Day: December 1, 2023

Mr William Dzamefe, Volta Regional Director of Agriculture, said preliminary investigations has shown that over 6,740 farmers were displaced in the region due to the Akosombo Dam spillage.

The figure comprises 5,392 males and 1,348 females.

He said the spillage most affected out of the 18 districts, North Tongu, Central Tongu, South Tongu, Anloga, Keta and South Dayi while North Dayi and Kpando were minimally affected.

Mr Dzamefe, speaking in Ho during the Volta Regional edition of the 39th National Farmers’ Day celebration, said over 6000 hectares of cropped fields were affected translating into over 50,000 metric tonnes of various crops.

He said 4,700 hectares of rice, 2,500 hectares of cassava, 2,750 hectares of maize, 20 hectares of tomato, 60 hectares of shallot and onion, 260 hectares of okro ad 40 hectares of pepper were affected.

Mr Dzamefe said the Regional Department in the short term assisted farmers with planting materials and fertilizers during the next planting window to alleviate the suff
ering of farmers.

‘In the medium to long term assist farmers who have land they want to relocate to, with land preparation and development.’

Mr Dzamefe said the devastation suffered by the farmers because of the spillage called for a comprehensive database of farmers to inform the coordinated efforts towards assisting them.

He said the Department would continue to offer the needed technical support to the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) to deliver on the assurances given by many well-wishers to mitigate the suffering of the people.

Mr Dzamefe said the region continued to lead in rice production nationwide and all efforts would be implored to maintain such feat.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said the region played a pivotal role in the nation’s food security drive and Ghana would not turn its back on the region.

‘We currently produce over 23 per cent of the local rice stock which has become a major staple in the average Ghanaian diet.’

He said the Regional Department of Agr
iculture had been tasked to come out with the most pressing needs of farmers and rank them in order of priority in readiness for any intervention by the state to assist farmers.

Dr Letsa said although the devastation caused by the spillage in the short term would impact the region’s food situation, ‘we are quite sure that our next breakthrough is not far from us’.

Mr William Agbenyo, Volta Regional Director of Fisheries Commission, said the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development was implementing an Aquaculture for Food and Jobs policy where interested youth would be trained in fish farming at the National Aquaculture Centre at no cost.

He noted that all fishing vessels had Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and Automatic Information System (AIS) mounted on them for monitoring against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and safety at sea.

Mr Agbenyo said artisanal canoes were no longer just crafts navigating the seas but were now part of a comprehensive registration system.

He said t
here was an ongoing moratorium, a strategic pause lasting for three years; 2023 to 2026, aimed at temporarily restricting the entry of new canoes into the marine artisanal sector.

Award winners were Dzuepe Ngoryiyi Women Processing Group, Best Regional Processing Group, Mr Johnson Joseph Kwame, Best Regional Physically Challenged Farmer, Mr Oxford Korsi Agboli, Best Regional Youth Farmer, Madam Perfect Bekui Peace, Best Regional Female Farmer and Mr Tsakpo Raphael Hecares, Best Regional Agricultural Worker.

Others include Fish and Feeds Limited, Best Regional Fisher, Mr Ahmed Zumari, Best Regional Livestock Farmer, Mr Agboada Joseph, Best Regional Crop Farmer, Madam Amegadzi D. Abla, Best Regional Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmer, Mr Solomon Ntumi Amedza, Best Regional Most Enterprising Young Cocoa farmer and Mr Elevu George, Best Regional Cocoa Farmer.

The 2023 Volta Regional Best Farmer award went to Mr Mawuwoe Xesumali from Atsiaklorbor in the Ketu South Municipality.

Some prizes awarded were tric
ycles, assorted agro chemicals, certificates, cutlasses, bags of fertilisers, knapsack sprayers and wheel barrows.

The event was on the theme: ‘Delivering smart solutions for sustainable food security and resilience.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle Constituency, Mr Emmanuel Amarh-Kofi Buah, has asked Ghanaians for a sober reflection to appreciate and honour farmers who produced food through their sweat and toil to feed the nation as Ghana marked farmer’s day to honour her hardworking farmers.

He also reminded Ghanaians that farmers continued to be the backbone of the economy and the custodians of food security and food sufficiency.

This was in a statement issued and signed by the MP and copied to the Ghana News Agency to wish farmers a happy Farmers’ Day celebration in Takoradi.

The 39th Farmers’ Day celebration, which is underway at Tarkwa in the Western Region, is on the theme, ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience’.

The statement read in part, ‘we wholeheartedly celebrate your hard work, dedication, and the invaluable contributions you make to our society.’

Mr. Kofi Buah reminded all on this day to ‘commit ourselves to supporting our hardworking farmers with the req
uisite resources, infrastructure, right policies and support systems to flourish.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Simon Kpogo, a year-59-old farmer and a carpenter from Klokpe in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region, has been adjudged the overall Municipal Best Farmer.

This was announced by Mr Charles Grunitzky, the Akatsi South Municipal Director of Agriculture during the 39th celebration of Farmers’ Day on the theme: ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience.’

