Veep hails decision of FAO

Accra, Dec. 5, GNA- The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Monday hailed as praiseworthy, a decision by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to create a West African Sub-Regional Office in Ghana.

He said the choice of Ghana for the office followed an earlier decision by the World Food Programme (WFP) to purchase one million dollars worth of locally grown grains annually with effect from 2006 to serve as a Sub-Regional storage warehouse.

Alhaji Mahama made this known when he hosted a dinner for the Rome-based Dr Jacques Diouf, Director-General of the FAO and his two counterparts; Mr Lennart Bage, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Mr James Morris, Executive Director of WFP.

Proposing the toast, Alhaji Mahama said the UN and allied agencies had supported efforts by Ghana towards food production.

He said one of the critical dimensions of the visit by the three UN Agencies Heads was to forge collaboration between the Government and the agencies of the world body within the framework of Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme. Alhaji Mahama said:" This collaborative effort would contribute substantially towards the accelerated attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aims at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger among other challenges."

Dr Diouf said he and his counterparts were in Ghana not by chance but in acknowledgement of the strides the country was making in all fronts, including socio-economic development and good governance. He said they were in Ghana to pay tribute to the success of the Government and the citizenry.

Dr Diouf stressed: "Ghana has made remarkable progress of meeting the food requirements of Ghanaians."

He said the School-Feeding Programme introduced by the Government was very promising since it would facilitate efforts by the country to meet the MDGs targets.

The Director General said 290,000 children were being targeted under the WHO/NEPAD feeding programme.