Institutions give thumps up to the Gov't

Accra, Dec. 4, GNA - The Executive Heads of three Rome-based institutions have praised the Government for its remarkable achievement at reducing hunger in the country and enhance growth of the economy. Dr Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Mr Lennart Bage, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Mr James Morris, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), said they were impressed by the Government's efforts and pledged to forge stronger partnership with it. This was when they paid a courtesy call of President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, on Monday.

They were in Ghana to assess the impact of their programmes on the lives of the people and visited the Northern parts of the country. Dr Diouf said the school-feeding programme introduced by the Government and the irrigation and animal production systems, it was pursuing in the North were very laudable.

On his part, Mr Bage said the IFAD was strongly committed to the country's development.

He said they would therefore work in partnership with the Government in a way that would be most useful and beneficial, adding that, agricultural growth would be made the main focus of their programme in the country in the coming year. "The agricultural programme, Ghana is following is truly dynamic", he declared.

Mr Morris noted that there could not be any greater investment than to ensure the health of mothers and children. He said it was therefore gratifying that the Government was powerfully addressing this critical and important issue. President Kufuor said the Government was determined to meet the Millennium Development Goals through modernisation and commercialisation of its agriculture.

He said their mission was to take the country out of poverty by the end of the decade and the way to do this was to start by improving the agricultural sector.

It was on the basis of this that on its own, it was building small dams, providing improved seedlings and giving out small loans to farmers.

President Kufuor said the country was looking to its partners to help it to apply modern skills, science and technology to its agriculture.

He said he was happy with plans by the three institutions to set up a Humanitarian Response Depot in Ghana, something he noted, should convince anyone that the country was in indeed on the right path. The Executive Heads, who have been in the country since last Thursday, leave for their base on Tuesday.