Dr. Hajia Salamatu Taimako is simply phenomenal. At her age, she can be seen actively supervising her workers as another herb medicine is prepared. Some of the workers have been with her for years and some even live in her house. As she sits among them smiling and chatting, it's hard to tell who the boss is and who the servant is. She's affable and down to earth. - When this reporter visited her at home for a interview, he was surprised that a woman of her stature did not have an office. We sat in the open air under the nim tree. It’s a big stretch of land. This same property serves as school, hostel and office premises for Business College Int., botanical gardens, nursery fo…

'Business College International was started in 2003 to solve a need within the educational sector, specifically in Northern Ghana. This need was that students who completed Junior High School (JHS) could not gain admission into first class Senior High Schools. Most of these brilliant but needy students do not also have agriculture or trading as alternatives so they end up becoming school drop outs and social misfits. So we decided to create a school that will accommodate these students, train them for 3-4 years so they can fit into society after that. At Business College, we believe that everybody has a weakness, but when the weakness is worked on, the student will come up stronger and …

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture launches Livestock Development Project in Tamale. This project, a credit scheme to livestock farmers in Tamale is funded by the Government of Ghana and the African Development Bank. This is an improvement upon the earlier scheme whereby cash was given to the farmers to buy livestock, sell and make profit, and repay the loan. - However, it did not work to perfection either because some of the farmers did not buy the right kind of animals or did not buy them at all, hence making the loan repayment difficult, if not impossible. This new scheme, dubbed the “credit in kind scheme” gives 10 goats to farmers who have already registered with the s…

Amid pomp and pageantry, the World Cup finally kicked off for the first time in Africa on the 11th of June in Johannesburg, South Africa. All eyes were on Africa. We had 6 teams in the finals. Everyone expected them to go beyond the first round. In the end, all of them were eliminated except the Black Stars of Ghana who carrying high the hopes of Africa. Indeed they are the Blacks of Africa. - In spite of our different cultures, languages, background and the like, we’ve all gathered together in one place, united as one: the common factor this time round being football. Every one of the 32 participating countries had high hopes of at least reaching the medal zone of the competition. …

Tamale, which is the northern regional capital is one third of Ghana in terms of land size. Until 2008 when the Tamale water project was completed and inaugurated, only a few enjoyed regular water supply. The rest of the people relied on "dams" for their needs. - These dams can best be described as big wells and they store water during the rainy season for for most part of the year. During the dry season, some of them dry up, but for most of them, the water level gets so low that the water becomes muddy. Also, almost all of them have not been desilted for a long time, with the Vittin Dam, located at Vittin being no exception. The interesting thing about this dam is that it is used …

Defending champions Egypt has won the 27th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations dubbed Angola 2010. She beat Ghana by a lone goal on Sunday (31st January) to lift the trophy. The goal was scored by super substitute, striker Gedo in the 85th minute. - It is the eighth Nations Cup final for both Egypt and Ghana, with Ghana winning four and Egypt winning a record seven times. Their captain Ahmed Hassan became the first player to win four Nations Cup finals. Both Egypt also set another record by becoming the first country to win it three times in a row all under coach Hassan Shehata who has never lost a match in the Nations Cup. His two successes in 2006 and 2008 are matched only by CK Gyamfi, …

According to a local health official who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, the HIV/AIDS prevalent rate in Tamale for last year (2008) and this year (2009) stood at 1.8. However, there was a marginal increase in this year's rate. The figure was arrived at using samples taken from pregnant women. In spite of the numerous public awareness created about the virus, some people still refuse to test for it because they feel they do not have the virus, while others are either reluctant or afraid to test. - In order to encourage more voluntary testing among residents, this reporter suggested to the health official on the need to have more HIV/AIDS testing centres in town. To this…

One of the signs of the Harmattan is dryness. Dry lips, dry grasses, dried up wells, streams and rivers. Bush fire is rampant during this season. Sometimes, stones knocking against each other cause the fire. Sometimes too, left over cigarettes disposed off indiscriminately can cause bush fire. But most bush fires are intentional. People do it to hunt game. - In Tamale, it’s mostly for rats. As long as there’s land overgrown with weeds, someone will set fire to it. Nobody seems to be complaining because it seems there’re no side effects. However, should we sit down as a nation and take stock; I believe we’ll be surprised at the real effects. “It’s becaus…

My name is Psalm Mark Quao. I was born and bred in Accra Ghana but now based in Tamale, Africa's most exciting city. I hold a bachelor of science degree in Computer Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. - I'm looking forward to a career in media as a freelance journalist, specialising in documentaries, biographies and history. One day, i'll love to report for the BBC. I believe that new media and for that matter the mobile phone is one of the best ways Africans can tell their own stories. My hobbies include listening to music, singing, reading and writing. My interests are social, sports, music and technology.

