(From left), Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Ken Ofori Atta, Jutta Urpilainen with other officials displaying the signed documents
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) has provided a grant of €44.7 million to boost Ghana’s agriculture sector.
The grant will be used for the implementation of the Agricultural Water Management Project (AWMP) which supports the expansion of irrigated agriculture lands in the northern regions.
The project will be managed by the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) as the implementing partners.
Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and the AFD Country Director, Christophe Cottet, exchanged signed documents on the project while the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the French Ambassador to Ghana, Anne-Sophie Ave, co-signed the agreement.
The agreement was signed as part of the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen’s official visit to Ghana.
Ms Urpilainen reiterated the EU’s commitment to help the country improve its agriculture, especially in rural communities.
She described AWMP as “an ambitious and important investment which will boost the socio-economic development of regions in northern Ghana, essential for the development and stability of the country.”
Ms Urpilainen reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to support the agriculture sector in Ghana in order to improve the quality of life of communities, especially in the north of the country.
Mr Ofori-Atta said given that the agriculture sector was a critical component of the economy, the intervention by the EU and the AFD in support of irrigation infrastructure would dove-tail into sustainable development.
“We are truly delighted to sign the AWMP because it goes to the very heart of our people’s livelihoods,” he said.
Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said AWMP would help address the development gap in northern Ghana.
He noted that the project would contribute to the development of resilient and sustainable agricultural production in 11 districts in the Upper West Region, two in North-East and one in Savannah.
Dr. Akoto noted that the AWMP aligns with the government’s one village, one dam (1V1D) policy meant to ensure all-year-round food production in the rural communities.
He urged all partners to remain committed to the project to ensure that it made the desired impact on the targeted beneficiaries.
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri