Day: June 11, 2024

The Nigeria Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative (NWAPDI) has announced its decision to dissociate from the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) due to the exclusion of its members.

Ms. Omolara Svensson, the National Coordinator and President of NWAPDI, in a press conference on Tuesday, said this move was necessary following the ongoing leadership tussles within the organisation.

She stated that during her tenure as Head of Women in Agriculture for the Oyo State AFAN chapter, she made several efforts to address these issues.

‘After careful consideration and deliberation, we have decided to part ways with AFAN.

‘However, despite my initiatives, the persistent lack of meaningful inclusion and recognition of women within AFAN undermined NWAPDI’s core objectives.’

According to her, the continuous leadership disputes within AFAN created an unstable and counterproductive environment, making effective collaboration increasingly challenging.

She noted that NWAPDI, established as N
igeria’s foremost organisation exclusively for women in the agricultural sector, aims to empower and support women across production, processing, trade, and commerce.

She also emphasised that the organisation focuses on ensuring that women have a significant and influential role in shaping Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.

‘By standing independently, we believe we can more effectively advocate for the interests of women farmers and drive meaningful change within the agricultural sector,’ she said.

‘NWAPDI will continue its efforts to support and uplift women in agriculture through various programs, initiatives, and advocacy efforts, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of Nigeria’s agricultural industry.’

Svensson stated that NWAPDI remains committed to its mission of fostering a robust and inclusive agricultural sector where women play a leading and decisive role.

On improving the lives of rural women farmers, the national coordinator mentioned significant strides made in empowering women
in Katsina and other geopolitical zones by providing essential resources.

‘In Lagos, where aqua farming is prevalent, the organisation supplied women with vegetable seedlings, fish feed, and chicken feed.

‘Similar initiatives have been carried out in Kwara State, and plans are underway to reach Ekiti and Osun States soon.

‘Additionally, empowering women farmers have been active in Imo State and are preparing to launch programs in Kogi State.

‘A key initiative includes a safety training program scheduled for tomorrow, in collaboration with other associations.

‘This training aims to address the financial losses women face due to inadequate safety measures on farms and in processing plants.’

She commended the First Lady’s efforts in promoting small home gardens, saying this had encouraged both youths and mothers to engage in home gardening, regardless of their professional backgrounds.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that AFAN has seen series of crises in the past due to leadership tussle involving som
e members of the board of trustees, leading to the emergence of factions.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Moroccan Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan has launched in the Lamharza Essahel Commune under the El Jadida Province, the construction works of the Casablanca seawater desalination plant, the largest plant of its kind in Africa.

The plant will have an annual production capacity of 300 million m3 and a beneficiary population estimated at 7.5 million inhabitants.

This project is in line with the interest and High Solicitude that His Majesty King Mohammed VI attaches to the strategic issue of water, particularly in the current context marked by a significant rainfall deficit and very strong pressure on conventional water resources in the various regions of the Kingdom.

It is an integral part of the ‘Improving water supply’ axis of the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program 2020-2027, launched in 2020 by His Majesty the King, at a total cost of 143 billion dirhams.

The future plant, which will meet the growing demand for water in Greater Casablanca, the cities of Settat, Berrechid, Bir Jdid and the
surrounding regions, will be built in two phases on a 50-hectare site and will require an overall investment of 6.5 billion dirhams, mobilized through a public-private partnership.

During the first phase, scheduled to be commissioned at the end of 2026, the station should reach a capacity of 548,000 m3 of treated water per day (200 million m3 per year), expandable, in a second phase (planned for mid-2028) to 822,000 m3 per day, or an additional 100 million m3 per year, including 50 million for agricultural use.

This major project involves the construction of a reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant and the installation of a system to transport the drinking water produced, comprising three pumping stations, three storage tanks and a distribution network of almost 130 kilometers of supply pipes.

This drinking water transport system will require an investment of 3 billion dirhams financed by public funds.

The latest-generation Casablanca seawater desalination plant will comprise two 1,850-meter-long sea
water intake pipes, a 2,500-meter-long discharge outfall, reverse osmosis desalination facilities (pressure filters and microfilters), a sludge treatment unit, a control and management center and pumping stations, in addition to a storage reservoir for the drinking water produced.

