Wa, July 31, GNA - United Nations is collaborating with the Upper West Regional Security Council to find alternative ways of preventing conflicts and enhancing livelihoods of the people under its Human Security Programme.

Mr. Shigeki Komatsubara, Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP, said the UN had developed the programme taken into consideration that stable and secured environment are important conditions needed by countries to tackle their development challenges. He said for Ghana to make a difference in its development agenda, the development of the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions is a necessary and a determinant factor. Mr. Komatsubara said this during a meeting with the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid and members of the Regional Security Council with some officials of agencies under the UN in Wa on Thursday.

He said government and its development partners must therefore turn out good integrated development plans for the three northern regions to catch up with the south. The UN was therefore reaching out to District Security Committees and Regional Security Councils as well as local people to receive knowledge and use it to manage conflicts and secure human security to enhance development.

Mr. Komatsubara said the UN would also build the capacity of local people and would advocate for the integration of conflicts prevention and management in the development plans of district assemblies. He said the UN had noticed that lack of employment for the youth had contributed to some of the conflict situations in the north and would come out with programmes and interventions to be implemented to make them productive.

Dr. Elsaid Yeboah, Assistant Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Representative in Ghana, said FAO is collaborating with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) under its Disaster Recovery Programme to respond quickly to drought conditions and floods in the north.

He said dry season food production would be increased through the provision of boreholes and rehabilitation of existing dams in floods prone areas of the region.

The FAO would provide improved seeds and fertilizers as well as develop improved storage facilities to encourage farmers to cultivate vegetables, maize and other crops. It would also be undertaking animal husbandry, development of economic and food trees such as mangoes and dawadawa.

Mr. Khalid called for the adoption of improved technology for the building of houses for the rural people. On agriculture, he said, government had provided improved seeds, fertilizers and insecticides to farmers under the Block Farming Programme initiated by the government to increase food production this year.

He said more farmers have benefited from a 920-hectare land cultivated for maize production under the Programme. Mr. Khalid appealed to the UN to assist government with farm inputs and support food security and post harvest losses activities as well as capacity building of farmers to increase agricultural production. He said the African Development Bank was in the process of helping to provide tents and farm huts for the youth who are engaged in farming to encourage them to stay in their farms and work.