SPEECH DELIVERED BY MAJOR ALBERT DON-CHEBE (RTD), CHAIRMAN OF THE NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT FORUM (NDF) AT THE 66TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY PARADE AT TATALE ON MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2023
The Honourable District Chief Executive
The Paramount Chief of the Tatale Traditional Area
Senior Security Officers
Honourable Assembly Members and Political Appointees
Distinguished Invited Guests
All Protocols already established acknowledged and respected
NDF Ghana 66 Independence at Tatale MAJOR ALBERT B. DON-CHEBE (RTD) ESQ, – NDF Ghana
I bring you fraternal greetings from the Northern Development Forum (NDF) on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of Ghana’s independence. My name is Major Albert Don-Chebe (Rtd), a former soldier and a former Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and currently the Chairman of NDF.
Through the benevolence of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), NDF has been working in four Districts in the Eastern Corridor of Northern Ghana, namely, Gushegu, Chereponi, Saboba and Tatale-Sanguli. The purpose of our activities in these Districts is to strengthen inter-ethnic co-existence, deepen community relations and reinforce peace and unity among the ethnic groups in the Eastern Corridor.
Hon. DCE, as part of our peace and unity activities, we have trained several persons as Peace Advocates and also established Multi-Ethnic Dance Troupes in the four Districts. Today, I am honoured to introduce to you the Multi-Ethnic Dance Troupe of the Tatale-Sanguli District. This troupe is composed of Basares, Fulbe and Konkombas. Today, we will see Fulbe dancing Basare dances and vice versa and Konkombas dancing Fulbe dances and vice versa. This cross-dancing is to demonstrate that we are essentially one people and must respect one another, and not allow linguistic differences to divide us to the point of violence and anarchy.
Hon. DCE, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my special pleasure and privilege to invite the Tatale Multi-Ethnic Dance Troupe to the arena to perform and also deliver their messages of peace and unity.
Thank you and God Bless Ghana.
NDF Ghana 66 Independence at Tatale MAJOR ALBERT B. DON-CHEBE (RTD) ESQ, – NDF GhanaNDF Ghana 66 Independence at Tatale MAJOR ALBERT B. DON-CHEBE (RTD) ESQ, – NDF Ghana
There was a special activity at Saboba on 4th March, which was the Guinea Corn (Ndipondaan) Festival. What you are seeing now are community PVE and Peace Advocacy Awareness activities by multi-ethnic dance troupes that we have organised in the Districts. They perform at markets, schools, lorry parks, etc. to create multi-ethnic peace and harmony.
The Tatale Dance Troupe composed of Bassare, Konkomba and Fulbe dancing and delivering peace and PVE messages at the Tatale lorry station
PRESENTED BY MAJOR ALBERT DON-CHEBE (RTD), CHAIRMAN OF THE NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT FORUM (NDF), IN TAMALE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media;
The Northern Development Forum (NDF), an advocacy group for the integrated development of the five regions of Northern Ghana, have invited you this morning to assist the NDF to throw the searchlight on to the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project (PMD), exactly three years i.e. 36 months after sod was cut on 29th November 2019.
The PMD, which has been described by government as “the largest investment ever made by any government in the Northern part of the country” has been described as a multipurpose one because it has been designed to resolve perennial devastating floods caused by spillage from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, provide a reliable water source for dry season agriculture, and double as a source of hydro-power coupled with a solar component. This, would undoubtedly, open up immense opportunities for the socio-economic transformation of Northern Ghana in particular and Ghana as a whole.
Dear Media Professionals;
The centrality of PMD to the accelerated development of Northern Ghana in particular, and Ghana in general, is best understood when the benefits of the project are summarized. The project will result in:
The irrigation of 25,000 hectares of land by gravity (or up to 40,000 ha if pumping is included), which will produce enough rice to reduce our rice importation by 17% and maize importation by 32%, leading to huge savings in scarce foreign exchange and further strengthen the cedi. Other crops like onion, tomatoes, water melon, etc., would also be produced in commercial quantities.