Mr Grunitzky, in an address at the Akatsi Senior High Technical School park on Friday, commended all stakeholders, including the Municipal Chief Executive and Member of Parliament for the area for expanding the awards categories.

‘As it was for last year, there was a national directive to limit the award categories to three but considering the fact that Akatsi South is an agrarian society, we decided to all six more award categories making a total of nine in all.’

Mr Grunitzky indicated that the theme for the celebration was appropriate to enable farmers to produce more food as well as store the excesses for use in
emergencies.

He said his outfit remained in constant touch with farmers towards offering Smart Solutions that involved the use of modern technology to increase the quality and quantity of commodities, while ‘making maximum use of resources, optimizing the human labour required as well as saving the environment.’

Mr Gruntitzky explained that the Agric Department collaborated with several Agric-related organisations and institutions in engaging farming groups, communities, and others daily for effective and productive farming seasons.

Among the collaborations was the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme in forming Savings and Loans Associations, which would improve farmers’ chances of getting financial help to aid all farming activities.

‘We have successfully formed five of such Associations at Avadre, Gornikope, Hudekope, Dzuepe, and Zuta.’

On the challenges, Mr Grunitzky called for a drying floor for rice farmers to prevent situations where rice grains were washed away because of drying at fill
ing stations.

On the awards, Exotic Farms at Akatsi took the Best Crop Farmer.

Others include Vivian Amevor, Best Livestock Farmer from Klokpui, Alex Gborsonu, Best Physically Challenged Farmer from Kporwuvi, Ebenezer Ladzekpo, Best Rice Farmer from Adeheta, Feed Nations Poultry Farm as best Poultry Farmer, Mawudeka Farms, Best Youth Farmer at Gadzekpo-Kpegbafe.

The Department also awarded some schools under the School Gardening initiative as well as two National Service persons from the Agric Department for their dedicated service.

Mr Kofitsey Martin Nyahe, MCE, Mr Bernard Ahiafor, MP, Heads of decentralised institutions and departments, assembly members, farmers, and others graced the event.

The awardees were presented with various farming equipment such as, cutlasses and hoes, boots, chemicals, spraying machines, pieces of cloth, wheelbarrows, and a tricycle.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Hilde Opoku, Programme Manager, United Nations Habitat, Ghana Smart Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Cities, says leveraging and advancing existing technologies is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Ghana.

She said leveraging technologies to achieve SDG goals involved using technology to assess how the goals could be achieved and the impact the failure to achieve the SDG could cause.

She said the use of technology was particularly relevant in achieving SDG goals 5 on gender equality and 13 on climate action.

Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to promote gender equality by eliminating all types of discrimination, violence, and harmful practices directed at women.

Sustainable Development Goal 13 aims to take urgent steps to combat climate change and its impact.

She made the remarks in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the African Youth Gender and Climate Conference, which was held at the Accra Digital Centre.

‘There are a lot of technologies that are used to
measure climate change and achieve the SDGs; some of them we need to advance, and some of them we still need to research more to make sure that the tools we are using are climate and environmentally friendly. We have

to make sure that they are designed in such a way that they can be used to further the objectives of the SDGs,” she said.

She added, ‘There is also the need to develop a technology that will help the public do their services, particularly women, in a convenient way. Ghana has really gone ahead in terms of mobile money, which has helped women in rural areas do businesses in Accra.’

She called for coordinated efforts from relevant agencies, which are in charge of actualizing SDG goals 5 and 13 by creating the enabling environment through the provision of relevant technologies needed to achieve these goals.

Mrs. Naomi Birago Opoku-Agyemang, Senior Youth Coordinator for Gender and Health at the National Youth Authority, said in her address, that the gender gap in climate action needed a reality
check to unravel the complexities surrounding gender disparities in climate initiatives.

She asked the relevant agencies in the SDG ecosystem to explore tangible solutions and actionable steps on how to engage women to achieve the SDGs in Ghana.

The new Gender Snapshot study from the UN’s gender equality organisation warns that if current trends continue, over 340 million women and girls will be living in poverty by 2030, which equates to 8% of the female population worldwide.

Nearly one in every four people will be food insecure, and at the current rate of progress, the next generation of women will still spend 2.3 hours per day on unpaid care and household chores compared to males.

Nana Adjoa Annan, co-founder of Enijie Global Foundation, said her outfit intends to organise more programmes such as these to create awareness about the relevance of women in achieving the SDGs.

She noted that the gender gap between men and women in the attainment of SDGs raises concern, as she asked for more support for wo
men to enable them to identify and advance their roles in achieving SDG goals.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Simon Peter Ofosu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Akatsi North, has commended farmers and all stakeholders in promoting agricultural activities in the District.

‘I say Ayekoo to you all. It is my prayer that you remain resolute to the course of championing the growth of agriculture in the District and Ghana as a whole.’

Mr Peter Ofosu made the appeal at Ave-Xevi in the Akatsi North District of the Volta region on Friday during the District’s celebration of the 39th Farmers’ Day.

