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The District Coordinating director, Mr. Clifford Baba Atanga in his speech, addressed all invited guest and was delighted to be part of the 68^th Independence Day Celebration of our beloved country, Ghana. This day was set aside to celebrate and remind ourselves of the toil, and sacrifices made by our founding fathers in the processes leading to the attainment of self-rule for our dear nation. This day also provides us the opportunity to reflect and reaffirm our commitment to the long-held values of this great nation; rule of law, freedom of speech and association, media pluralism, and tolerance for divergent views and opinions among others.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the theme for this year’s Independence Anniversary Celebration, “Reflect, Review, and Reset” is not only apt but timely. The theme recognise the need for a deep national reflection and introspection, to assess the country’s progress and forge a path towards renewed vision for development. Indeed, after 68 years of our nationhood, it is proper to reflect, review, and reset the key sectors of our national life to give citizens a sharper focus and direction.

In conclusion, Invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, as we celebrate Ghana’s 68th independence anniversary, consider it as a divine call to reflect on our past, review our present, and reset for our future.

God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong!

Long live Ghana and Long live the good people of Talensi District.

Thank you and May the Almighty God Bless us all.

John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken the oath of allegiance and the presidential oath to officially take over the reins of government as Ghana’s sixth President of the Fourth Republic.

He was sworn in by the Chief Justice of Ghana Gertrude Torkornoo on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in parliament at the Black Star Square in Accra. His swearing-in followed that of the first Ghanaian female Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang who also took the oath of office and the Vice presidential oath.

Mr John Mahama was also the fourth President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, having previously occupied the high office of the President between January 7, 2013, and January 6, 2017. He’s Ghana’s first president under the 4th Republic to have lost an election and returned to the seat after contesting two more elections with a landslide victory.

With his resounding victory in the December 2024 elections, John Dramani Mahama becomes the first president in Ghana’s history to be democratically elected to a non-consecutive second term. President Mahama is an exemplary family man with strong Christian values. He has been happily married to Lordina Dramani Mahama for over thirty-two years.

View images of the inauguration here.

Source: MyJoyOnline

The Third Ordinary Meeting marks the last sitting for the year 2024 and the District Chief Executive Hon. Thomas Duanab Wuni is delighted that the year has almost ended on a good note. The main business of the meeting is for stakeholders to consider and approve the composite budget, fee fixing resolution and other necessary documents for 2025 fiscal year of the Assembly and is a mandatory requirement by the Assembly to carry out its activities for the coming year.

Again, the District Chief Executive spoke about the achievements in various sectors and departments in the district.

First of all, the Agriculture sector is the main source of income of households in the district. It accounts for 70% of total employment. In this regard, the directorate through Agriculture Extension officers (AEA) visited total of 7,917 farmers to assist them in composting, pest identification, vaccination and animal treatment among others. Under planting for food and jobs, the district received some fertilizers and improved seeds from central Government to support farmers in the district to improve their yields.

Security in the district is of outmost concern therefore the District Security Council (DISEC) ensures continuous peace and stability in the district. Furthermore, the health sector has several CHPS compounds and nurse’s quarters in the district as well as logistics provided as well. On the part of education, the Assembly is making efforts to improve quality education delivery in the district. The assembly continuous to provide school blocks, provision of furniture among others and support school children particularly the girl child on teenage pregnancy and other social vices.

Hon. Presiding members, the assembly has started making use of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment by reshaping some major roads and extending electricity supply to some communities as well.

In conclusion, I entreat you all to deliberate on issues so that concrete and substantive decisions could be made at the end of the sitting to enhance the development of the district in the coming year.

Some farmlands along the White Volta River in the Binduri, Bawku West and Talensi districts have been submerged due to heavy downpour coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam.

Over the past four days, the Upper East Region has experienced heavy rainfall resulting in flooding in some parts of the region.

Speaking to Mark Smith on Daybreak Upper East show on A1 radio, the Binduri district director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Daniel Azimbe, indicated that some farmlands in the Binduri district have been submerged.

The situation, according to him, is attributed to the torrential rainfall witnessed in the region for the past few days coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam.

He said, “We have rainfalls around the Binduri district, coupled with the spillage of the Bagre Dam. And really, it came on the 19th, that was the spillage date that we have been alerted by the authorities of the Bagre Dam. And as of yesterday, around 8 o’clock, we had the effect on our communities in the Binduri district.”

The affected communities include Yarugungu, Pansi, Isakaten, Yarugu-Biaka, the Bazua area, that is to Azumsapelega, flowing down to the end of Agomsi, that is the Kadi area. Crops have been flooded as a result of this spillage.

“So, we really have the effect, because most of our crops that are not matured for harvest have been flooded at the moment. Quite a number of farms have been submerged, and then we have houses that are very close to the area of the river. But at the moment, we are just carrying on the monitoring and the assessment. And at the moment, it is the crops that have been submerged,” Azimbe explained.

He added that they cannot provide specific figures at the moment as they are still on the ground assessing the extent of the damage. Thankfully, they have not yet received any reports of loss of life or property, including livestock.

