Ghana: Abongo Replaces Asaga As Minister Designate for Water Resources, Works & Housing

Albert Abongo. Photo: Ghana Districts.com

Following the withdrawal of Mr. Moses Asaga, Member of Parliament (MP) for Nabdam Constituency, from his nomination as Minister designate for Water Resources, Works & Housing by President John Evans Atta Mills, [newspaper] The Chronicle has gathered that Mr. Albert Abongo, MP for Bongo constituency in the Upper West region has been named as a replacement.[Mr. Abongo's priorities included] the affordable housing project [and] the need to expand free flow of water to all corners of the country. This he said, would enable Ghanaians enjoy good drinking water. “There is the need to expand water to every corner of the country because water is very important to everybody”, he noted.

[...] Mr. Abongo is a Christian who hails from Gowrie-Bongo. He is a 49 year old Civil Servant and holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

[...] Mr. Moses Asaga became the first casualty to face President Mills’ wrath following his purported authorization of payment of emoluments to former President Kufuor and his Vice, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, and Members of Parliament as per the recommendations of the Chinnery-Hesse Committee.

Source: Stephen Odoi-Larbi, Chronicle / allAfrica.com, 13 Feb 2009

Alison Evans new Director of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

Allison Evans. Photo: ODI

Alison Evans will be appointed as the new Director of the Overseas Development Institute, the UK’s leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian issues. She will take over from Simon Maxwell on 1 May 2009.

Maxwell has led the institute for eleven years but announced a year ago that he would stand down as Director in Spring 2009.

Alison Evans, an economist, is currently Director of Programmes at ODI for Poverty and Public Policy, leading a team of 30 researchers and support staff. Before joining ODI in 2006, Alison has worked at the University of Sussex and the World Bank.

ODI runs an influential Water Policy Programme, which includes the 5-year RiPPLE (Research-inspired Policy and Practice Learning in Ethiopia and the Nile Region) programme.

Source: ODI, 20 Feb 2009

Uganda: First Lady to promote hygiene

Janet Museveni

THE First Lady, Janet Museveni, is set to spearhead a countrywide campaign on sanitation.

The First Lady agreed to become a sanitation advocate during a meeting with the National Sanitation Working Group at State House on Monday.

“You have my assurance that I will be there for you,” she said.

“We are working towards the same target, but we need to be serious and achieve measurable and tangible impacts.”

Mrs. Museveni was responding to an appeal by the group to become a promoter of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Campaign.

The head of the group, Sam Mutono, said poor sanitation was one of the leading causes of infant mortality.

He said for every $1 spent on proper sanitation, $23 is gained in averted illnesses, death, medical expenses and productivity increase.
The use of latrines and washing hands with soap after using a toilet contributes to better health, he added.

“In Rukungiri where the latrine coverage is 99%, households still suffer from waterborne diseases,” he said, adding that this was because washing hands was not emphasised.

He said Mrs. Museveni should mobilise resources to promote the cause.

The sanitation group comprises the ministries of health, education, water and environment. It is supported by non-governmental organisations like WaterAid, Africare, Unicef and the World Bank.

Source: Gerald Tenywa , New Vision, 10 Feb 2009

Mustafa Talpar, WaterAid’s new Regional Advocacy and Policy Advisor (RAPA) – Asia

Mustafa Talpar of WaterAid Pakistan has been recruited as Regional Advocacy and Policy Advisor (RAPA) – Asia. He will replace James Wicken, who has moved to Australia as Head of Policy, WaterAid Australia.

Mustafa is a graduate in Sustainable International Development (Brandies, USA) and brings with him over ten years of experience of project implementation and policy advocacy in water resources management, food and water rights and environmental protection. He is a human rights activist and has been involved in various social justice movements in the Asia region including accountability of international financial institutions, trade justice and aid effectiveness. He also comes with considerable experience in research, policy analysis, alliance building and networking at regional and international level.

Since May 2008, Mustafa has been a key member of the WaterAid Pakistan Team where he was Manager – Policy and Advocacy. Prior to joining WaterAid Pakistan, he worked with ActionAid Pakistan where he led ActionAid’s work in the thematic areas of Right to Water and Food. He also spent time with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) working on the Indus eco-region conservation programme, and with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on water resources management.

Source: Fanasia,13 Jan 2009