Vea and Tono Irrigation dams to be rehabilitated

Mr Fiifi Kwetey, Minister of Agriculture, on Thursday said the Vea and Tono Irrigation dams in the Upper East Region would soon see massive rehabilitation and restructuring.

Mr Kwetey said the plan was part of efforts by the government to transform the agricultural sector to help address food security and improve livelihoods of the people.

He said the government was going to do that in collaboration with the World Bank and USAID.

The Agricultural Minister made this known in Bolgatanga during the launch of the Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) Project being implemented by the Canadian Hunger Foundation (CHF) and Association of Church-based development (ACDEP) with funding from Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).

The Minister indicated that the project’s objective of improving livelihoods for smallholder farm families was in tandem with the country’s effort at addressing food insecurity and poverty and added that the move was beginning to receive the needed results.

He said the country’s performance in poverty eradication was impressive and though there were still challenges in the three regions of the north and some parts of the southern regions in terms of poverty, the project was going to bring growth in household income from diversified sources.

He said the RESULT project offered a transformative and sustainable solution to the causes of lack of sufficient nutritious food and vulnerability to food shortages in the northern regions and that would enhance the promotion of community and household resilience to external shocks and stress.

Mr Nirvin Orange, Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, was appreciative of Canada’s association with government of Ghana to address agriculture and food security challenges and urged all stakeholders to work hard for the success of the project.

Mr Malex Alebkiya, Executive Secretary of ACDEP, acknowledged the efforts of government in building dams and dugouts for irrigation in the region and said RESULT would increase effective utilization of the water resources.

He asked partners of RESULT project to liaise with the Fisheries Commission for the education of beneficiary communities to be abreast with policies and regulations on fishing.

The RESULT Project to be implemented in selected communities in the Upper East and Upper West Regions is targeting 120,000 men and women farmer households, with an estimated 21,000 farmers targeted at increasing productivity and production from crop and fish farming and animal rearing.

Five thousand households made up of 80 per cent women would also be supported with income generating activities to supplement their households and another 710 men and women intermediaries would receive capacity building training to support the project in the communities.