Bolgatanga, Jan 22, GNA- A Youth group calling itself Amalgamated Youth of the New Patriotic Party in the Upper East Region, has reiterated the need for Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 2008 Presidential Candidate of the party to contest the position for the party in the 2016 elections. The group, at a Press Conference in Bolgatanga on Monday, appealed to Nana Addo to return to Ghana and start the campaign. The statement read by a Spokesperson for the group, Mr Musa Alhassan, described Nana Addo as the best candidate who could give the party direction and the people of Ghana hope, and impressed on him to boldly declare his intention to contest the 2016 presidential race as the NPP flag bearer. “We want to assure him one thing: for 2016, we will use all legitimate means to ensure that this time his victory shall be much bigger and will not be stolen from him”, the group stated. According to the youth group, there were assurances from the grassroots and ordinary non-partisan Ghanaians, including market women, students, teachers, farmers, and the elderly in the region, to vote for Nana Addo, should he contest the 2016 elections. The spokesperson indicated that it was common to hear on the streets of Bolga, Navrongo, Bawku, Pusiga, Sandema, and closer environs, the electorate doubling their assurances to vote for Nana Addo in the 2016 election if he became the flag bearer for the NPP. Mr Alhassan said “the electorate have lost confidence in the John Mahama-led administration, and his ability to deliver. The only person, the people say, can make them believe in our democracy again is Akufo-Addo.” The Youth group reminded all Ghanaians not to forget about the moral victory Nana Addo and the NPP won after the Supreme Court verdict, and noted that his conceded speech confirmed that he was a true statesman who saved the country from the brink of war which every Ghanaian appreciated, including the international community. “Nana is a man of peace, a true patriot, who only wants good things for Ghana and the people. It has now become clear to every Ghanaian that no amount of dirty and false propaganda can change that now.” The youth appealed to people in the region to vote for Nana Addo and the NPP to salvage Ghanaians from the sufferings they are going through.GNA

Accra, Jan 22, GNA- The Accra Metropolitan Assembly would, on February 11, embark on City wide validation of the 3,584 street names within the Accra sub-metro. The exercise would depict the propose streets names in the various places of the sub-metro for public viewing, as well as afford the opportunity to the public to make comments and suggestions before its implementation. Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuye, Mayor of Accra, who disclosed this on Tuesday during a tour of the proposed street names in Accra, said five maps have been placed at strategic points within the sub-metro for community validation. Dr Vanderpuye said, out of the 3,584 street names, 337 streets are at Ablekuma Central, 329 at Ablekuma South, 421 at Ablekuma North, 86 at Ashiedu Keteke, 173 at Ayawaso Central, 94 at Ayawaso East, 638 at Ayawaso West, 410 at Okaikoi North and 302 at Okaikoi South. He said prior to the naming of the streets, the AMA organized consultation meetings, comprising chiefs, traders, property owners, and the business community, adding that pilot sign ages in five communities have been completed in James Town, Korle Dudor, Ministerial Area, Makola and South Industrial Area. Dr Vanderpuye said pole placement maps have been completed within AMA, while parcel identification have also been completed in Osu Klottey, with property numbering currently on-going. He said the City of Accra has experienced rapid growth and created many under-serviced neighborhoods and that the street naming system would provide platforms for directional activities, proper identification for physical structures and effective revenue mobilization. The nation-wide street naming system has been identified and named by the Town and Council Planning for the Accra Metropolis in 2013, after President Mahama gave a directive, instructing all the Assemblies to identify and name streets in their various areas of jurisdiction. The project is estimated to cost GHc 3.8 million, with funding from the World Bank through the Ghana Land Administration ProjectGNA

Accra, Jan. 22, GNA - USAID- Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project (FINGAP), recently launched at the Alisa Hotel, is a project which seeks to identify and develop agribusiness opportunities and facilitate investments from financial institutions through the use of business advisory service providers.The business advisory service providers have been mobilized through performance-based contracts to provide consulting services to agribusinesses, in order to generate investments from financial institutions.A statement signed by Mr. Rick Dvorin, Chief of Party, USAID-FINGAP, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday, explained that this project falls under the United States’ Partnership for Growth (PFG) and Joint Country Action Plan with the government.The PFG’s overall goal is to assist Ghana to sustain and broaden its economic growth by addressing one of the key constraints of private sector development in the country.“The project is part of USAID’s Feed the Future Program, which aims to establish commercially-driven agricultural development services critical to sustainably reducing food insecurity in Ghana”, it noted.The USAID-FINGAP project was initiated in July 2013, and has partnered with commercial banks, leasing companies, private equity and impact investors willing to provide necessary financing.Mr. Jim Bever, USAID Ghana, Mission Director, also added to the relevant of this project that, FINGAP represents a commitment by the American people, not just towards increasing food security but also in reducing poverty and encouraging inclusive agriculture-led economic growth and development in the country.GNA

Bolgatanga, Jan 21, GNA - Mr Ayamdor Alexis Adugdaa, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bongo, has inaugurated a 13-member team to oversee the timely implementation of the Street Naming and Property Numbering exercise in the district.This was contained in a press statement issued by the District Public Relations Officer, Mr Peter Atogewe Wedam, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in BolgatangaAccording to the DCE, the exercise was very dear to the President, and as such the deadline he issued must be met at all cost, stressing that the Bongo District Street Naming team must give of its best in its new role, and devote much time and attention to the exercise.The DCE charged the team to work extra hard as management of the District Assembly was prepared to give them the needed support, and warned that no single member of the team should give excuses for not playing their required roles in ensuring the success of the exercise.He tasked leadership of the team to write reports on every activity they undertake in the course of the exercise, to enable him forward such reports to authorities about progress being made by the district regarding this national exercise.Mr Jasper Adenyo, Acting District Co-ordinating Director, urged the team members to put aside their individual differences, work together and collaborate at each stage of the exercise, to put every member’s contribution in line with the overall objective of successfully completing the exercise.A facilitator, Mr Benny Arkhurst, whose district had already carried out the street naming exercise in one of the districts in southern Ghana, stated in his presentation that the exercise would bring about precision, easy location and quick response to emergencies, like fire outbreaks, ambulance services and police interventions in times of need.According to the facilitator, it is the duty of the team to educate and persuade people through radio and durbars in order for the public to buy into the exercise and assist the team in its work on the field.He noted that for the purposes of reference, the team ought to write minutes for every meeting it holds and also report to the DCE and the District Co-ordinating Director, who would be responsible for financing the team’s work plan and logistical needs.The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Alemyaarum, who witnessed the inauguration, observed that even though the Bongo District layout was well planned on paper, there had been haphazard development of buildings and other structures, and called on the assembly’s planning and engineers unit, to rectify the anomaly.According to the statement, the committee was inaugurated on January 17, 2014.GNA