Mr. Francis Brobbey, the District Manager of Forestry Commission, Lawra, has indicated that the major threat to afforestation in the Upper West Region is wildfire and as such appropriate measures must be taken to avoid it if not minimise it.

It is in line with this that, the Lawra District of the Ghana Forestry Commission under the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project, organised a capacity building programme in Wa. The aim of the programme was to enlarge the knowledge base of farmers who are beneficiaries of the project, Chiefs and as well as opinion leaders who matter as far as the project is concern.

Briefing participants during the programme, Mr. Francis Brobbey said, the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project which will last for an initial five years started in 2015 and will end in 2020, but was quick to add that there is a high likelihood that the project duration will be extended in year 2020.

He said the project is currently ongoing in the Daffiama/Bussie/Issa District and the Wa East District of the Upper West Region.

He again added, the capacity building included a local study tour for participants to learn from other beneficiaries on how they nurtured their seedlings in other to be abreast with the right nurturing practices that will go a long way to helping the progress of the project of the Forestry Commission.

According to him, the Lawra District alone intends to plant of about 500,000 trees this year.

He finally challenged participants to act positively towards the project success.

However, participants lamented over suspected cases of arson on project fields and suggested that by-laws be enacted and enforced by community leaders so as to ensure the success of the project.

According to them, hunters should as well be educated on the negative implications of wildfire so as to curb them from setting project fields and the bush in general on fire for games.

The tour covered Kataa, Banungoma and Bayiri communities in Wa East District and Jimpensi and Jolinyiri in Daffiama/Bussie/Issa District where participants had practical experience on what is done at the fields.

The participants also learnt that practices such as topsoil backfill after digging a pit before planting seedlings, “moon shape” creation, mulching, fencing, watering seedlings or plants during dry season, farming on the plantation and fire protection measures around the plantation and how all these are employed for better growth of trees in the Upper West Region.

A mortuary attendant at the Wa regional hospital, Mr Seuye Dari has expressed regret over what he describes as neglect by the hospital authorities after he allegedly contracted a strange disease in the course of his duty. In an exclusive interview with W93.5FM, Mr Dari accused hospital authorities of not providing mortuary attendants with protective clothing and other relevant logistics thereby exposing them to the risk of contracting diseases from dead bodies.
Mr Dari believes his constant exposure to dead bodies was the cause of his “strange skin disease”. Whiles narrating his trauma, Dari pulled up his shirt to reveal a startling sore around his waist which he claimed hospital authorities denied him medical attention. “After I complained to authorities about my ordeal, I was denied any medical attention instead I was asked to go and treat myself and report back to work”.

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  Mr. Dari further accused the hospital authorities of not paying his salaries and other allowances for the past four months. “In spite of my condition, I have not been paid my salary for the past four months so how do you expect me to go and treat myself”? He asked.
  When W93.5FM contacted the regional hospital authorities, the regional medical director Dr Banabass Gandau said the issue of the “sick mortuary man” has not been brought to his attention. “I’m not aware at all, the mortuary men do not need permission from anyone to see me or even call me to their homes” Dr Gandau however gave the assurance he will personally make sure the issue is solved immediately.
  This revelation comes at time morticians in public hospitals across the country are agitating for better working conditions. It will be recalled that mortuary workers union recently declared a nationwide strike to demand an improvement in their working conditions. In the Upper West Region, the mortuary workers demanded to be enrolled into government payroll and also provided with protective clothing and other logistics before they rescind their decision.

Continue reading Lamentations of a Mortuary Man

Women in Kolingu, a farming community in the Dorimon traditional area of the Wa West district have resorted to cutting down shea tree for charcoal. Although charcoal burning is not strange in the district, the rate at which shea trees are been fell for charcoal in Kolingu community is alarming. A team from W93.5FM who recently visited the community witnessed several shea trees been fell for commercial charcoal production.
Some of the women who spoke to W93.5FM claimed they resort to charcoal burning because there is no alternative source of livelihood especially during the dry season. ”After the farming season we have nothing else to do than cut these trees for charcoal, we can’t even go into dry season gardening because there is no dam in this community.” The situation which is prevalent in several other communities within the Dorimon electoral area has compelled traditional authorities to pass a by law which prohibit the cutting of shea trees for any purpose.
Speaking exclusively to W93.5FM, the assembly member for the area Olinaa Ababaasa bemoaned the situation and promised to fight the menace with the help of his unit committee. Olinaa further explained that the situation is difficult to deal with because most of the culprits are the wives of very influential people in the society.
The” shea plant” is the most important commercial tree in the Wa West district mostly with women as beneficiaries. It is therefore contradictory to see women destroying the very source of their livelihooh.

