Radio Progress News first radio station in the Upper West Region
12th September 2024-Thursday
DAGAARE NEWS ON RADIO PROGRESS 98.1
Located Along the Ieper Street in Wapaani
- Farmers of Dabo anticipate food shortages due to poor rainfall this farming year
- Wa West MP files nomination forms at the district electoral commission office.
- Journalists urged to be abreast with gender issues for effective advocacy
- I Will Retire Dr Saandare in December Polls’ – Imoro Sanda Declares
- Organized Labour threatens nationwide strike over galamsey crisis
- Galamsey: KNUST- UTAG President brands Akufo-Addo as a liar; asks him to resign
IN BUISNESS NEWS:
Government increases producer price of cocoa by 45% for 2024/25 crop season
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Nigeria floods affect one million people after dam collapse
THE NEWS IN DETAILS —
Farmers of Dabo have told radio progress news that, they anticipate food sausages shortages you do to the poor pattern of rain for this farming season.
Many of them stated that the rain did not fall at the time their crops needed it, so everything all Their efforts and energy went to waste as they watched Their crops die.
They said now the rains are here but the planting time for most of Their staples seem to have been over.
Dari Anglaamwine stated that he, like many other farmers are counting their loses and wondering what they will depend on in the lean season.
He said in addition to the poor rains the issue of fertilizers is also a major hindrance for famers, especially those who wanted to do maize. He lamented that Their yams could not also do well because of the lack of rain in good time.
CUE… Dari Anglaamwine Dabo farmer
STORY 2
Following the declaration from the electoral commission of Ghana asking all candidates across the country to field their nomination form to prove their eligibility for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on December 7th 2024. The parliamentary candidate for NDC and the incumbent member of Wa west constituency Hon.Peter Lanchene Toobu submitted his nomination form today 11th September 2024 at the district electoral commission office. Addressing supporters and party faithfully after failing, he expressed his profound gratitude to all the party faithfully who follow him to submit his form and also thank the constituents for given him the opportunity. He further called on all Ghanaian that election 2024 is not a war zone but election to elect the next group of to lead the country.
STORY 3
Ms Melody Darkey, Executive Director of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana, has called on journalists to abreast themselves with gender issues to enable them to engage in sustained advocacy to change society’s perspective about gender equality.
She said gender issues were conceived over a period, which required consistent and sustained advocacy and education to change those perceptions about gender issues including gender equality, gender roles and stereotypes.
Ms Darkey made the call in a presentation on gender and media reporting during a training for journalists from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on public health, gender, climate change and sustainability and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) advocacy as part of the “Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP).”
It was a five-year project funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Social Investment Fund to build the capacity of journalists to effectively disseminate information in the post-pandemic era to help create an informed and resilient society.
The Institute of Digital Marketing and Communication (IDMC) Ghana facilitated the training for over 40 journalists and editors of the Agency from the Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Ashanti and Bono as well as Bono East and Ahafo Regions.
Ms Darkey indicated that having a proper understanding of gender-related issues would enable the journalists better inform their audience to help shape their thoughts about gender-related issues.
She emphasized that the media had a pivotal role in eliminating gender stereotypes and norms, which reinforced gender roles and perpetuated gender disparity as gender had become an important variable in planning processes.
She said journalists should be gender-sensitive in their reports by ensuring that both genders were fairly and equally represented to avoid reinforcing gender inequality in their reportage.
“Covering gender equality issues, and discussions should be treated as an important and integral part of the media’s role as a watchdog.
It is not only important that regular media content is gender-sensitive and considers all perspectives, but media can also be a tool to raise awareness and advocate on women’s issues and concerns related to gender,” Ms Darkey explained.
She dispelled the misconception that gender equality discussions were to embolden women to usurp control over men, but it was to create a common ground for both men and women to thrive.
She said gender inequality manifested in many ways including access to and control over resources and emphasised a need for sustained action to challenge gender stereotypes, raise awareness of gender issues, and advocate policy change, among others.
Ms Darkey pointed out that gender equality was not a “straight jacket” equality between men and women as perceived by a section of the public but a “substantive equality,” thus, equality of opportunities and outcomes.
Story 4
The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Daffiama Bussie Issa District (DBI) who doubles as the Parliamentary candidate for the NPP in the constituency, Nadi Imoro Sanda has expressed confidence in his chances of securing a parliamentary seat as he filed his nomination forms to contest in the upcoming elections.
The DCE, who previously contested in 2020 and was unsuccessful, revealed that he has learned valuable lessons and is ready to apply a strategic approach to ensure victory in the December polls.
Speaking to the media after submitting his nomination forms, Nadi Imoro Sanda expressed gratitude for the support he has received so far. “Thank you very much. As you’ve rightly said, I have finally, successfully filed my nomination. What is left now is to hit the ground running with the campaign,” he stated.
He emphasized that his immediate focus would be mobilizing his campaign team and visiting all polling stations to engage with voters.
Reflecting on his previous defeat, the parliamentary candidate acknowledged the challenges but remained optimistic. “I’m going into the election with the same person, and with due respect, I wouldn’t want to disclose some of the things I identified as the cause of his defeat in the last election.
The DCE revealed that his campaign team have devised a carefully crafted strategy to ensure success. “We’re going to draw a strategy that will be on our chest, we’ll keep it to our chest and make sure we execute it to the letter,” he explained.
He stressed the importance of unity among his team and supporters, believing that their collective efforts would lead to victory.
In outlining his campaign focus, Nadi Imoro Sanda highlighted the importance of development initiatives for the district, particularly in education while emphasizing the need for a tertiary institution in Daffiama Bussie Issa, which would not only enhance educational opportunities but also boost the local economy.
Dr. Sabastian Saandare won the parliamentary seat in 2020 with over two thousand votes.
