Northern region in focus under Mills better Ghana Agenda

Northern Region records massive developmental projects
…Two years UNDER Professor Mills’ Better Ghana Agenda
Compiled by Maxwell Okamafo Asamani Addo

EDUCATION
In the northern region since 2009 that the NDC government took office it has so
far made serious progress when it comes to massive infrastructure

EDUCATION
In the area of education the NDC government has within two years undertaken a
total of 360 educational projects at the cost of GH42, 503,110.63 in the
Northern Region. They include projects to provide Dormitories, Libraries,
Classroom, Dinning Halls, Administration Blocks, Staff Bungalows and Science/ICT
Centres, Furniture, among others for Senior and Junior High Schools. For under
the schools Under Tree, 35 school buildings are being constructed to replace
such schools. The government of the NDC has also provided 14 buses and 6 pick-up
vehicles for some SHSs in the region.

HEALTH
The Health Sector is another important sector where the region has chalked a
lot of successes since January 2009.
The rehabilitation, upgrading/expansion work at the Tamale Teaching Hospital is
on course.
Since assumption of office, the government has resourced a number of health
facilities in the region and provided 64 pick-up vehicles and 580 motorbikes for
District Health Directorates to facilitate the work of these institutions. 5
polyclinics have also been completed and commissioned at Zabzugu, Janga, Karaga,
Chereponi and Kpandai at GH7 million Euros, whilst construction of a hospital
project, at Zabzugu is about 95% complete.
The Metro/Municipal/District Assemblies have also complemented the efforts of
the central government in providing community health initiative and planning
services (CHIPS) facilities, classroom for nurses’ institutions,
Construction/Rehabilitation of hospital wards, among others.

Since January 2009, the National Health Insurance Scheme has increased its
client coverage from a total of 1,094,075 to 1,925,948, a percentage increase of
80.25%. It is equally refreshing to reveal that the NDC government, under your
able leadership, has paid a total of GH36, 554,777.66 as at the end of January,
2011, as claims to the scheme’s service providers in Northern Region. The scheme
is constructing its own office complex at a total cost of GH606, 000.00. When
complete, it will facilitate the management of the scheme in the region.

One important development in the health sector in the Northern region is the
reduction in reported cases of Guinea Worm since 2009. The statistics are as
follows;
2008 479 cases reported
2009 237 cases reported
2010 8 cases reported.
Indeed no case has been reported for the last 10 months. This, in our opinion,
is a positive sign towards the total eradication of the disease from the region.

AGRICULTURE
The Northern region which is “Bread Baskets” of the nation, because it produces
a substantial proportion of the country’s food requirement. Sector it has
received a significant boost over the last two years in the region, owing to the
support the sector has enjoyed various interventions introduced by the
government.

Since 2009, a total of 13,831.2 hectares have been cultivated under the Block
Farming Programme in the region. The crops cultivated under the initiative
included, 126.0 ha of seed maize, 5,818.0 ha of maize grain, 832.2 ha of soya
bean, 6,455.6 ha of rice grain; 609 ha rice seed and 207.6 ha of sorghum.
A total amount of GH2, 621,344.86 was spent on the inputs distributed to farmers
during the period. The farmers are expected to make an in-kind refund of
7,601.02 bags from their produce.
A total of GH4, 713,066.00 was spent on 231,037 bags of fertilizer as subsidy to
over 10,000 farmers in the region who cultivated a total of 11,555 hectares of
land to produce crops such as maize, soya beans and rice, among others.
Over the 2-year period, 11 agricultural mechanization centres were established
in the region with 450 tractors supplied on credit basis to these centres. They
also benefited from 73 combine harvesters supplied. Others are:
Ø Maize shellers 35
Ø Power tillers 3
Ø Water pumps 12
Ø Rice mills 2

The National Food Security Programme has ensured that 10,000 bags of maize and
95,000 bags of rice worth GH340, 000.00 GH2, 850,000.00 respectively have been
stocked in the region as at March ending 2011
, SECURITY
The region has remained largely peaceful since your assumption of power in
2009.
However, there were a few patches of security hotspots in relation to
chieftaincy litigation, Land disputes, armed robbery, and menace of Fulani
herdsmen, among others. But the security agencies, in collaboration with the
REGSEC and the various Metro/Municipal/District Security Councils (MM/DISECs)
have collectively worked to contain the situation.





Some of the places that President Mills visited was calling on the Gupena ( Naa
Abudulai Safianu at his palace

Then also also called on the Dakpema Naa Dawuni he also inspected ongoing
projects at the tamale teaching hospital which he commissioned about 11 months
ago which is a five storey building that is at the roofing stage, it consist of
a theater, with a four hundred bed capacity consulting rooms all at the cost of
39 million Euros.


He also commissioned a UDS medical students hostel at tamale which is a Getfund
project at the cost of 1.4 million Ghana cedis and. a biometric passport office
in Tamale,

Then also called Northern regional house of chiefs where he called on the
chiefs to help bring peace to the region and also touched on SADA saying
investors want a peace before they come in so it important they all embrace
peace.


He also launched a local enterprise skills development programme LESDEP at the
jubilee park.



He also inspected the Buffer stock market of the national food security
programme where they deal in rice and has employed about 5000 women at the rice
factory in Tamale the also commissioned a rural electrification project in
Dungu.


The President Mills also called on the regional house of chiefs in the region at
a durbar in Tamale where he disclosedthat, the government had put in place
several measures towards the development of the three Northern Regions, with the
Savannah Accelerated Development Authourity (SADA) and the Northern Rural Growth
Project (NRGP) as some of the major programme for the north.
The President announced that apart from great change the SADA seeks to bring in
thelives of the people, the NDC government had secured foreign facility to
develop the Easter Corridor roads, Fufulso-Damango-Sawla road, Buipe-Tamale
road, Tamale-Salaga road and the Yendi-Bimbilla-Wulensi roads among others to
open up the economic opportunities of the area.
President Mills therefore impressed upon the Chiefs to firmly control their
subjects especially the youth to respect thelaws of theland and also allow peace
and unity to prevail so as to attract investors to the region.

As part of his visit to the region President Mills also visited Yendi where
he inspected a one-storey six units GETFund school project at Dagbon State
Senior High School and cut sod for work to be begin on a six-unit classroom
project at the Yendi Senior High. Where he also addressed a durbar of chiefs and
people including The Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuyana Abdulai Yakubu Andani,. He
also inspected projects Zabzugu and Saboba in the Zabzugu, and Saboba districts
respectively and inspected a hospital project and on-going dormitory block
project at EP Senior High School and cut sod for a Community Development Project
at Saboba.


The President Mills also toured the west Gonja district where he paid a courtesy
call on the king of Gonjland Yabonwura Tuntumba Borsesa Sulemana Jakpa and also
commissioned a 10 room girls Hostel valued at 124,230.85 Ghana Cedis at the
Damongo Health Assistant Training School (HATS) at the cost of 124,000 ghana
cedis then also inspected a new police station in Damango at the cost of
106,000ghanba cedis

Then also cut a sod for resurfacing of Buipe – TamaleHighway at Sankpaa and also
commissioned a clinic at sankpala then later also commissioned an ICT hostel in
Tamale Polytechnic.



And also assured the people that he will be back in June to cut sod for the
commencement of the construction of the Fufulso-Damongo-Sawla Road.
He also went to Savelugu to inspected a water project and inspected an
irrigated maize programme and also cut sod for feeder roads under MOFA IFD AFDB
funded northern rural programme.

Then went to Nayirigu where he inspected a school project in Nayirigu then also
commissioned a school project at the Gambaga Girls senior high school