With a drinking water production cost estimated at 4.48 DH/m3, the future plant will be 100% powered by renewable energy and its management will be fully automated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Hassan Ayariga, Founder and Leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), has asked the Government to halt the fast-depreciating Ghana cedi to avert economic hardships facing the citizenry.

According to him the depreciation of the Cedi had led to increased costs of imported goods and services, contributing to inflation and economic instability.

Dr Ayariga said this at a press conference in Accra on the depreciation of the Cedis against major currencies.

He said the depreciation of the Cedi had become a major source of worry, economic hardship, and pain especially for Ghanaian business owners, pensioners, traders, and businesses that depended on the dollar or foreign inflows.

He noted that the pressure on the Cedi remained high, with its year-to-date depreciation against the US dollars standing at 5.5 percent as at the end of April, higher than the 4.2 percent recorded over the same period last year, adding that, that weakness was unusual in an election year.

Dr Ayariga asked the Government to restore the
strength of the Cedi by implementing policies that promoted economic stability, ‘reducing corruption and mismanagement of resources, and investing in key sectors such as production, manufacturing and industrialisation’.

He also called on the Government to ban forex trading, shutdown businesses that charged in dollars, stop the quotation and awards of contracts in dollars, ban opening of foreign currency accounts and close foreign currency accounts.

Additionally, government must stop all hotels, businesses, airlines, landlords, schools, automobile companies and shipping lines from quoting and charging in foreign currencies.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some ‘unscrupulous’ individuals have disconnected the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) and other state offices from the national electricity grid at Sekondi.

The Incident affected power supply to institutions like the Passport Office, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the St. Paul’s Anglican Church at Sekondi.

It had also left some residents across the sub-metro without power, affecting essential services like hospitals, schools, and offices among others.

Checks by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) revealed that the incident was believed to have been carried out by highly skilled cybercriminals, who stole key transmitter switches from critical infrastructure sites and drained the oil from the two transformer switches.

Mr Awal Boye, Western Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), confirming the incident to the GNA said the unidentifie
d persons vandalised a 200kVA ground-mounted transformer which served the area.

He said the individuals drained the oil from the two transformer switches resulting in the power outage at the WRCC.

He noted that: ‘The incident might be motivated by financial gain, as the theft of critical infrastructure equipment could be sold on the black market, but we have reported to the police and investigations are being carried out.’

Mr Boye advised the public to be vigilant and report any suspected unusual activity around ECG installations to the police or the ECG to avoid such occurrences.

Meanwhile, he urged the residents to remain calm while they worked tirelessly to restore power to the affected areas.

A resident who spoke with the GNA said, ‘This is a major breach of security, and we are taking this matter very seriously. The ECG must work with agencies and cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack and restore power to the affected areas as quickly as possible.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

A report on the country’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) has recommended a long-term investment in establishing a local input manufacturing industry to structurally transform the agriculture sector.

The report stated that the local manufacturing of inputs, especially fertilizers, was important to offset the unintended consequences of import uncertainties on the availability and affordability of inputs for farmers.

‘Investment priorities should be on sustainable intensification methods that are less dependent on imported inputs,’ the report stated.

The recommendation was made at a validation and dissemination workshop of a report on PFJ and One District, One Industry (1D1F) in the Southern Belt of Ghana.

The report was commissioned by the Third Network-Africa through desk review in 2021, a reconnaissance study in August 2022, and a three-phased primary data collection in May to July, 2023 as a basis for policy advocacy.

The primary data collection took place in Gomoa East, West, and Central in the Centr
al region.

The study evaluated the overall PFJ intervention as implemented in these districts and focused on the interventions in maize and sweet potato farming.

The report presented by Dr Faustina Obeng, Lead Reseracher for the study, called for an effective and sustainable output market to make the gains in improved productivity reflect in the availability of food for the home markets.

‘Effective aggregation and distribution modalities are needed to connect areas of high production to areas of low production but high demand,’ the report said.

The report also called for a mass input subsidy programme with a selectively credible scheme to ensure the sustainability and equitability of the initiative.

The findings of the report, among others, revealed that the PFJ intervention subsidized an allocated quantity of inputs to be distributed to farmers and the establishment of a mass, partially credible scheme to make inputs available to farmers.

Touching on the linkages between the PFJ and the 1D1F initiative
s, Dr Obeng said the linkages between agriculture and manufacturing did not automatically translate to actual linkages on the ground without concrete plans of action.

