A $104 million project to support the building up of agricultural and food value chains in the three northern regions was inaugurated by the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, in Tamale yesterday.
The new agriculture initiative, dubbed the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP), is aimed at achieving sustainable agricultural and rural livelihoods and food security for the rural poor in northern Ghana, with high potential, financial viability and outreach for the poor and vulnerable, particularly women and the youth.
Among the products to be considered are grains and oil seeds, animal-based commodities and fruits and vegetables for both domestic and export markets.
The five-year programme takes off immediately. An estimated three million people in 32 districts in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and parts of the Brong Ahafo regions will benefit from the project.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Ghana are co-financing the project.
The Vice-President advised the people in the area to form viable farmer organisations to enable them to benefit from more government interventions, stressing that “as long as the focus is on an individual farmer, the economy of scale that a group will benefit from will continue to elude them”.
He also called for more research activities in agriculture, which findings, he said, should always be made public for the benefit of farmers to improve on their yields.
Mr Mahama underscored the important role agricultural extension officers could play in the education of farmers, particularly those in rural communities, on best agricultural practices and, therefore, urged managers of the project to build the capacities of the officers in that regard.
“While interventions in many areas are all likely to lead to improvement in the economic well-being of people in the northern savannah regions, interventions in the agricultural sector, leading to new ways of farming, stand the best chance of generating significant improvement in productivity and incomes,” he indicated.
Mr Mahama further noted that poverty was the major cause of conflicts in northern Ghana and that disputes arising from chieftaincy, land and ethnicity often took the headlines because the poverty factor “seems remote, yet very real”.
“Therefore, any programme which seeks to promote rural growth, both economic and social, will ultimately contribute to conflict mitigation,” he stated.
The IFAD Country Director, Mr Mohammed Mansouri, announced that so far his outfit had financed 15 poverty reduction projects in Ghana totalling $184 million, thereby making Ghana the second largest portfolio in West Africa.
On the NRGP, he said IFAD was providing a $22 million loan on highly concessional terms and a $400,000 grant, adding that the organisation would continue to work closely with the government in accelerating the development of the country.
For his part, the Resident Representative of the ADB, Mr Alieu Jeng, disclosed that the bank, which started its operations in the country in 1973, had, as of the close of last year, expended $1.7 billion on 78 projects in the country.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Sumani Nayina, on behalf of the chiefs and people, expressed appreciation to the government and the development partners for their immense support.
He entreated the people to ensure that the prevailing peace in the area was sustained to attract more development initiatives.
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