It would be a major stimulus for industrializing the north and the middle-belt of the country.
It will be a major source of employment for young and old and could contribute to reversing the north-south migration especially of young girls seeking neck-breaking work in the cities of southern Ghana, who often end up sexually abused.
The acquisition of additional 60 MW of power to bolster power supply and reduce blackouts in Northern Ghana; consequently, providing stable power to further attract industries and other businesses to Northern Ghana, and also free up power from Akosombo and others for the rest of the country.
The cessation of the annual flooding which have led to the loss of several lives and livelihoods whenever the Bagre Dam is spilled in Burkina Faso.
The development of Aquaculture and Fisheries to boost protein consumption and new livelihoods for the youth.
Provide a potable water source for tens of thousands of people especially in the Upper-East and North-East regions.
The direct and indirect benefits of PMD are actually incalculable. Preliminary estimates of benefits are at best conservative, and given the strategic location of the Project in the very heart of the North, touching all the five regions of Northern Ghana, NDF recognises this project as the missing link in the unpleasant story of underdevelopment in Northern Ghana.
It is in cognizance of this that NDF have lobbied and engaged all governments since 2007 for the construction of this dam. Consequently, NDF have acknowledged 29th November 2019 as the ‘second’ independence day of Northern Ghana, because this was the day our dream started becoming reality. It is therefore very shocking for us to hear that the PMD has been abandoned.
Following contradictory statements from various government appointees, we travelled, last week, to the two major project sites- the Dam site at Kurugu and the irrigation development site at Sariba.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media;
At Kurugu, we were confronted by utter desolation and loud silence. There was only a heap of chippings to indicate that someone had intended to undertake some form of construction. We proceeded to the irrigation development site, off the Wulugu-Kpasenkpe road. There, we found a well-built work camp, with comfortable dormitories, workshops and dining facilities, large enough to accommodate over 300 workers and large piles of concrete blocks. We found only one (1) worker on site, and no equipment or machinery whatsoever. We were informed that the contractor withdrew from the site in May 2022, following the award of a new contract to them to build an interchange in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
To allay our fears regarding the PMD project, the NDF will appreciate it if the Government could respond to the following questions:
Why has work on the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam been abandoned?
Why has the contractor been deployed to a new government project site when he has not completed a previous government contract which commenced three (3) years ago?
Where did the government find money for this new project when it could not find money for the “single largest investment in Northern Ghana” which would change the lives of over four (4) million people in that catchment area?
Why is it that similar large scale projects in other parts of Ghana have secure and guaranteed funding sources but the PMD has no guaranteed funding source?
What conclusions are citizens of Northern Ghana to draw in the light of this unequal, unfair and unequitable treatment in the distribution and funding of a critical, life-changing and transformational infrastructural investment in Northern Ghana?
The NDF recalls vividly the speech of the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, during the sod-cutting ceremony three years ago. He said, “this is in fulfilment of the pledge the NPP government made to the people; we do not renege on our promises, we keep them”.
The North was promised a completed transformational project in 50 months. Unfortunately, 36 months down the line, there is very little hope regarding the continuation, let alone the completion, of the project. We therefore appeal to the government to redeem the promise made to the people of Northern Ghana by resuming work on the project. The PMD is the future of Northern development that the North has waited over sixty (60) years for; the kind of transformational infrastructure that have accelerated development in other parts of Ghana such as the Akosombo and Kpong Dams in the Eastern Region, Atuabo Gas Project in the Western Region and the Bui Dam in the Bono Region. All these projects were executed in times of great financial difficulties. None was abandoned because of financial stress. Innovative and creative arrangements were designed by governments of the time to ensure the completion of these iconic projects.
Today, it is the turn of this government to demonstrate innovation, enterprise, ingenuity, diligence and focus to guide the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam to completion. As a comparison, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), costing US$5B with a capacity of 6450 MW i.e. 107x the capacity of PMD and double the total power consumed in Ghana today, was built using resources mobilized from Ethiopians at home and abroad and was constructed largely by Ethiopian engineers, in a country which is, most probably, poorer and as debt-ridden as Ghana.
In sum what the NDF is saying is that the North deserves the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam, NOW! We hope that the Government will heed to our call.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media;
Thank you very much for coming; we hope that you will amplify our voice by disseminating this message as widely as possible.
Major Don-Chebe started life as a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon. Later, he joined the Ghana Armed Forces and retired in 2000 to take up the position of Corporate Affairs Manager at Ghana Breweries Ltd (GBL). He was later appointed Communications Consultant at the Ministry of Public Sector Reform in 2005.
In 2006, he joined Ghana Telecom as Head of Corporate Communication and Customer Service and continued in the same role when Vodafone took over Ghana Telecom in 2008. He moved on to the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) as Director, Community and Public Outreach in 2009. In 2012, he became the Director, Corporate Planning & Communication at the Export Development & Agricultural Investment Fund (EDAIF), now EximBank, and later became the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) from 2013 – 2016.
From 2011 – 2015, he was the President of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana, (IPR) and the President of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) from 2015-2016. He is also a member of the Ghana Bar Association.
Major Don-Chebe has undertaken training, mentorship and consultancy in Public Relations, Strategic Communications, Change Management, Business Process Review, Media Law, etc., at several organizations in Ghana.
Mr. Peter C.N. Sangber-Dery, who is currently a Consultant, is both a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Banker. Until January 2019 he was the Deputy Managing Director of the Heritage Bank Ltd. Prior to coming into that position, Mr. Sangber-Dery had had a very fruitful career in the banking industry spanning over thirty-eight years. It was in 1979 that he started his banking career at the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), where by dint of hard work and commitment to duty he held several positions and rose through the ranks to be General Manager. In addition to serving as Branch Manager at the Koforidua Branch, where he turned the then loss making branch into a highly profitable one, he also served as Branch Manager of the Cedi House Branch (the then Head Office Branch), where he led his team of staff to grow the deposits and the loan portfolio of the branch, and also tremendously increased the profits made by the branch. Apparently, in recognition of his good performance at the branch level, and to further give him more challenging tasks, Mr Sangber-Dery was moved to head the Treasury Department of the Bank. As Treasurer of the Bank (ADB), he was also a member of the Management Committee of the Bank. Here again, he proved equal to the task, as he led his staff to manage the resources so well that the Treasury Department contributed very significantly towards the overall profits made by the bank over the entire period of his role as Treasurer. Indeed, owing to his good achievements as the Treasurer of the bank, he was retained in that role for eight years (1996-2004). Other Departments of the bank that Mr Sangber-Dery headed are the Accounts (or Finance) Department, and the Audit Department, where he was Chief Internal Auditor (or General Manager/Audit). In addition to being a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ghana), and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (Ghana), he is also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors (Ghana), a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Member of the Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA), and an Insolvency Practitioner (IP), licensed by the Registrar General under the Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act 2020, Act 1015, and the Companies Act 2019, Act 992. Mr. Sangber-Dery holds the BSc Admin (Accounting Option) Degree from the School of Administration (now University of Ghana Business School), and an MBA from l’Université de Paris 1, Sorbonne, France. Mr Sangber-Dery has a lot of experience, and has served, and still serves, on a number of Boards including the Forest Plantation Development Fund Board (where he represented the Agricultural Development Bank), the Koforidua Catholic Diocesan Health Board, the Cardinal Dery Foundation, the Supreme Executive Board, (Knights of St John International, United States of America), and the Ghana News Agency (GNA). He also served as a member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (Ghana), from 2007 to 2019, where he served on a number of Committees, and also held the
The Northern Development Forum (NDF) is calling on the Minister of Roads and Highways to move swiftly to address the destruction of the roads in the Upper West Region.
The forum said three continuous days of rainfall have swept away large sections of highways and roads in the region.
