UW Deputy Minister Emphasises Flagship Programmes Will Alleviate Poverty

Mr Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, has called for unwavering support towards implementation of myriad of development policies and programmes to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions, especially among rural farmers.

Programmes like; Planting for Food and Jobs, One Village One dam, One District One dam, One District One Warehouse and other flagship programmes, he echoed, were deliberately introduced by government to stimulate economic growth and ease financial burdens of the populace.

Mr Chinnia was addressing the Chiefs and people of Sankana in the Nadowli-Kaleo District during the celebration of Kalibi Festival which was on the theme: “Ghana beyond aid: the role of traditional authorities”.

About 29,349 farmers benefited from the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) in 2017 with significant increase to 117,200 farmers in 2018 and a projection of 200,000 farmers in 2019.

Under the Planting for Export and Rural Development programme, about 40,000 cashew seedlings were also provided to farmers in the region last year, according to the agriculture directorate.

The Deputy Minister told celebrants of the festival that about 100,000 seedlings would be made available to farmers in the region this year to supplement their annual yields.

“I entreat the youth of Sankana and the [Upper West] region as a whole to take advantage of arable lands coupled with subsidised fertilizer to engage in farming,” he said.

Aside the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, he added, government had introduced a new educational curricular reforms to develop the human resource capacity of the Ghanaian child.

He directed the 11 Municipal, and District Assemblies to move residents on waterways to higher grounds to avert any calamity due to flooding following the warning issued by Ghana Meteorological Department of imminent downpour.

Naa Pagranige Saakoe Mornah III, the Paramount Chief of Sankana Traditional Area, called for re-integration of the Sankana dam under the One Village, One Dam programme to boost promote dry season gardening.

He expressed gratitude to government for elevating the Sankana Chieftaincy into a Paramount status in 2017.