Hajia Alima Mahama flanked by other dignitaries at the function
The European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Adentan Municipal Assembly (AdMA) in the Greater Accra Region, the Centre for Local Governance Advocacy (CLGA) and Local Government Network (LoGNet), has launched a mushroom farming project dubbed, PROMUSH Project.
The project, which is under the theme, “Promoting Mushroom Industry in Adentan Municipality,” was launched on Wednesday at the forecourt of the Assembly in Accra.
According to the Deputy Executive Director of CLGA, Gladys Naadu Tetteh, the project is being funded by the three partners at a cost of 820,000 Euros.
The EU is contributing 660,000 Euros and counterpart funding of 160,000 Euros from the three other partners.
Ms Gladys Naadu Tetteh, who is also a Steering Committee member of the PROMUSH Project, claimed that it was expected to generate employment for about 5,500 youth, especially persons with disabilities (PWDs), among other beneficiaries living in the municipality.
Ms. Gladys Tetteh explained that the project, which has a three-year life span, is a local economic development initiative which seeks among other things, to improve the income levels of both the assembly and the farmers involved in the mushroom production.
She further mentioned that annual farmer income would also increase tremendously from the current GH¢4,000.00 to about GH¢30,000.00 by the year 2020 – “which represents a production increase of about 20%.”
Speaking on strategies to sustain the project, the deputy director stated among other methods, that they intend to construct a modern spawn laboratory under Public/Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements where farmers can source spawns and key inputs for the cultivation of the mushrooms.
“Farmers on PROMUSH have nothing to worry about as managers of the project have established an outfit for extension services, processing of the products and packaging, marketing and public education so that farmers will have little to worry about,” she assured.
A representative of the EU, who is head of Governance, Maria-Luisa Troncoso, averred that decentralization is regarded by the EU as a way of promoting local democracy and local development outcomes.
She indicated that such outcomes have the potential to reduce as well as eliminate inequalities in society, create wealth and jobs among other benefits.
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, lauded the assembly and its partners in the PROMUSH Project for initiating such a programme which according to her, ties in with government’s agenda to create more jobs for the people.
By Solomon Ofori