Programme to address challenges in agric in northern sector launched
A five-year development programme aimed at addressing challenges in the agriculture sector in northern Ghana has been launched in Tamale.
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The US$11.4 programme titled, “Northern Ghana Governance Activity,” would be funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The programme which will run from 2016 to 2021, is projected to equip about 1.5 million people in 26 districts in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
It would not only control development in agriculture in selected communities but also improve governance at the local level in the beneficiary regions.
A consortium, led by Care International and includes Action Aid Ghana, SEND Ghana and the West Africa Network for Peace-building in Ghana (WANEP) is to implement the Northern Ghana Governance Activity programme.
Outcome
Under the programme, the capacities of key actors in decentralised agricultural establishments would be integrated and improved to allow for effective coordination.
It is also expected that women’s participation in local governance would have been enhanced and their access to agricultural information and opportunities improved such that there would be heightened community dialogue and consensus building.
This is to prevent conflicts in order that development made in the agriculture sector would be sustained.
Significance
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Abdullah Abubakari, who launched the initiative in Tamale, expressed the hope that the programme when sucessfully implemented, would help boost agric production and also enhance income levels of farmers in order to reduce poverty and ensure food security and nutrition in northern Ghana.
“I see the intervention as timely and an opportunity to develop agriculture in the north of the country to bridge social gaps and living standards,” he said.
Mr Abubakari recommended that the programme collaborates with the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) for its effective implementation and pledged the support of the Regional Coordinating Council in ensuring that the programme was successful.
The USAID Mission Director, Mr Andy Karas, said the project exemplified the ideals of the agency and would improve community participation in governance and in agricultural growth, particularly for women.
The Chief of Party of Care International, Mr Michael Alandu, said if the programme is successfully delivered it would strengthen the country’s decentralised structures in agriculture at regional and district levels, improve accountability and ensure efficiency in the performance of the structures.