The report recommended that intentionality was key to articulating linkages between agriculture and manufacturing for structural economic transformation.

‘Agro-processing should focus on crops for which industry was needed to process surplus produce or crops for which processing was needed to make it easily consumable, the report said.

The government launched the PFJ and the 1D1F initiatives in 2017 to boost the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, respectively, and foster their transformative potential for the economy.

The PFJ aimed to expand and enhance agricultural and manufacturing production across the country to strengthen domestic food production and create jobs.

The 1D1F aimed at providing a fast-track mechanism for reviving and establishing the domestic manufacturing industry and capacity.

Dr Yaw Graham, Coordinator, TWN Africa,
said the report was to help stakeholders contribute to the structural economic transformation and stop the dependence on raw agricultural products.

He said it was imperative for the country to optimize what we produce and stabilize the imported goods, as well as evaluate the implementation of the two initiatives and address challenges associated with them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Heaven Investment Chapel International (HIC) has held an outreach programme to reach out to the lost souls within the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region.

The week-long event saw activities such as ‘Good-Works Camp’ that was aimed to prepare the missionaries for the task ahead in the various villages, Salvation Walk within the principal streets of Akatsi, free eye screening for the aged, and others.

Senior Servant Prosper Jomens Matsi, the Founder and Leader of the Church, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the event was targeted at bringing the lost souls to Christ for eternal life.

He said the activities which recorded over thousand souls, were characterised by Awarding some individuals for their hard work and excellence, and teaching of some vocational skills such as making soap, liquid soap, and washing powder.

Touching on the word of God to climax all activities at Wlitey-Matsikope, Senior Servant Jomens, urged participants to embrace Jesus in all their dealings.

‘Jesus came to rescue s
inners but not the righteous. Let’s remember that a sinful person must not be condemned because they are that Jesus loves most so they could repent from their sinful ways.’

He charged believers to desist from discriminating among themselves since there was no righteous person on earth.

Senior Servant Matsi also urged all new converts to have faith in their savior Jesus Christ.

Togbe Matsi V, the Chief of Wlitey-Matsikope who witnessed the occasion, commended HIC for the initiative and appealed to individuals and organisations to assist the Akatsi Branch of the Church in completing the ongoing mega chapel building project.

Togbe Matsi also pledged his support in diverse ways to ensure the growth of the Church.

There was a ‘Love Boutique’ for participants who were allowed to pick free items such as clothes, shoes, bags, and others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the Nutekpor Naval Training Command, Tuesday embarked on a familiarisation tour of units in the Region.

The FOC, who is the Garrison Commander, was in the company of Lieutenant Colonel Jalali Din Ibrahim, Commander Rear of the 66 Artillery Regiment and other senior officers of the Naval Training Command.

The Flag Officer Commanding first called on Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister before meeting with heads of major Universities in the Region including the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), and the Ho Technical University.

He also had a brief meeting with executives and members of the Ghana Journalists Association in the Volta and Oti Regions before heading to the Volta Barracks, where a special Quarter Guard was mounted in his honour.

The FOC hosted a durbar for all ranks of the barracks at the tail end of the tour.

During the meeting with the Volta GJA, which was monitored by the Ghana News Agency, he said
the essence of the visit was to build synergy with opinion leaders and decision makers in promoting a peaceful environment.

He commended the media for exceptional support in projecting the naval training command and expressed hope for further collaboration.

‘The feedback is that you’ve helped in projecting the naval training command and we want the good job to continue. As a Command, upon the assumption of command it was thought that we have to conduct a familiarisation to our units in the Volta Region.

‘So, we are here to establish contact with opinion leaders in the Region to forge a common purpose identify areas of interest that we can build up, and if there are any differences, we find a way of solving it amicably.

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‘So, the purpose is to join forces with you to create the peaceful environment that we are currently enjoying, and if there are any hitches anywhere, we find a nice way of solving it.’

Mr. Emmanuel Agbaxode, Chairman of the GJA in the Volta and Oti Regions, said the visit was a ‘t
estament to the strong bonds of friendship between the GJA and nation’s security agencies.’

He praised the existence of a cordial relationship between the media fraternity and the army, and said, ‘the visit should lead to a more fulfilling relationship.’

The Regional Chairman appealed to the Command to support the Association complete the ongoing Volta Press Centre project and extended an invitation to the security agency to attend this year’s media awards ceremony.

Mr. Agbaxode pledged on behalf of the media, ‘assistance in any manner in ensuring utmost peace, especially, during this election year.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

WENSAH International Foundation, a Sunyani-based Non-Governmental Orgainsation has adopted two visually impaired siblings in the area, pledging to cater for their educational and social needs.

Touched by their predicament, following a Ghana News Agency (GNA) report on the vulnerable children, the Foundation, that commits to promoting sustainable development, fosters culture of compassion, promised to do everything possible for the children to live meaningful lives.

The parents of Gloria Pomaa Peprah, 18 years, and her younger brother Ransford Acheampong Yeboah, eight years, confirmed that their children were not born blind, but lost their sight while growing up.

They said the two had gained admission at the Blind Unit of the Bechem School for the Deaf.

Their elder sister, Sandra Aniniwaa, 25 years, also a visually impaired had completed and pursued vocational training at the Akropong School for the Blind, however, she remained indoors, because of lack of seed capital to start her business.

Mr Isaac Osei
Amponsah, the Chief Executive Officer, WENSAH International Foundation, made the promise when he donated some items and educational materials to the children at their residence at GreenField, near Abesim in the Sunyani Municipality.

The items covered the prospectus of the children and comprised of two student mattresses, tins of milo, detergent, medicated soaps, boxes of milk, sugar, washing powders, sponges and towels, pomades, toothpaste and brushes, buckets, chop boxes, toiletries, books, and pens, among others.

‘Life is extremely unfair if you look at the predicaments of this family. Putting smiles on the faces of vulnerable children like these is what we stand for people.

‘Acheampong told me he wants to be a lawyer and we are determined to ensure that his dreams become a reality,’ Mr Amponsah stated.

Ms Naomi Pomaa, the mother of the three siblings thanked the foundation for the gesture and appealed for more support towards the proper upbringing and development of the children.

‘We have visited seve
ral hospitals and eye clinics; however, their condition keeps worsening,’ she stated. Mrs Pomaa, a petty trader, also appealed to the government and other NGOs, philanthropic individuals, and organisations to come to their aid.

Aniniwaa, the elder sister, also appealed for support, saying she required a ‘container’ shop to begin her business and to assist in the upkeep of the family.

She told the GNA with a start-up capital, she would be able to produce and sell local soap, washing powder, as well as pastries and sachet water.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Eric Bentil Quaye, Director, Plant and Protection Regulatory Services Department (PPRSD), has called on industry players to adhere to stringent plant health standards to safeguard international trade and prevent the spread of invasive pests.

He said plants were the cornerstone of global food security, supplying 80 per cent of food, yet it was alarming that up to 40 per cent of crops were lost annually to pests and diseases.

Mr Quaye was speaking at the International Day of Plant Health Celebration 2024 in Ghana, on the theme, ‘Plant Health, Safe Trade and Digital Technology.’

The global event is scheduled for May 12 each year but the Ghana version had to be postponed due to the ban on drumming and noise making by the Ga traditional council.

The objective is to create awareness on the importance of plant protection in reducing hunger and poverty, safeguarding biodiversity and the environment, as well as boosting economic development.

He said in recent times, climate change and ecosystem balance had be
come a major issue of concern, and that the pressing issue of climate change underscored the importance of plant health.

‘Plants, the lungs of our earth, are integral to mitigating the effects of this global crisis. They absorb carbon dioxide, regulate weather patterns, and sustain the green fabric of our ecosystem,’ he added.

He said the repercussions of plant diseases regarding the economic impact and trade were staggering, with losses amounting to approximately USD 220 billion.

Mr. Quaye said the health of the environment, animals, and ourselves were interconnected, ensuring the health of plants was a step towards preventing plant pests and diseases and maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.

He said PPRSD as the National Plant Protection Organisation for Ghana and the official contact point for the International Plant Protection Convention had a massive obligation to keep plants healthy by protecting them from pest and disease infestations.

‘Key amongst them is the performing of Sanitary and Phytos
anitary activities across 54 entry and exit points, put in place robust Pest Risk Analysis tools that are used to assess the risk associated with every plant product imported into Ghana, among others,’ he added.

Mr. Paul Siameh, Chief Director, Ministry for Foods and Agriculture (MOFA), said Plants played a fundamental role in the complex connection between humans, animals and the environment, sustaining all forms of life on earth.

