Advertisement

Mr Hardi Tuferu (2nd right), Deputy Minister of Food and Agricture in charge of Livestock, cutting the tape to inaugurate the market• Inset: Entrance to the Gushegu Livestock Market
Mr Hardi Tuferu (2nd right), Deputy Minister of Food and Agricture in charge of Livestock, cutting the tape to inaugurate the market• Inset: Entrance to the Gushegu Livestock Market

Gushegu Livestock Market inaugurated

livestock market to enhance livestock mobility and trading in the Eastern Corridor Area of the Northern Region and across the West Africa sub-region has been inaugurated at Gushegu.

Known as the Gushegu Livestock Market located in the Gushegu Municipality of the Northern Region, it is also to help boost the production of quality livestock and create jobs along the livestock value chain.

The market, said to have been constructed at an estimated cost of about GH¢600,000, was made possible through a collaboration between the Ghana Development Communities Association (GDCA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and the Gushegu Municipal Assembly.

It was funded by Acting for Life (AFL), France, the European Union (EU) and the French Development Agency (AFD), with the objective to support livestock mobility for better access to resources and markets in Ghana and West Africa in general.

The livestock market

The market that was made operational in April, last year but could not be officially opened during that period as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic until last Tuesday, is said to have also helped improve tremendously the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) of the assembly and boosted the local economy.

The market was jointly inaugurated by the Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Mr Hardi Tuferu, the Gushe-Naa (Paramount Chief of Gushegu), Naa Abdulai Mahamudu Shitobu I and the AFL project manager for Ghana, Ms Annabelle Powell.

Speaking at the inauguration held at the market, Mr Tuferu, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nanton in the Northern Region, said the project was in line with the government's
Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) programme that seeks to develop a competitive and efficient livestock industry to increase production, reduce meat import and create jobs along the livestock and poultry value chain.

He said that trade among countries in the sub region was estimated to generate over $73.5 million annually from livestock and cereals and create more than 20 million jobs.

Modern abattoir

Mr Tuferu appealed to development partners to assist the government to establish a modern abattoir with cold storage and transportation facilities in the northern sector of the country.

He said with the establishment of such a facility, animals would be slaughtered, stored, well packaged and transported in appropriate vehicles to various markets in the country.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Gushegu, Mr Yaja Dawuni Robert, said since the market became operational in April, last year, it had more than doubled the IGF of the assembly,
saying as of September 2021, the total IGF collected from the livestock market was GH¢95,398.50 bringing the total IGF collected to GH¢207,865.42.

Partners

The Board Chairman for the GDCA, Dr Osaman Al-Hassan, lauded the collaboration among all partners which brought the project into fruition, saying it will enhance livestock trade in the sub-region and be a catalyst for stakeholders to work together in harmony to boost agro pastoralism, as well as enhance environmental management.

The Executive Director of the AFL, Mr Bertrand Lebel, also commended all partners of the project for working hard to ensure the success of the project that aimed at developing livestock mobility and trading in the sub-region.

Other partners in the project including the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), in a solidarity message, said the project would boost the local economy, enhance integration between Ghana and its neighbouring countries and contribute to the reduction of conflicts between pastoralists and local farmers.

Connect With Us : 0242202447 | 0551484843 | 0266361755 | 059 199 7513 |