WOMEN SUPPORT AND ACTIVIST GROUP . (WOSAG)

The Women Support and Activist Group (WOSAG) an NGO has called on Parents, Guardians and Teachers to educate their wards on sexual reproductive health to enable them to make better life choices. Some volunteers of WOSAG made this call in an interview with the host of the Savannah daybreak show on Radio Savannah in Tamale today. According to the team leader of WOSAG volunteers, Kabiri Emmanuella, educating adolescent children on sexual reproduction makes them aware of their life choices. She said sexual education also helps adolescents to transition into puberty and understand their reproductive health rights. Another volunteer, Dominique Osbourne said children have the right to know the dangers involved in having unprotected sex and to seek the advice of parents. She explained that, if parents do not teach their adolescent children about sexuality, they could get misinformed by their peers. WOSAG is moving from community to community to educate women leaders on the importance of educating the adolescent child on sexual reproductive health. The group attributed the huge number of teenage pregnancies in the country to inadequate sex education and called for change. 

F                       NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARAGES 

 The leadership of the Ghana National Association of Garages in Northern Region (GNAGNR) has bemoaned the lack of space, good roads, and social amenities within the industrial area. According to the Secretary of Garages, Alhaji Osman Sadick attributed the problem to the encroachment of lands within the industrial area. He said the Tamale Metropolitan assembly has neglected their duties to provide the area with amenities. Alhaji Sadick has therefore appealed to the assembly and the Mp for the Tamale South constituency to come to their aid and relocate the industrial area to enable all members including roadside and household mechanics, welders and vulganizers move to the new location. Speaking to the Youth Chairman of the industrial area, Alhassan Sayibu said if facilities such as shops, a pharmacy, a canteen, and well laid out roads are provided at the new location it will make relocation effective and also enable fire service to be able to fight any fire outbreak in the area, as well as easy access to first aid in times of work place accidents. An opinion leader Ibrahim Mahama Blamer said the assembly promised them street lights in the area some years ago when they came round to collect tax but nothing has been done so far. He therefore appealed to the assembly to take cognizance of their economic role in the industrial sector and come to their aid.

                   CDD  SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

The Northern Regional Director of the National Commission on Civic Education, Alhaji Abdul-Razak Saani has observed that, the participation of citizens in the assembly’s management of local resources and revenue will ensure transparency and accountability. He was of the view that, citizens participation will enable them to be able to track and monitor projects that will go long away to improve upon their lives. He said this at a workshop organized by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) in collaboration with Osiwa. The workshop was to launch a Social Accountability project dubbed “promoting social accountability through citizen’s participation in local governance in Ghana”. Alhaji Saani reiterated the need for heads of institutions to involve their subordinates in decision making to ensure transparency. Programmes Manager at CDD Ghana Northern region office Paul Osei-Kuffour said the project was part of CDD Ghana’s contribution towards promoting open, accountable and inclusive governance which creates a democratic culture at the local level. He said this came as a backdrop to a survey that revealed that Ghana government provided the public with limited information on the budget, making accountability a challenge. The Regional Budget Analyst, Owusu Frimpong called on assemblies to make information on projects and plans available to the people. 

 GDCA

The Ghana Developing Communities association GDCA has commended the media for doing a good job in the area of promoting community development. This came to light at a media review meeting which sought to enlighten the media on the developmental challenges in Mion and Moglaa community in the Savelegu Nanton municipality. According to the municipal coordinator for the GDCA in Mion Ubaida Ibrahim, the challenge discovered in that community was teacher absenteeism, due to habitual lateness of the teachers, the long distance to the schools and the inadequate teachers bungalows. She said measures such as the GES policy on zero tolerance for lateness, disciplinary transfers for teachers who frequently absent themselves and more authority given to heads, if put in place will curb this canker. She added that the effects of this was seen when BECE students who passed in the Mion community comprised of only 32 percent and this was not encouraging to prospective students. The Municipal Coordinator for Moglaa, Abdallah Mohammed who spoke on the challenge faced by Moglaa said before the construction of the new household latrines, sanitation was a major problem as residents only engaged in open defecation. He said the Moglaa community with a population of 1,237 and 142 households has not a single latrine and so engage in open defecation which leads to health issues such as diarrhea, increased medical bills, loss of school days, loss of productivity and death especially in children under five. Mr. Abdallah added that the increase in awareness and sensitization, training on constructing of household latrines, and enacting sanitation bye-laws will all go a long way to help solve these problems. The executive Director for GDCA Alhaji Osman Rahman commended the media for their unwavering support in bringing to their notice some areas that need development and promised to continue the good relation with the media to enable equal opportunity for all.

 LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER

A legal practitioner in Tamale Lawyer Issah Mahmoud has cautioned the electorate to desist from engaging in ballot box snatching, minor voting and defacing of political party posters as all these are crimes punishable by law. Mr. Mahmoud said this at a workshop on consolidating the electoral justice system in Ghana organized by the Legal Resources Center Association LADA. He added that party members of the same party make a choice to LRC in collaboration with star Ghana, DANIDA, UKaid and the Law and Development sit in different pavilions although they are unified by one party and so Ghanaians should understand that there are varied opinions and learn to tolerate each other as we are all united under one country. He said politics often times disregards the laws of the land and this should not be so as the courts are there to protect the rights of every citizen. Lawyer Mahmoud urged the political parties to channel their grievances concerning elections through the courts for justice to be attained and this was the reason that led to the formation of the CI 94 derived from the PNDC Law 284. In his welcome address the project officer of LRC Enock Jengre said the organization felt the need to interact with the key stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic dispensation to enlighten them more on the electoral offenses and Laws governing elections to enable a violence free election. Various questions were asked and opinions given regarding electoral reforms that will enhance the transparency of the elections.

 WOMEN IN THE AIR FORCE

Sergeant Sulemana Jaratu a 36year old Air force soldier of the Air force base Tamale has been presented with a thousand Ghana cedi cheque by Glico Insurance Company limited due to a motor accident she was involved in on the Tamale Savelugu road. Speaking at the presentation durbar the chief business developer John Eckah Smart said this presentation comes as a backdrop to the request of the Ghana Air force base Tamale to come to the aid of the officer. He said due to the nature of the relationship with the Air force base and as part of their corporate social responsibility Glico took up the opportunity to support the officer. He added that people ought to learn from the accident and get insured to enable them be ready for uncertainties in life. Sergeant Jaratu expressed gratitude to the Tamale Air force base and Glico Ghana for their unwavering support to her during her time of distress especially since she was not insured by Glico. She urged her colleague sergeants and the general public to take up the initiative of getting their lives and property insured to prepare for the unforeseen circumstances in life. The Group captain of the Tamale Air force base Captain Kofi Hanson said the durbar was also an avenue for the air force base to educate the officers on the importance of being insured. He appealed to the media to report more on social issues as their corporate social responsibility and not only report on political gimmicking.