The French government is investing to boost the agricultural sector in northern Ghana through two transformative projects, the Agricultural Water Management Project (AWMP) and the Boost Ecological Transition Towards Enhanced Revenue (BETTER) in Northern Ghana project.
The two projects are co-funded by the French government through the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union under the EU Ghana Agriculture Programme (EU-GAP).
The 47 million euros AWMP is being implemented in 18 districts in three regions-Upper West, North East and Savannah Regions.
At least 1,000 hectares of irrigable land would be developed under that project, which would directly benefit at least 6,000 smallholder families.
As part of that project, eight new dams would be constructed, ten existing dams would be rehabilitated and over 45 boreholes would be developed for irrigation purposes.
Ninety communities in nine districts of all five regions in the north would also benefit from the 19.5 million Euros BETTER project impacting the lives of about 45,000 beneficiaries comprising at least 40 per cent of women and youth.
Under the project, actors in four selected value chains – Soybeans, Shea, beekeeping, and vegetables would be supported with production, processing and storing inputs to enhance productivity.
Speaking at a ceremony in Wa to introduce the project to stakeholders in the beneficiary regions, Mr Jules-Armand Aniambossou, the French Ambassador to Ghana, emphasized the need for developing countries to determine development priorities for external support.
He said the AWMP and BETTER project were part of the French and Ghana government’s partnership built on mutual respect, reciprocity, and equality.
Mr Aniambossou said the EU-GAP was an example of how the cooperation and development between the Western countries, especially France and the African countries should be, allowing the developing countries to define their priority areas for the partnership.
“In this project (EU-GAP), you (Ghana) decided what is important for your country and I like the way when you talk about agriculture, you feel it, you are sincere … very focused,” he explained.
He explained that investments by the French government in the country were focused on addressing issues of climate change as well as gender and that the AWMP and BETTER projects were geared towards addressing those issues.
Mr Eric Opoku, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, observed that limited infrastructure, access to essential inputs and weak integration within the agricultural value chain were some challenges in the sector.
He explained that the government’s “Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda” (AITA) formed part of measures to address those challenges and to drive growth and modernisation of that sector.
The Minister indicated that the joint AFD and EU-funded AWMP and BETTER projects were aligned with the national vision of modernising and boosting the agricultural sector through interventions such as a yet-to-be-launched Feed Ghana Programme and the AITA project.
Ms Clementine Dardy, the AFD Country Director, Ghana, reiterated the commitment of the Agency to creating opportunities and improving the livelihoods of people through inclusive and sustainable agriculture focusing on rural settlements.
“These projects are Ghana projects, driven by national priorities, led by international institutions, and connected to capable partners on the ground and connected to the population in the end.
So, let us keep investing in people, in land, in partnerships, for a greener, fairer, and more resilient future for those in Ghana,” she explained.
Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister gave the assurance that the Regional Coordinating Council would support the successful implementation of the project to help enhance the region’s agricultural production.
Sourec : GNA
