District Assemblies lack mandatory committees on Agriculture

Ho, June 1, GNA - Members of the Volta Regional Advisory Committee on Agriculture (VORAAC) have expressed surprise at the lack of mandatory committees on agriculture in the District Assemblies considering the centrality of agriculture to the country's development.

The issue came up during the Committee's preparatory meeting at Ho last Friday before its inauguration by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), who coincidentally drew attention to the same issue later in his inaugural address.

The Committee whose mandate included advising the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) on the development of the region's agriculture observed that the non-existence of such committees in the Assemblies was a serious omission, which should be corrected. When contacted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) for his comments, Mr Emmanuel Defor, Ho District Co-ordinating Director, (DCD) said apart from the Development Planning, Finance and Administration, Works and Social Services Committees, which were statutory the Assembly had a Committee on Agriculture.

He explained that District Assemblies had the mandate to create other committees to address special situations apart from those statutorily prescribed.