee in his second confirmation sitting.

The DCE nominee for Bongo, Peter Ayimbisa Ayamga, was also confirmed with 85.18 percent of the vote.

Of the 54 assembly members present, 46 voted in favour of the nominee while 7 voted against his nomination.

Also at the Bolgatanga Municipal assembly, MCE nominee, Joseph Ameyure Atura was endorsed by 92.4 percent of assembly members. Of the 53 members, 49 voted in his favour while 4 voted against his nomination.

The endorsements were supervised by the respective Districts and Municipal electoral commissions and witnessed by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Rockson Bukari Ayine and his deputy, the NPP Regional Chairman, Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala, and other dignitaries.

The Regional Minister,  Rockson Bukari swore in the confirmed the Bolga Municipal Assembly, Talensi and Bongo MDCEs, Mr. Joseph Ameyure, Mr. Christopher Someteima  and Mr. Peter Ayimbisa  into office.

Mr. Rockson Bukari commended the assembly members’ for the massive endorsement of the President’s nominees and urged them to support and ensure that all good policies of the government were implemented to bring development to the people.

He advised the  MDCEs to operate an open-door policy so that the people would be able to contribute their quota towards the development of the area.

The Regional Minister, Mr. Rockson Bukari, cautioned all  Municipal and District Chief Executives to avoid any act of bribery and corruption so that they would be able to protect the public purse and prosecute the agenda of the government without any wastage.

Mr. Rockson Bukari reminded the confirmed MDCEs to avoid greediness and any other act that would bring the offices they held into disrepute as well as create any form of conflict with the people they had been assigned to lead.

He called on the assembly members’ to work as a team to ensure that they contribute their quota towards effective and efficient management of the assembly’s resources.

The confirmed MDCEs expressed  appreciation to assembly members of their respective assemblies for reposing confidence in them to propel the development of their districts.

The MDCEs pledged  to work in synergy with assembly members of the respective assemblies to address issues of falling standards of education, unemployment, water and sanitation, poor road infrastructure, food insecurity, alcoholism, bush fires and teenage pregnancy.

They reiterated their commitment to operate an open door policy and to welcome proposals and contributions to support them propel the development of their citizens by spearheading the pro-poor policies of the NPP government.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The project will focus on developing the effective and innovative capacities of smallholder farmers in rural communities to improve food security and nutrition, as well as nutritional diversity.

Speaking at the project launch in Bongo-Soe, NABOCADO Human Development Coordinator, Dr. Joseph Ayembilla, explained that, the project is aimed at strengthening the innovation capacity of farmers in rural communities particularly women, to sustain their farm and livestock productivity, and increase local resilience to climate change.

He added that, recognized women innovators will be supported in further developing their innovations.

“The Proli-FaNS project will be implemented in Bongo Soe, Kabre, Zuo, Kanseringa and Senabisi. The rest are Soboko, Kamuugu, Ayelbia, Feo and Adaboya. The focus is, innovation in production, food storage, processing, marketing and consumption of food crops and livestock products. There will also be a local Multi-stakeholder platform to support the project implementation and promote learning, capacity building on local innovation, policy influence and networking.”

Upper East Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MOFA), Rev. John Manu, lauded the intervention, adding that, its successful implementation will address food insecurity and malnutrition.

Rev. Manu underscored the need to consolidate “small-scale farmers and rural women informal research and innovation, and further develop them to sustain their produce.”

He added that, the project will focus more on smallholder women farmers innovators to help rural families escape hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

In Ghana, the project is being implemented in Bongo and Yendi districts of the Upper East and Northern regions respectively. It is also being implemented in  Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Kenya.

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By: Frederick Awuni/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Verbal Autopsy project will deploy the use of the World Health Organization Verbal Autopsy Questionnaire to collect data on all deaths  in households’ other than at the health centers.

Speaking to Citi News in Bolgatanga, Country Director of Verbal Autopsy at the GHS Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division Mr. Francis Yeji said, Verbal Autopsy which use to be done at only research centers in the country will be piloted in the Bongo District.

According to him, health workers in all the 36 CHIPS centers in Bongo will be given equipment and with support from over 26 volunteers register deaths that occurred in homes.

Mr. Yeji said, the exercise which commences from Monday, February 27,2017 is aimed at helping medical officers ascertain the causes of  deaths in the district for early  health interventions and also assist in strategic planning and policy.

Verbal Autopsy has become necessary because of limited data of deaths occurring within communities coupled with Ghana’s death registration coverage of 30%.

“we have 30% of deaths occur in health facilities which enables medical officers  ascertain the real cause of deaths but 70% of deaths occur within the communities, making it difficult to figure out the cause of majority of deaths. This makes it difficult for disease prevention planning, resource distribution and prevention of new diseases.

So we will go to the homes of any deceased in the communities and seek information from their close relatives who were with the deceased at the time leading to their death for physical and other symptoms to ascertain the possible cause of death.”

Mr. Yeji appealed to traditional leaders and community members to support the project by reporting any death within the community to either the volunteers or health workers for the success of the project.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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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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