“The main highway in the region running north-south from Bole-Wa-Lawra-Nandom-Hamile-Burkina Faso has been destroyed in several places bringing transportation across the region to a standstill”.
A statement signed by Major (Rtd) Albert Don-Chebe, Chairman of the NDF and copied to the media said, the quantum of damage done to the already insufficient road infrastructure in the region is heart-breaking.
Mr Don-Chebe said the NDF expects the Ministry of Roads and Highways to move resources to the region as soon as possible to forestall the significant damage to the region’s socio-economic and commercial ecosystems.
According to the statement, reports also indicate that the destruction to roads, bridges and culverts are very severe in the Wa West and Wa East Districts, two of the most infrastructure-deficient districts in Ghana.
The Forum expects the Northern Ghana Parliamentary Caucus, the Upper West Regional Administration, Civil Society Organisations and other interest groups to focus attention on the unmitigated disaster that has engulfed the region to ensure speedy and timely actions to restore and reinforce the damaged road infrastructure across the region.
Since Saturday, August 14, 2021, social, economic and commercial activities in the region have come to a standstill.
Articulated vehicles transporting goods to Burkina Faso and Mali are stranded in the region.
Bolga, May. 27, GNA – Ambassador Stephen Yakubu, Upper East Regional Minister has hinted that quality education for all was one of the top priorities of the government. He therefore urged stakeholders to support the government to deliver this critical social services to the people to develop and reduce poverty.
He said Ghana could become more prosperous if education received the needed attention. Ambassador Yakubu was speaking during a courtesy call on him by Major (retired) Albert Don Chebe, chairman of the Northern Development Forum (NDF) at his Residence in Bolgatanga. The NDF Chairman was on the second leg of his one-week tour of some parts of Northern Ghana to consult some stakeholders on the next line of advocacy the Forum would undertake to support the development of the North.
Ambassador Yakubu disclosed that the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council was currently working with the Association of former Directors of Education in the region to analyse the educational challenges confronting the region to provide recommendations to improve the standards. Major Don Chebe, commended the Regional Minister for his foresight and pledged the NDF’s support for the government in its pursuit for development to improve the welfare of the people of Northern Ghana. He urged the government to push the Northern Development Agenda faster since the North’s deprivation was undermining the overall performance of the country’s development.
According to the NDF Chairman, the performance of schools in Northern Ghana was abysmal and therefore it was a good idea that the Regional Co-ordinating Council was proactive on matters involving education. He therefore called on all stakeholders in education across the Northern sector to convene an emergency conference to tackle the issue of performance and quality of educational outcomes in the area. source – GNA
He indicated that Ghana’s impoverished areas will not get the desired development if the pricing of such vital physical development materials were left unchecked. Major Don Chebe therefore called on the government and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to take a serious look at the pricing to ensure fairness to accelerate the development of the entire country. He was speaking at the North East Regional Co-ordinating Council during a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria, at his office in Nalerigu. He indicated that all the development indicators were tilted against the North and therefore serious steps were needed to arrest the deepening deprived situations. According to Major Don Chebe, studies showed that Accra and Kumasi received 85 per cent and 14 per cent respectively of investments into the country, while the North received only one per cent, “so, for the North to pay more for cement, is increasing the vulnerability of the North and deepening poverty.” The (Retired) Major said while the price of cement was about GHC38 and GHC40 in Accra, it was sold at about GHC50 and GHC54 in some parts of the North. “Physical and infrastructure development are key factors in development and we need to look at the prices of cement critically” He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry must adopt the pricing policy and methods used in the distribution and sale of beer and fuel across the country for cement too, to ensure fairness and rapid development of impoverished areas. The NDF Chairman also bemoaned the declining standards of education in the North, arguing that about 25 secondary schools in the North scored zero percentage pass rate in the 2019 WASSCE, a situation he described as “appalling and dangerous to the development of the North and Ghana”. According to him the situation needed special attention to nib it in the bud. The Regional Minister, Mr Yidana Zakaria thanked NDF for its strong advocacy for the development of the North. He assured the NDF of government’s commitment to addressing the development disparity between the North and the rest of the country. Mr Zakaria mentioned that the creation of the Northern Development Authority and the implementation of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project were bold steps taken by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government to bridge the gap between the North and South. He mentioned that his office was meeting all the MMDCEs in the region to discuss the education situation in the area and follow up with a Regional Education Forum to find solutions to the problems. The Regional Minister assured all and sundry that the government was working hard to reduce poverty and improve the welfare of the citizenry. Mr. Zakaria urged the people of the Region to support the government to succeed in its agenda to develop the new region. GNA
The Chairman of the Northern Development Forum (NDF), Major (Rtd) Albert Don Chebe, has said the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam Project is one of the key projects that will drive positive change in Northern Ghana.
