By Laudia Sawer
Ashaiman, July 29, GNA — Mr. Samuel Adu Dankwah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA), has expressed the conviction that rehabilitating irrigation schemes will transform Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Mr. Dankwah, speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for the rehabilitation of the Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme, said the rehabilitation programme symbolises the collective commitment to transforming agriculture in Ghana to sustainable water management and irrigation development.
“The irrigation restructure is a sector pillar in Ghana’s agriculture modernisation agenda,” he said.
Mr. Dankwah noted that the rehabilitation showed the government’s recognition that irrigation is no longer a luxury but a necessity, a business, especially in the face of changing rainfall patterns and the urgent need to grow more food locally due to the country’s population growth.
He again said that it offers the farmers the stability of the assurance they need to produce consistently throughout the year regardless of unpredictable weather patterns.
He said: “The Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme stands as a bold step toward the implementation of Ghana’s feed agenda, which needs to ensure food security and improve livelihood and independence of food through modern, efficient, and all-year-round agricultural production.”
The Ashaiman Irrigation Dam, he said, was constructed in 1968, with the water body having the capacity to irrigate about 800 hectares.
However, due to population growth, the need for land, and challenges in funding, the bank was left unused, and it now needs more rehabilitation.
Mr. Dankwa said: “Since it was constructed in 1968, we have never seen any rehabilitation of what we need to do. The rehabilitation is particularly important because it directly enhances production capacity within a peri-urban agriculture that supplies vegetables to major urban centres, including Tema and Accra.”
According to him, in 1968, when the dam was constructed, they did not construct the right bank canal due to limited funding, emphasising that after 57 years, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) was now going to develop the site.
The GIDA CEO added that, in line with the project, there is a significant emphasis on farmer capacity building through farmer training sessions, which are designed to strengthen the knowledge of farmers under the water user associations.
He stated that a total of six one-day training sessions would be conducted, three per crop season, with a focus on practical techniques, water user efficiency, crop management, and irrigation schedules.
“I am pleased to state that, as of today, 180 out of the 360 targeted farmers have already received training, marking a significant milestone in building human capacity to sustain this scheme and maximise impact.”
He further announced that demonstration plots would be established at each project site to serve as practical learning for farmers to apply modern irrigation and agronomic practices.
The demo plots, he said, would be managed and closely monitored by KOICA in consultation with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and GIDA, ensuring that knowledge transfer is effective.
He commended all stakeholders, especially MOFA and KOICA, for working towards rebranding the irrigation schemes to support the government’s flagship programme ‘Feed Ghana.’
Mr. Dankwah reminded the contractor that the rehabilitation of the irrigation dam carries high expectations and therefore urged them to deliver with excellence, ensuring safety and compliance in the environment, while working closely with GIDA’s engineers, local authorities, and the community to complete on schedule and to the required standard.
“To the water user association, chiefs, the municipal association, and people of Ashaiman, we will collaborate with you at all levels to make sure you have a successful implementation of this phase of the project, and also after the construction, the collaboration will still be strong. We will change our ways and see that we protect our land, and also, our farmers will have the requisite and technical know-how for crops all year round.”
He gave the assurance that GIDA remained committed to its mandate of managing irrigation infrastructure to support national development, adding that the event was a testimony of what can be achieved when government, development partners, and communities come together with a shared vision.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah