GHANA’s government launched an aggressive drive to rehabilitate old irrigation facilities and build new ones as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s food systems and reduce its over3 billion annual food import bill.
Speaking at the Sustainable Food System Summit organized by the United Nations Global Compact in partnership with UN Ghana and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo, said the government had taken stock of decades-old irrigation infrastructure — some dating back to the eras of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and General Acheampong — and found many were malfunctioning or operating far below capacity.
“We realised some facilities were functioning below 5% or 10%. We have started rehabilitation works. I recently cut the sod for the Ashaiman irrigation project, built in the 1960s, and we are heading to Aveyime next,” he stated.
He added that government, with support from the French and Brazilian governments and the European Union, will construct 10 new dams and rehabilitate eight existing ones.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator Zia Choudhury called for bold, urgent actions to turn food-related choices into long-term, sustainable solutions.
He urged the government to build a food system that is “sustainable, equitable, and just for all Ghanaians,” while promoting greater youth and female participation in agriculture.
Choudhury also highlighted the environmental impact of current food systems, which account for one-third of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
He stressed on the need for climate-positive production and long-term investment, as well as debt relief, to support Ghana’s transition.
“This is about more than food. It’s about our future, our climate, and our economy,” he said.
Source: Nationaltymes.com