Tamale is a bustling regional capital and one of the fastest growing cities in West Africa. It is located about 400 miles north of the Atlantic coast in West Africa and is visited by quite a few tourists on Ghana tours. This region covers percent of Ghana but is home to only 2 million people. - Tamale is the capital city of the Northern region of Ghana mostly inhabited by the Mole-Dagomba linguistic group and there are a few tourist attractions in Tamale, which are worth a visit. It is a nodal city that serves as convergence zone as well as the commercial capital of the three northern regions. Politically, the region is divided into 26 districts for easy government. It is one city in Ghan…

Bush fires are generally blamed for the damages they cause on nature, especially the soils that are forced to be naked and the extermination of homeless wild beasts. However, also infrastructure such as electrical posts and cables, both in the air or underground, are also reported to suffer from bush fires. - Bush fires are rampant during this season. Sometimes, stones knocking against each other cause the fire. Sometimes too, left over cigarettes disposed off indiscriminately can cause bush fires. But most bush fires are intentional. People do it to hunt game. In Tamale, it’s mostly for rats. As long as there’s land overgrown with weeds, someone will set fire to it. Nobody se…

Mr. Haruna Sulemana Tia has been elected as the new Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The event was which started at about 10am in the morning and ended around 7pm was held on Sunday the 3rd of January 2009, at the RADACH Memorial Center in Tamale. - Popularly known as Harumbis, the 53-year-old Tamale based contractor secured 210 votes, while the incumbent, Alhassan Yakubu Adoo had 42. Four other persons contested for this position. They are Mr. Daniel Bugri Naabu, an Accra-based building contractor, who had 139 votes and Alhaji Mugisu Sibawey of the Ghana Health Service, who had 4 votes. The rest are Mr. Joseph Nongre Naa Vugu of the office of the former Chief of …

Every year, Muslims all over the world celebrate eeidl fetir and eidl adha. In Ghana these celebrations are generally referred to as Sanla and both days are national holidays. However, in Tamale, should national holiday fall on say Monday, Tamale celebrates theirs on Tuesday making two days in all. - Already, Fridays have always been a half working day because Muslims go to the central mosque to pray at noon and most never return to their offices. Therefore, if the day falls on Wednesday or Thursday, expect to see workers on Monday. There are two main Islamic sects in Ghana. They are the Orthodox Muslims and the Ahmadis. The Orthodox are loyal to the national Chief Imam, in the person of …

Nursing students undergoing training at Nursing Training Centre are of the view that their colleagues at the university are unfairly ranked higher than them within the nursing field when they both complete their programs. - This is in spite of the fact the university students spend four years while those at the training colleges spend three, NTC students feel they’ve given a raw deal by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, NMC, the body responsible for certifying nurses in Ghana. In an interview Oppong Acheampong Harrison, a student nurse at Tamale NTC, he said that it is not fair that NMC should award a degree to the university students and diploma to the NTCs. He added that since t…

Educational reforms are not new to Ghanaians. In 1951, there was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah‘s Accelerated Development Plan of Education which sought to expand rapidly the recruitment into basic and secondary schools. Then came the Professor Alex Kwapong Education Review Committee in 1966 which brought about the continuation schools. - This was followed by the Professor Dzobo Review Committee of 1974 which introduced the junior secondary school concept, now junior high schools. In 19987, there was a reform which actually paved the way for private sector and especially individuals to establish junior secondary schools. The latest has been the Professor Anamuah-Mensah Educational Review Commit…

The least said about tobacco, the better. In the Northern part of the country, that is Tamale, there are communities that take pride in planting, harvesting, processing, and trading in it. To them, tobacco has no health risks but rather health and other benefits. - First of all, tobacco is planted all year round. When the farmer has harvested enough leaves, it’s ready for the next stage, which is processing. The leaves are pounded in a special mortar till they smooth. They are then stored in a pot for two days after which they are dried in the sun. The pounded leaves go back into the mortar to be re-pounded until they become compact. At this stage, if need, a little amount of water…

Pharmaceutical shops were not left out of the celebration during the festive season.True to the prediction of Mr. Emmanuel Fiagbey, Country Director of Voices for a Malaria-free Future project, an advocacy group that more than 10,000 malaria cases would be reported by the end of the Christmas and new year celebrations, with about 60 of them resulting in infant mortality, Mr. Mafous and Mr. Robert, Sales Executives for Centenary and Ricky Pharmacies respectively confirmed that malaria drugs were the number drug sold during this period. - Since it always goes with pain killers, antibiotics and multivitamins, one can understand why these sales men are happy. Second on the list was flu/influenza…

Victory cinema once the home of current foreign movies in the eighties and early nineties is no more in operation. Currently, the place is used for school and to televise live football matches. Though the building looks old due to lack of painting, it is still strong. I went on a tour inside and observed that the place could still be used as a cinema centre, in that all the aspects of the building is intact, including the projector and light which have become unusable, but they can be replaced with new ones. The only addition may be to roof the main sitting centre so movies will not be interrupted by rains. - Another thing observed was that no structures have been built for the school. A ty…

It is a dry and dusty West African trade winds, also called the north-east trade winds. It blows south from Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March, that is winter in Europe and America. - In northern parts of Ghana, the signs include fogs, cold mornings and evenings, dusty winds and roads, hot and sunny afternoons. You literally feel the sun on your skin. Perhaps, the major sign here is the change in lifestyle of the people. For instance, people who normally bath cold water now wake up early to boil water. Due to the dusty roads, people who used to wear sandals now wear full shoes to protect their legs. Those who can afford new shoes buy brown s…

Traders experience different results in sales because of harmattan. Contrary to public perception, there was no increase in demand for products of those in the clothes and water business. For the cosmetic shops however, their case was different. - During this time of the year, the weather is hot during the day and cold, vey cold at night. Thus, a lot of people are seen in jackets, suits and sweaters during evenings. Obviously, sales must be good for anyone in boutique business. In an interview with Joe of Jeps Collection, a boutique here in Tamale, people do buy winter clothes but they buy them from the second-hand cloth dealers, otherwise known as bend-down boutiques. Ironically, almost al…