Gov’t poised to transform Savannah zone through agriculture

Gov’t says it is committed to creating employment, decreasing importation of foods that can be produced competitively in Ghana and ultimately reducing rural poverty in the Savannah SADA Zone.

It has, therefore, approved key strategic documents for both national poverty reduction and for agriculture sector development.

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Seth Terkper echoes government pledges of its unflinching support towards ensuring accelerated transformation of the three Northern Savannah Ecological Zone through development of agri-business at the opening of a three-day workshop in Accra organized by the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) on Monday, June 21.

“We at the ministry wish to express our keen support for SADA and fits effort at transforming the agriculture sector in the zone; it is intended to be different from several talk shop by providing a workable plan for all of us to mobilize resources and efforts to revitalize agriculture in the SADA Zone.”

The 3-days workshop dubbed “The SADA Agriculture Investment Workshop” (AIW) was on the theme: “Accelerated Transformation of the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone through Agriculture “formed part of measures to eradicate poverty within Northern Savannah Ecological Zone.

According the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Minuru, the workshop seeks to tackle key issues and challenges confronting agriculture sector in Ghana and attract investors into the SADA zone through Agriculture-led investment drive capable of bringing positive change within the SADA zone.

It brought together various stakeholders in the Agriculture Industry in Ghana and beyond with a clearly set agenda which is “Lifting the Savannah, Lifting Ghana: Agricultural Led Transformation of the SADA Zone”.

“At the end of the day, there’s going to be a roadmap to be scaled down to specific investment areas to for investors take advantage of in the zone” said Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Minuru.

The SADA zone comprises the Upper East, Upper West, Northern Region including some parts of the Brong Ahafo Region and the Volta according to reports have been the worst hit of poverty in Ghana despite availability of enormous resources left untapped.

Addressing participants at the conference, Minister of Finance, Hon. Seth Terkper hinted gov’t is committed to unearth the potential of the northern Savannah Ecological Zone through promoting:

1. The development of agri-business clusters in the SADA Zone.

2. The finance and development of key irrigation schemes such as the Pwalugu Irrigation Scheme

3. The development of Aquaculture and water transportation to link production centers to market centres and

4. The development of modern agri-business processing industries and the up and down stream supply chains of key products to developed.

This, according to the Minister, will help tackle most of the numerous challenges that bedevils government’s ambition for the SADA Zone including: lack of medium to long-term financing to farmers in general, poor infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, roads to connect production centres in the south and the sub-region, desertification and climate change, high cost of inputs and low use of technology among others.