President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo
Addo has listed a number of measures his administration has earmarked for the
next 4 years in modernizing the Agriculture sector of the Ghanaian economy.
Among the plans the outlined by the
President include modernize improve production efficiency; achieve food security
and profitability for the Ghanaian farmers all aimed at significantly
increasing agriculture productivity in the country.
He also said his government will
create additional businesses and job avenues in the areas of storage; transport,
processing packaging, and marketing of agricultural produce all to ensure
farmers and fisher folks earn higher incomes.
President Nana Addo made these
comments at the Opening ceremony of 68th New Year School and Conference at the
University of Ghana today (Monday January 16, 2017). This year’s event is on
the theme Promoting National Development through Agricultural Modernization: The
Role of ICT.
President Nana Addo’s visit is the
first to his alma mater since assuming office as President of the Republic of
Ghana.
Speaking as the Minister designate
for the sector Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto said agriculture sector has witnessed a
decline growth for the past eight year. According to him the annual growth rate
of the sector declined from 7.4% in 2008 to 2.4% in 2015.
In light of this poor performance
of the Agriculture sector, Dr. Akoto said the Nana Akufo Addo led
administration will soon launch a National Campaign dubbed “Planting for Food
and Jobs.” This initiative the incoming Agriculture Minister said will help whip
up the enthusiasm in the citizens to take up farming as a full or part time
activity.
The Vice Chancellor of the
University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu on his part said positioning
ICT in agriculture calls for a serious approach and fundamental shifts in
policies and orientation of governments, policy makers, farmers and other
relevant stakeholders. He also called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture
to prioritize mobile phones in revolutionizing the dissemination of timely and
relevant information to farmers along the agricultural value chain.
The 68th Annual New Year
School and Conference which ends on January 20, 2016 will have participants
deliberate on the theme for this year’s event and make recommendations that
would scale up the use of ICT in finding solutions to the perennial problems
facing farmers in the sector.
Emmanuel Dzivenu/ Radio Univers 105.7 FM