In the face of climate change and evolving agriculture landscapes, Mr Peter Ofosu charged the farmers to strive to innovate, adapt, and implement smart solutions to ensure food security and build resilience in the agricultural sector.

‘The theme for this year is not just a catchy phrase, but a call to action,’ he said.

He further indicated that precision agriculture with the use of modern technologies such as drones, sensors, data analytics, and the empowerment of farmers was required for delivering smart solutions fo
r sustainable food security and resilience.

Mr Peter Ofosu, touching on addressing some of the challenges, said the government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic, implemented the Planting for Food and Job (PFJ)as well as the Rearing for Food and Job programmes.

He said the introduction of the second phase of PFJ was necessary after the end of phase 1 in 2022.

‘This programme is aimed at helping farmers get inputs supply and access to market through an aggregator.’

Mr Peter Ofosu further said farmers would be linked to aggregators for inputs at the onset of the farming season where the aggregators would return to buy the products of the farmers at the cost of inputs supplied without interest charges.

He also highlighted several key interventions and programmes to be rolled out by the Assembly toward providing smart solutions in the agricultural value chain.

Ms Bridget Yayra Sah, the Akatsi North District Director of Agriculture, said the tireless efforts, commi
tment, and dedication to cultivating the land had not only provided sustenance for our families ‘but have also contributed significantly to the economic growth of our district.’

‘Despite the challenges you face, you continue to toil with passion and resilience, and it is only fitting that we take a moment to honour and celebrate each one of you,’ she said.

She said the Department of Agriculture, in its pursuit of agricultural development in the District, conducted some key activities within the year.

‘As mandated, the Agricultural Extension Agents conducted 2,304 home and farm visits to our farmers to assist them with solutions to their problems.’

Ms Sah said the Department collaborated with OCP Ghana Limited to conduct to test soil samples from 300 farmers’ fields to ascertain the soil fertility status in the District.

She said the OCP group also used the opportunity to train the Department staff to understand and be able to interpret the test results and the recommendations made to farmers.

‘Within th
is programme, 12 community fora were organised by Agriculture extension agents, and 845 participants benefited from the programme.’

She outlined other key activities her outfit carried out over the period.

This year’s event was under the theme: ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience.’

Setudor Dzodzi Philip, a farmer from Nudowukope, was adjudged as the District’s Best Farmer.

Awards such as tricycle, deep freezers, Wellington boots, spraying machines, cutlasses, TV sets, and others were given to deserving farmers who excelled over the period.

The occasion witnessed colourful attendance from Chiefs, queen mothers, assembly members, heads of Departments, and several others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Government will provide financial and technical support to over 50, 000 startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in 2024, Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said

The support is under the ‘You Start’ initiative spearheaded by the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to create jobs, economic growth and prosperity for the younger population.

Vice-President Bawumia said this at the You Start Grant Export 2023 where he together with Mr Ken Ofori Atta, Finance Minister, K.T Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry and Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, CEO of GEA handed over GhS 65 million to 3, 000 beneficiaries across the 16 regions of Ghana.

The event marks just phase one of the You Start Ghana Jobs and Skills project funded by the World Bank, which seeks to address the Ghana’s unemployed youth population whilst imbibing in them entrepreneurial skills.

The Vice President said in September 2023, through the GEA, the Government approved over GhS 35 million Ghana cedis for 272 MSMEs under various components
of the Ghana Economic Transformation Project.

‘And through the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project, government will give a grant support of GhS 65 million for 3, 000 start ups and MSMSs. Total amount for beneficiaries in 2023 alone is totalling GhS 100 million,’ he said.

Dr Bawumia said the grant funding was an investment in the dreams, aspirations and potentials of the youth and through strategic partnerships government was creating an environment of possibilities where ideas flourished, businesses thrived and individuals found the means to unleash their potentials.

He said: ‘The You Start initiative ensures that the beneficiaries are not just recipients of money but are also active contributors to the socioeconomic development. We are providing an ecosystem and empowering the youth for job creation and prosperous future.’

He said a special grant package had been designed to support and empower persons with disabilities, adding that there was better future for entrepreneurs, start ups and established businesse
s.

The Vice-President said despite the global economic challenges and disruptions the Government had created 2.1 million jobs in the last seven years, better than any government in the fourth Republic and even since independence.

Madam Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, Chief Executive Officer GEA, said the government was resolute in its programme to make the Ghanaian youth and their businesses economically viable and actors of socioeconomic growth.

‘Two years ago the Government started to empower the youth with the You Start initiative and over 30, 000 people are into gainful employment across the length and breath of Ghana,’ she said.

Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said Ghana Enterprises Agency had business advisors in the district that closed the beneficiaries and would be monitoring to ensure the key performance indicators (KPIs) were met.

‘We shall continue to put them through coaching and mentoring to make sure the businesses are going according to plan. The managers of our Regional Business Advisory Centres would continue to pro
vide oversight roles,’

Source: Ghana News Agency