The canalisation of the Accra Plains is likely to take-off in earnest in June pending parliamentary approval, Dr. Ben Vas Nyamadi, Chief Executive of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA), has disclosed.
He told B&FT in an interview that the contractor will move to site as soon as the three shortlisted contractors are presented to parliament for selective tendering, in line with the country�s procurement laws.
The intended canalisation of the Accra Plains, which has been identified as a potential bread-basket, follows the pre-feasibility study carried out by STUDI of Tunisia in 2008 for 150,000 hectares gross area, out of a projected 200,000 hectares originally.
Dr. Nyamadi said 50,000 hectares was deemed not suitable for canalisation because the soil samples were not conducive for cultivation, or because of human settlement within the catchment area. He however stated that the US$1.4million provided by the Kuwaiti Fund was used before the review study, which includes the 5,000 hectares for a detailed feasibility study and design of the Plains.
The entire duration of the canalisation process is expected to take four years, Dr. Nyamadi said. However, the Studi feasibility was for a mechanism known as the pump scheme of irrigation for the open canal system which was completed in 2010.
But the authority decided that the pump system would be more expensive, because the water has to be lifted and the machines used in lifting have to be periodically maintained. Consequently, the Authority contracted NTC International Consultants from Japan through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which funded the project, to conduct pre-feasibility studies; and they identified 11,000 hectares of land that can be irrigated through the gravity pump scheme.
The canalisation of the Plains, Dr. Nyamadi explained, will be carried out in two phases. US$100million has been earmarked from the Chinese Development Bank loan of US$3billion, and the contract terms insist that 60 percent of the workforce must be Chinese while the remaining 40 percent will go to Ghanaian artisans.
Dr. Nyamadi said the plains will be used to cultivate rice and engage in agri-business. He said the plains will be given out on a private-public partnership basis, with the irrigated lands leased to interested private companies and individuals. He also mentioned the possibility of making some of the water available for communities within the Accra-Tema catchment area.
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