The Head of the White Volta Basin at the Water Resources Comission, Jesse Kazapoe also confirmed reports of floods in the Bawku West District.

Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1 MHZ|Samuel Adagom|Bolgatanga

The Department of Social Welfare of the Talensi District Assembly has presented items to some Persons With Disability to enable them work and provide for themselves.The beneficiaries were educated on the importance of taking good care of the items.

Nine key projects are expected to be pursued under phase two of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.

Thomas Duanab Pearson Wuni, the District Chief Executive of Talensi, said this when he recently discussed the progress and plans for the second phase of the SOCO projects during an interview on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show.

According to Mr. Wuni Pearson, the nine projects would include Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, school projects, water and sanitation improvements, and boreholes.

He added that outside of physical infrastructure, there would be a Local Economic Development (LED) initiative aimed at empowering women in shea butter extraction and rice parboiling.

The Talensi DCE noted that the procurement processes for the projects are complete, with only final approvals pending before construction can commence. “We are done with the processes. We are just waiting for approvals so that we can award it and have contractors on site.”

He emphasized that these projects are tailored to meet community needs, a reflection of SOCO’s participatory approach.

“SOCO is community participatory. And what do I mean by that? We don’t just come and start putting up projects. We have three area councils. So the assembly members will meet with the area councils there. We have a team that will engage you. You tell us what your developmental needs are. So once we collect that data, we bring it back to the assembly and then we now look.”

According to him, the expectation is that these projects will commence by the end of August and be completed before the upcoming elections. “These projects will be delivered before we go to elections. I believe so,” he said.

Addressing challenges from the first phase, Mr. Duanab noted issues with labour payments but assured that lessons learned would expedite the current phase.

“Phase 1 had challenges because we had a problem with how we pay our labour.”

“Our experiences from phase 1 will hasten and expedite these projects in phase 2. We wouldn’t have those challenges again,” he stated. He expressed optimism that the new projects will significantly benefit Talensi. “We expect that this should translate and transform Talensi going forward.”

The projects and other initiatives by the NPP, according to Mr. Wuni Pearson, put the NPP in the lead ahead of the 2024 general elections. According to the DCE, the NPP candidate for the area, Robert Alibo, remains in pole position to lead the party ahead of the parliamentary election.

“We are prepared, but we won’t disclose what we are going to do to win. We will win, Inshallah.” Mr. Duanab further appealed to the residents of Talensi to continue supporting his administration, promising continued dedication and service. “I just want to beg the people in Talensi: Keep us in government and you will see the best of us. I am here to serve and they can see that. Keep us in government and we will continue to serve you,” he said.

Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Ghana

Hon. Thomas Duanab Perason Wuni is very happy for yet another opportunity given me to address this August House on its First Ordinary Meeting of the year 2024.

Before I proceed, I wish on behalf of the chiefs and people of the District and on my own behalf to warmly welcome all of you to today’s meeting.

Hon. Presiding members, I will like to crave your indulgence to update you on the performance of various sectors of the district Hon. Members, the education sector continuous to receive the needed attention by both the Assembly and Central Government. Our support to the education sector is mainly in the areas of the provision of classroom blocks to the distribution of furniture, Exercise books, and teaching and learning materials like mathematical sets.

The Assembly in collaboration with District Education Directorate is also making the necessary arrangement to organize mock exams for our 2024 BECE candidates in a bit to prepare them for the exams schedule for October. We will also try to see the possibility of procuring mathematical sets to support the students.

Colleagues Hon. Members, mindful of the health needs of our people, the Assembly continues to demonstrate strong commitment in supporting the sector to deliver on its mandate.

To this end, the Assembly is implementing various activities and projects to enable the health directorate to provide the needed health care to the people.

Hon. Members, as you are aware, agriculture is the mainstay of our district’s economy employing close to about seventy percent of the district’s workforce and the Government will continue to support the sector through Modernising Agriculture and the Planting for Food and Jobs, Rearing for food and Jobs among other programs to boost productivity and attain food security.

 Hon.  Members, the district continues to enjoy relative peace and stability and I will like to use this occasion to express my heartfelt gratitude to Hon. Members, our chiefs, the security agencies and all those who are contributing in one way or the other to maintain peace and security in the district.

However, it is important for all of us to continue to monitor happenings within our communities particularly the mining areas to ensure that the peace we enjoy is sustained

Honorable Presiding Member, Hon. Assembly Members, Heads of Department, once again, I wish to thank you all for the opportunity and for your support. It is my fervent hope and prayer that our deliberations will inure to the benefit of our people.

Thank you and May the Almighty God bless us all.

Thank you.

All drilling companies must be registered with the Water Resources Commission (WRC). Among other things, the registration would help the WRC monitor the activities of the drilling companies and ensure that they do right by their clients.

The WRC would also build the capacity of the drilling companies to collect data around underground water and the usage of the same across the country.

The Head of the White Volta Basin with the Water Resources Commission, Jesse Kazapoe, made these comments when he spoke with A1 Radio’s Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show yesterday, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.

“Drilling companies which have rigs are supposed to be licensed. This is where we are all supposed to help each other. These companies are supposed to drill boreholes on behalf of people and provide us with data, but most of them don’t. So we have a cause to complain about them. They don’t even employ the right people who would be able to log the data and give us the right information to plan,” he said.

The data, according to Mr. Kazapoe, is necessary to help the country plan properly.

“We need to plan because as a nation, we should be able to tell how much water we have underground. Other nations have done that; which amount is safe for drinking, which amount should we use for irrigation because we cannot drink, which amount cannot be used because the elements in them are so high that if we want to use them, it may cause harm to us, our bodies, or any other thing,” he said.

The Water Resources Commission (WRC) in Ghana is a regulatory body established under the Water Resources Commission Act, 1996 (Act 522). It oversees the management and allocation of water resources across the country. Its main functions include regulating water abstraction through permits, promoting Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles, collecting and managing water-related data, developing policies for water resource management, resolving conflicts among stakeholders, and conducting capacity building and awareness campaigns.

The WRC plays a crucial role in ensuring sustainable and equitable access to water resources in Ghana. By issuing permits and licenses, it regulates the use of water to prevent overexploitation and depletion of water sources. Additionally, through its policy development and implementation efforts, the commission promotes the responsible management of water resources while addressing conflicts and raising public awareness about the importance of water conservation and sustainable use.

Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana

The district anniversary celebration is underway at the Tongo LA Primary School in Tongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana.This follows President Akufo-Addo’s decision in 2017 to have the national independence celebration held on a rotational basis to open the districts to the world to boost the indigenous economy.

Nationwide parades and other activities are taking place today to mark Ghana’s 67^th Independence Anniversary.

The theme for this year’s event is: “Our Democracy, Our Pride”.

Ghana gained independence after 83 years of British colonial rule, becoming the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve independence from Britain. The country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana as “free forever” from colonial rule, marking a historic turning point in the governance of the country. Since that day, every March 6 is celebrated across the country and among Ghanaians in the Diaspora with various activities, some of which are observed throughout the month of March.

The District Chief Executive, Hon. Thomas Pearson Duanab Wuni in his speech welcomed all invited guest, Ladies and gentlemen, the Government has also done creditably in the provision of educational facilities at the basic level. In 2023, about 1,895 dual, mono desks and hexagonal chairs were distributed to all schools across the district comprising 212 and from Assembly, 1003 from Minerals Development Fund and 680 from the Ministry of Education. Again the Assembly completed the construction of a 3-unit classroom block at Sakorit and a 2-unit KG block at Gorogo. We also constructed a 3-unit classroom block for Kaare Primary. Efforts are being made to procure 90 pieces of dual desks for the classrooms and hand over it over to the Ghana Education Service.

Under the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) Project, the Assembly began the construction of a 2-unit KG block at Guborigu in November, 2023. The Assembly will also construct 3No. 3-unit classroom block at Yinduri, Gee and Gaarezore in 2024. The provision of furniture is incorporated into this package and so pupils and teachers are expected to have a sound learning environment when completed. The Assembly will also continue to support the District Education Directorate to adequately prepare the BECE candidates for the exams.

Mr Chairman, the performance of students at the Basic Education Certificate Examination is also of great concern to many of us. Even though the Talensi District’s BECE performance has been increasing consistently over the years, we are yet to record a fifty percent pass. In 2023, Talensi District got 42.7 percent pass in the BECE. While we commend the District Director of Education and her staff and all teachers for the marginal increase in performance, I still think this is not good enough and we can do better. I will therefore like to use this platform to call on all stakeholders like the District Assembly, the District Education Directorate, Parents, Teachers, School Management Committees and Students to collaborate more effectively to be able to change the narrative.

The District Education Director, thanked all members and pleaded with the District Assembly to help in resolving some issues in the various schools.

Thank you all for coming and let us celebrate our 67 years of independence peacefully.

Long live Ghana and Long live the good people of Talensi District.

Thank you and May the Almighty God Bless us all.

The SOCO project is a multi-country US$450 million credit facility to be implemented in Ghana, Côte d`Ivoire, Togo, and Benin with the aim of providing support to the northern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries, which suffer instabilities due to food insecurity, climate change, conflict, and violence.

Chiefs and leaders of the communities handed over sites for the construction of two CHIPS compounds, one at Balungu and another in Sepat. This is because they have been using somebody’s house as a CHIPS compound and also build a KG school at Kuborigu, which has been a challenge because children walk all the way to Kpalugu to attend school.

The District Chief Executive Officer (DCE) for Talensi, Thomas Duanab Wuni Pearson, has disclosed that residents of the district stand a chance of benefiting from fish ponds using mechanised boreholes, Guinea fowl farm houses and rehabilitation of Community Center as part of the first phase of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project. He disclosed that these projects would cost GH¢4 million for the first year.

Community Engagement at Balungu

Zonal Coordinator of SOCO and staff of Talensi District Assembly

Handing Over of Site for Construction of CHIPS compound at Sepat