He said the importance of the project cannot be over-emphasised, therefore, government must leave no stone unturned in completing the project.
Major Don Chebe was speaking during a courtesy call on the Northern Regional Minister, Alhassan Shani Shaibu at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council in Tamale.
The NDF Chairman is on a one-week working visit to the regional capitals of the five Northern regions.
He urged the government to source external funding to ensure the early completion of the project.
Major Don Chebe added that NDF will support the Akuff-Addo-led government in its developmental pursuits for the North, to ensure that the people living in the area get their fair share of national development.
The NDF Chairman also bemoaned the performance of schools in recent times, indicating that “the school pass outcome is appalling and the trend must change, we must produce a high pass rate in our schools in our quest to catch up with the rest of the country”.
He criticised the arbitrary increases in the prices of building materials in the North, especially cement and iron rods.
“We have to look at the prices of building materials carefully. How can we pay about GHC50 and GHC53 for cement in certain parts of the North? It makes physical and infrastructure development difficult. This debate has to come to the front burner,” he said.
Major Don Chebe congratulated Mr Shani Alhassan Shaibu for his appointment urging him to work for the improvement of the living standard of the people.
He described the Regional Minister as a gentleman who is passionate about the development of the Northern region.
Mr Shani Alhassan Shaibu, the Northern Regional Minister commended the NDF for its strong advocacy role over the past years.
He assured the Forum of government’s commitment to equal distribution of development projects to all parts of the country.
Mr Shaibu described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a listening father and a President who will not ignore the concerns of the NDF if tabled well.
He also thanked the NDF for their congratulatory message and the confidence reposed in him, assuring that he will support the President to push the Northern Development Agenda to its desired level.
The Chairman of the Northern Development Forum (NDF), Major Albert Don-Chebe (Rtd), has called to the attention of government and major stakeholders in the health sector about the devastating effect of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis (CSM) outbreak in six Districts in the Upper West Region.
In a message issued on behalf of the NDF on April 13, 2020, he said although attention has been shifted towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic due to its nature, government should give equal attention to all health concerns since all Ghanaians have equal rights to good health.
He considered the situation of CSM as a case of emergency and should be tackled with urgent attention alongside the fight against the Coronavirus, noting that ” CSM has claimed the lives of 37 persons in the Upper West Region.”
According to him, CSM is on the rise in the North with a mortality of CFR 15.4%, which is higher than the WHO standard of CFR< 10% and mortality rate of about 0.2% in Ghana and 2.7% globally in excess.
This, said, is classified as not a normal outbreak based on the figures provided and requires more than the ’normal’ attention.
On this note, he appealed to the government to treat the devastating nature of CSM as a matter of urgency based on the fact that it is a seasonal outbreak.
In an attempt to help fight the situation, he proposed that government should provide sufficient Pastorex test kits to facilitate early detection and Make available the necessary logistics for the transportation of samples to the various laboratories, including reference laboratories.
He also suggested that in addition to the two culture centers currently available in Wa and Jirapa, more should be created.
He also recommended to government to organise an all-inclusive communication platforms as well as informational and educational materials to speedily enhance awareness of the dangers of CSM and measures to improve its impact in CSM-prone communities in the North.
