Communities outline challenges at CBO Festival

By
Albert Futukpor, GNA

Tamale, Oct 04, GNA – Issues of lack of
potable water, poor sanitation, and poor road networks dominated the challenges
complained of by most communities during this year’s Community Based
Organizations’ (CBO) Festival held in Tamale.

Other challenges cited included poor health
and education facilities, which negatively affected health and education
outcomes.

The annual CBO Festival created a platform for
participants to learn and share experiences on issues that affected community
development.

The two-day, which opened in Tamale on
Wednesday, was organized by the Ghana Developing Communities Association, and
was attended by over 100 participants drawn from various districts in the
Northern Region.

This year’s event was the 11th in
the series and it was on the theme: “Building a Sustainable Future: Coming
Together to end Poverty and Discrimination”.

Mr Mahama Iddrisu, a CBO member at Zakpalsi in
the Mion District, said farmers in the area lacked tractor services making them
unable to plough their farms on time, a situation, which affected productivity.

Mr Iddrisu said poor link roads affected
transportation of farm produce, adding, lack of storage facilities also forced
farmers to sell their produce early at cheap prices to avoid losses.

Mr Abukari Adam, a CBO member at Demong in the
Saboba District, said health and education facilities were not in good shape, a
situation which forced professionals to refuse postings to the area.

Mr Adam complained about the poor nature of
the Yendi-Saboba Road, portions of which had been rendered unmotorable, whiles
the main bridge connecting Saboba to Yendi had been submerged in flood waters,
cutting off the town from others as a result of the heavy rains being
experienced this year in the area.

Mr Yakubu Braimah, a CBO member at Pumo in the
Gushegu Municipality, said illiteracy was high in the area as some people
preferred farming to sending their children to school.

Hajia Mariama Yakubu, Chairperson of CBOs
Regional Assembly, therefore, appealed to the government to address the
development challenges facing communities in the Region to improve their living
conditions.

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director
of GDCA, whose speech was read on his behalf, urged government to prioritize
the challenges outlined during the event to streamline its policies to better
address the needs of the people.

Mr Richard Kambootah, Northern Sector Director
of the Institute of Local Government Studies, who made a presentation on the
topic: “Building a Sustainable Future: Coming Together to end Poverty and
Discrimination,” called for equal opportunities for all to promote sustainable
development.

GNA

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