By: Ras Bob Pelpuo
Continue reading Mass destruction of Shea trees in Kolingu

The Deputy Regional Director for the Electoral Commission Mr. Osman Ali has indicated strongly that there isn’t any need for an extension of the just ended limited registration exercise. Speaking to w935online.com he was emphatic that all those who were willing to register within the region had done it. ‘Within the last two days of the registration only very few people went to register this shows that almost all those who wished to register have done that’.

According to him, the police have been very helpful in ensuring an incident free registration. ‘The police did their work well especially when tensions mounted in some areas this has led to a violent free registration process’.

The Deputy Regional Director for the EC in the Upper West Region also indicated that the close collaboration between the EC and the Ghana Federation of the Disabled made the exercise smooth for the disabled. ‘We met with them during the exercise and have been in close touch with their leadership and through our deliberations we have been able to resolve their concerns.

Checks by w935online.com on Sunday which was the last day for the registration, revealed how the registration officials at some centres were idling because there were no persons available to register.

The EC of Ghana initiated a ten day registration exercise for first timers and any others who had failed to register in the past.

The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Sensitization initiative is a project funded by STAR-Ghana to foster inclusiveness, unity, equity and kinsmenship amongst citizens regardless of political affiliation, gender, age, religion, privilege, ethnicity and physical capability or otherwise. The project was intended to strengthen and increase inclusive participation of marginalized youth groups-including women, rural dwellers and people with disabilities during the limited voter registration exercise.

-By The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Registration Initiative

 18+ GET OUT NOW & REGISTER!

It is the last day of the limited voter registration period. If you are a potential voter you only have

today left –Sunday 8th May, 2016 to register to vote or to secure a valid identification card. 

View the updated  registration locations and times HERE.

Find out how to register to vote HERE.

Find out where to register to vote HERE.

Find out frequently asked question about registration HERE

Find out about the rules and eligibility to register to vote HERE

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE for 2016 to register to vote! Tune in to W935FM to find out the latest registration changes . Please join our campaign and get updates by joining the ‘register to vote’ mailing list.

The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Sensitization initiative is a project funded by STAR-Ghana to foster inclusiveness, unity, equity and kinsmenship amongst citizens regardless of political affiliation, gender, age, religion, privilege, ethnicity and physical capability or otherwise. The project is intended to strengthen and increase inclusive participation of marginalized youth groups-including women, rural dwellers and people with disabilities during the limited voter registration exercise.

-By The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Registration Initiative

It is the tenth day since the start of the voter registration period. Potential voters have up  to tomorrow – SUNDAY 8th MAY, 2016 to register to vote or secure a valid form of identification. Don’t miss out- Register!

View the updated  registration locations & times HERE.

Find out how to register to vote HERE.

Find out where to register to vote HERE.

Find out frequently asked question about registration HERE

Find out about the rules and eligibility to register to vote HERE

Only 2 days left to register to vote! Tune in to W935FM to find out the latest registration changes . Please join our campaign and get updates by joining the ‘register to vote’ mailing list.

The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Sensitization initiative is a project funded by STAR-Ghana to foster inclusiveness, unity, equity and kinsmenship amongst citizens regardless of political affiliation, gender, age, religion, privilege, ethnicity and physical capability or otherwise. The project is intended to strengthen and increase inclusive participation of marginalized youth groups-including women, rural dwellers and people with disabilities during the limited voter registration exercise.

The secretary to the Ghana Federation of the Disabled Mr. Ibrahim Saani has expressed his satisfaction over the improvements made at registration centres which have become more disability friendly. Speaking to W935News, he noted that in the past many registration centres were not accessible to the disable fraternity. ‘Our people most especially the physically challenged found it very difficult using their wheel chairs to access the registration points but now things appear to have changed.’
Mr. Ibrahim Saani also went ahead to state that one of the issues which made people from his Federation stay away from previous registration exercises was having to join the regular queues for long hours, but this he says has become a thing of the past. ‘Now the EC has directed registration officers to attend to us as soon as we arrive at the centre.’ He also took the opportunity to call on the able bodied in queues to understand this and not insult them.

-By The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Registration Initiative

It is the eighth day since the start of the voter registration period. Potential voters have up  to 8th May, 2016 to register to vote. Some registration locations in the Upper West are opened from the 4th to the 8th of May.

View the updated  registration locations and times HERE.

Find out how to register to vote HERE.

Find out where to register to vote HERE.

Find out frequently asked question about registration HERE

Find out about the rules and eligibility to register to vote HERE

Only 4 days left to register to vote! Tune in to W935FM to find out the latest registration changes . Please join our campaign and get updates by joining the ‘register to vote’ mailing list.

The W93.5FM Lanbuuri Limited Voter Sensitization initiative is a project funded by STAR-Ghana to foster inclusiveness, unity, equity and kinsmenship amongst citizens regardless of political affiliation, gender, age, religion, privilege, ethnicity and physical capability or otherwise. The project is intended to strengthen and increase inclusive participation of marginalized youth groups-including women, rural dwellers and people with disabilities during the limited voter registration exercise.