PFJ To Reduce Rice Imports

Some rice farmers at work

PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO has tipped the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme to help reduce the importation of rice into Ghana.

Last year, through the programme, 785,000 tons of rice was milled.

Speaking at the Results Fair organized by the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation, Tuesday in Accra, he said, “By 2022 our country would be self-sufficient in the production of rice. We have also had two bumper years of produce, and, last year, we did not import, unlike in previous years, a single grain of maize. On the contrary, we are now a net exporter of food stuffs.”

1D1F

Under this component, the president said so far, 181 factories were being constructed and were at different stages of completion across the country.

“Currently 58 factories, under the scheme, are functioning. Another 26 are under construction, with another 26 pipeline projects set to commence implementation by the first quarter of 2020. In addition to the implementation of the automotive policy, with the setting up of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and the Ghana Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GISDEC), our Industrialisation Agenda will soon be realised,” he added.

Free SHS

On this he said about 1.2 million students had been enrolled, even though pundits criticized and described the initiative as impossible.

Restoration of allowances

“The allowances of nursing and teacher trainees that were scrapped by the Mahama government have been restored and the 307 ambulances, i.e. One-Ambulance-One-Constituency, will be commissioned by me on January 28, 2020, for nationwide distribution,” he added.

Employment created

To date, 100,000 graduates have been employed through the Nation Builders’ Corps; while 54,892 healthcare workers have been employed; and 66,357 teachers have gotten jobs since the NPP came into office.

He added that the “One-Village-One-Dam” programme, and the Zongo Development Fund and the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), were being pursued to stimulate job creation opportunities across the country.

“We have embraced the application of digital technology in the delivery of public services, like the paperless system at the ports, the mobile interoperability system and the national digital addressing property system,” he added.