French Ambassador Tours Northern, Upper East Region

The French Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Jean-Michel Berrit, is on a tour of the Northern and Upper East regions from October 28 to November 1, 2002. On Monday October 28th, together with the Regional Minister, he launched a rural water and sanitation project in the Northern Region supported by the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD). The Agency's funding for this project amounts 9 million euros (72 billion cedis that is covering engineering services, works and support to be given to CWSA in Tamale and the technical services of five relevant districts.

Yesterday, Mr. Berrit visited the lowland rice development project, that is the pilot phase of a program that ultimately aims at increasing the local production of rice to meet the quality requirements of the market at prices that are competitive with imported rice. AFD participation for this project amounts to 2.3 million euros (18.5 billion cedis) of a total cost of 2.7 million euros (21 billion cedis).

He also commissioned the ADD (Action on Disability and Development) Food Processing Center for disabled people in Tamale and is expected to commission the one in Bolgatanga tomorrow. These two centers have been financed by the French co-operation (260 million cedis) in the framework of micro-projects that France supports to provide assistance for the most disabled people.

On Tuesday afternoon Mr. Berrit visited the Baga Baga Training College in Tamale, which is one of the three colleges benefiting from a project amounting to 10 billion cedis aimed at supporting the training of teachers of French at the JSS level, the two other ones being Mount Mary College in Somanya and Wesley College in Kumasi.

Navrongo is the next stop of the Ambassador's trip. Today he is expected to visit the project financed by France and set up by a French NGO, CRATERRE (Center International de la Construction en Terre) in partnership with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. This is part of the co-operation between France and Ghana in the preservation of Ghana's heritage. In 2002, French financing amounts to 190 million cedis and will amount to the same figure in 2003.

On Friday November 1, Mr. Berrit will commission the Zoolaanyili Dam in the Tolon-Kumbungu district. Thanks to this project for which France provided 125 million cedis and which is carried out in partnership with the TADO (Tamale Archdiocesan Development Office) NGO, five communities will be supplied with water.