Story 5
Organized Labour, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has issued a stern warning to the government, threatening a nationwide strike by the end of September if decisive action is not taken to address the escalating galamsey (illegal mining) crisis.
In a statement issued by Joshua Ansah, Secretary General of the TUC, Organized Labour demanded the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in all areas affected by illegal mining.
The group also called for a halt to all mining activities in forest reserves, the establishment of special courts to fast-track the prosecution of galamsey operators, and the deployment of the military to remove and destroy all mining equipment in affected areas.
Ansah stressed that the government’s failure to act swiftly and decisively on the galamsey menace has resulted in severe environmental degradation, including the destruction of rivers, farmlands, and forest reserves.
The statement added that if no concrete measures are taken by the end of September, Organized Labour will have no choice but to embark on a series of demonstrations and a nationwide strike to force the government’s hand.
This call by Organized Labour adds to the growing pressure on the government to take immediate and effective action against illegal mining, which continues to wreak havoc on Ghana’s natural resources and communities.
STORY 6
The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has criticized President Akufo-Addo for his perceived inaction against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
According to Prof Eric Abavare, the president has refused to address the galamsey issue effectively.
Speaking in an interview on September 12, he said, “That man is a big liar. I am sad because I have to say this on air. Once upon a time, when issues of Prof Frimpong Manso, the former Minister of Environment was seizing people’s excavators, the president made us believe he was doing the wrong thing, but today I believe him.”
Prof Abavare argued that the President possesses the authority and resources to tackle the galamsey problem but appears unwilling to do so.
“Nana Addo has all the powers to stop galamsey if he wants to. The point is that, he doesn’t want to. He has all it takes to stop galamsey now. If they are not willing to solve the problem, they must not be in office. They must resign. I call for the resignation of the president for his massive failure to fight galamsey,” he said.
Prof Abavare also criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, for promising to allow galamsey activities and release individuals arrested for illegal mining if elected.
“He doesn’t even qualify to be the president of Ghana. This issue of galamsey, we know the solution. We know those involved. We know what we can do to solve it. The issue is that, we don’t want to do it. If the president really wants to solve it, he will say that from now, he does not want to see any earth moving machine on our road anywhere. That statement alone will suffice everything,” he said.
Conversations on galamsey and its dire impact arose after the management of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Central Region announced that there would be challenges with water supply in Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities.
The company revealed that the recent demand-supply gap is due to inadequate raw water received at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) caused by galamsey activities.
Environmental groups, civil society organisations, and concerned citizens have since voiced their frustrations over the lack of significant progress in curbing galamsey activities, which have resulted in the contamination of rivers, destruction of farmlands, and loss of livelihoods for many Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, Labour Unions have threatened to go on strike if the menace is not curtailed by the end of September.
Other influential associations have also pledged to hit the streets should the government fail to address the issue.
IN BUISNESS NEWS ……
Government has announced a 45 percent increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2024/2025 crop season.
By this increase, a 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa beans has increased to GH¢3,000 from GH¢2,070.
Speaking at a press briefing, Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong said the cumulative increases for the entire season represent 129.6 percent.
“On September 9, 2023 in Tepa we officially announce the opening of the cocoa season. In between time, we have been offering different prices on the market during trading. The most significant one worth announcing was the increase from GH¢1300 to GH¢2070. So in announcing a new price today, you have to now relate it to what announcement you made at the beginning of your season. At the beginning of last year’s season and the increase now 129.6 percent” he explained.
At the start of the 2023/2024 crop season, a bag of 64kg of cocoa beans was sold at GH¢1,300 and was subsequently increased to GH¢2,070 when the spot price went up on the world market under the same period. For the 2024/2025 crop season, the producer price has been increased to GH¢3,000.
Cumulatively, this represents an increase of 129.6% for the 2024/2025 crop season.
By this, the new price for the 2024/2025 season has increased to GH¢3,000 from GH¢2,070 representing 45 percent surge.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ….
Houses are partially submerged following a dam collapse in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, September 10, 2024 [Musa Ajit Borno/AP Photos]
Published On 11 Sep 202411 Sep 2024
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The collapse of a dam in northeast Nigeria has caused severe flooding, destroyed thousands of homes and worsened a dire humanitarian crisis.
The flooding in Borno State has affected a million people, the state governor said on Wednesday, straining resources as authorities scramble to rescue residents and place them in temporary shelters.
Heavy rains had caused a dam to overflow on Tuesday, decimating a state-owned zoo and washing crocodiles and snakes into flooded communities.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Maiduguri in Nigeria, said a “stream of people” are currently making their way out of areas covered by the floodwaters.
He said civilians have been searching in the water with limited diving equipment to save as many people as possible.
“We’ve seen dead bodies arriving,” he said, adding that a successful rescue operation saw baby twins saved from the floodwaters and moved to safety.
Local officials said it was the worst flooding in the state in two decades, but authorities have yet to announce deaths.
People walk through floodwaters following a dam collapse in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Idris reported that Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima visited people displaced by the floods on Tuesday evening and promised to provide them with food, shelter and medicine. A day later, Idris said that very few supplies had reached those people.
Borno State governor Babagana Zulum visited Bakassi camp on Wednesday and told reporters that authorities were assessing the damage and a quarter of the state capital, Maiduguri, had been flooded.
“You can see how water completely flooded the area, sewerages were completely flooded, that means waterborne diseases would be transmitted,” Zulum told reporters while meeting affected residents.
The dam collapse is compounding a humanitarian crisis in Borno over the past decade due to a rebellion started by the Boko Haram armed group. The rebellion, which has spilled across borders around Lake Chad, has killed more than 35,000 people, displaced 2.6 million others in the country’s north-east region.
