By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Aug 07, GNA – Former President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to strategically invest to reposition the agriculture sector as critical driver for accelerated development particularly in Northern Ghana.
Speaking to the media in Bolgatanga as part of his 2024 election campaign tour, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader underscored the need for sustainable policies that empowered the farmers to increase productivity while adapting to the changing climate.
“We need to find a way where we can support the farmers that is more sustainable than in the past. Planting for Food and Jobs and other programmes that we had before have been shot in the dark, really not sustainable programmes,” he said.
The NDC Presidential Candidate said apart from providing mechanisation services through the flagship programme Farmer Service Centres, the next NDC government will prioritise agro processing to enable farmers add value to their raw materials to increase income levels.
Citing the Fumbisi Valley in the Builsa South District and the Yagaba in the Mamprugu Moaduri for instance, the former President explained that when sustainable investment was made to develop and empower farmers with modern technologies, it had the potential to feed the whole nation.
He said should the NDC win power in the December 7 polls, priority would be given to establish college of education with specialisation in agriculture particularly around the Builsa and Yagaba areas to train teachers to offer agriculture services to farmers.
He added that deliberate policies would also be made to promote patronage of locally produced crops, adding that the private sector, government institutions and the school feeding programmes would be encouraged to buy from the local farmers.
Touching on the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and its potential to the agriculture sector, the former President explained that the project had been on the drawing board of government for several decades and it would not be cancelled.
The NDC Flagbearer, however, said the project would be audited and sustainable funding procured to ensure that the project which had the potential to irrigate about 25, 000 hectares of farmland, was brought to fruition to boost all year-round agriculture production to create jobs and curb rural urban migration.
On roads, Mr Mahama noted that the next NDC government would prioritise the construction of roads connecting the northern Ghana which he described as “ring road” as part of efforts to open the area for development.
He mentioned the Bolgatanga to Tamale Road, Bolgatanga to Wa Road, the Eastern corridor, the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom Road among others as major roads that connected the regions of the north together and would be given the needed attention to bring relief to the residents and fast-track development.
GNA