‘The foods we eat are predominantly plant based, even the animals we eat depend on plants as feed. Plants provide more than 98 per cent of the oxygen we breathe, serve as an important source of medicine and a tool for medical research,’ he added.

The Chief Director of MOFA said agriculture in Ghana was dominated by the crop sector which contributed over 65 per cent of agricultural Gross Domestic Product to feed the constantly increasing human population which was estimated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.

He added that to end hunger, alleviate poverty, boost economic growth and pr
otect biodiversity, there was a need to raise awareness on plant health.

Mr. Siameh said plant pests destroyed up to 40 per cent of global crops produced annually threatening food security and livelihood of millions especially the most vulnerable class who solely depended on crop production.

He said the Government had been spending millions of cedis to procure insecticides for distribution to farmers to mitigate the impact of the pest.

Mr. Siameh said the introduction and spread of the pests were facilitated by human activities through movement of plant materials in trade, travel and tourism.

He added that the changing climate was also facilitating the spread and establishment of these pests by modifying natural boundaries, creating a more favourable environment for pests to survive and reducing their developmental time allowing for several generations in a year.

He added that currently, plant pests such as Banana bunchy top virus, fusarium wilt TR4, Cassava brown streak virus, Citrus greening disease, X
yllela fastidiosa were threatening production and utilisation of Banana, Cassava and Citrus anywhere they were introduced and encouraged stakeholders to work together to put in place appropriate measures to prevent the introduction of the pests into the country.

Mr. Siameh said the public needed to be aware of the risk of introducing plant pests when purchasing plant materials, either for trade, research or recreational purposes adding that the Government would continue to support PPRSD and other relevant institutions to predict, prevent and prepare for plant health threats.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Irchad Razaaly, the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, has expressed confidence in the potential impact of the Neem Processing Factory in the Upper West Region on smallholder farmers in the region and the country.

He said the products from the factory – neem oil, neem cake powder and neem husk mulch – were potent in promoting ecologically friendly agricultural practices and ensuring long-term agricultural sustainability.

Mr Razaaly said this in Wa during a tour of some EU project sites in the region including the Neem Processing Factory to ascertain the state of operation of the facility and a greenhouse garden cultivated with the neem products.

The EU delegation also called on the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Yakubu and the Paramount Chief of the Wala Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV to announce their presence and mission in the region.

The Neem Processing Factory known as the ‘Neem Crop Protector’ is an initiative of the EU through the grand EU Ghana Agriculture Programme (E
UGAP) and managed by the Tibourataa Women Group.

The Factory had a production capacity of 60 litres per day and was certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to produce safe bio-pesticides for effective pest control.

Mr Razaaly explained that the products from the factory such as pesticides were safe and highly affordable for agricultural production compared to the inorganic chemicals in the market.

Ms. Wasila Issah, the Factory Manager, conducted the team from the EU and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) led by Mr Razaaly around the processing facility.

She said the factory had created an alternative source of livelihood for about 600 smallholder women farmers in the region through the collection and sale of raw materials (neem seeds) for processing.

On his part, Mr Seidu Mubarak Abdulai, the Deputy Managing Director of Antika Company Limited, acclaimed the economic advantage of the neem oil pesticide over the inorganic chemicals in pest control in terms of affordability
and effectiveness.

‘With the neem oil you need to spray once, maximum twice within the farm even if you are to control fall army warm, but with the inorganic, you can spray as much as three to five times, which is more expensive considering the cost of labour,’ he explained.

At the Wa Naa palace, Mr Razaaly told the chief that the Upper West Region was the key beneficiary region of the EU cooperation in Ghana with an investment of EUR132 million in agricultural infrastructure including roads and dams as well as health facilities.

Naa Pelpuo commended the EU and its partners for the numerous projects they were undertaking in the region geared towards improving people’s livelihoods.

Mr Yakubu, thanked the EU for its continuous support to the government of Ghana to improve the economic condition of the people in the country, especially the Upper West Region.

He also appealed to the EU to consider some road intervention for the Sissala area since that belt was regarded as the major food production zone in th
e region but was left out in the 670km EUGAP feeder and farm access road project.

The team was in the region to, among other things, commission the 670 km feeder and farm access roads project funded under the EUGAP.

Source: Ghana News Agency