EU happy about EUGAP impacts in Upper West

The European Union (EU) delegation in Ghana has expressed its satisfaction at progress in the implementation of the various projects under the European Union Ghana Agriculture Programme (EUGAP) being implemented in the Upper West Region.

The delegation said it was impressed that the project was making a significant impact in the lives of the farmers in the beneficiary communities.

The programme, which is co-founded by the German Federal Government has three components, namely: Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH), Market Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-West Ghana (MOAP) and Productive Investment Programmes that deal with irrigation, feeder roads and access to finance.

The objective of the programme is to promote sustainable agriculture practices and to enhance food security in the North West of Ghana.

Assessment

The EU delegation was in the region to visit some of the beneficiary communities to assess the progress of the project and their impact on the lives of the people.

The delegation which was led by the Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Paulina Rozycka, was accompanied by the Upper West Regional Director of Agriculture, Abu Huudu.

Ms Rozycka told the media that “We are happy with the progress we witnessed. EUGAP is making significant differences in the lives of farmers in the North West, improving food security and income.”

She said the EU was fully committed to supporting Ghana’s agriculture and promoting sustainable development.

“Our visit to the communities shows our dedication to understand local needs and tailoring our support for maximum impact,” she added.

The Regional Director of Agric, Mr Huudu, was full of praise for the EU and its partners for empowering the communities and equipping them with the necessary tools and resources to build a resilient agricultural sector.

Communities

The communities visited included Babile in the Lawra Municipality where the project had set up a 15-acre Conservation Agriculture (CA) Centre to serve as a learning and a demonstration centre to showcase the techniques of CA.

The centre also serves as a practical centre where the farmers acquire hands-on training in CA and has so far trained over 1,000 farmers and Agriculture Extension Agents on CA practices.

The team also had the chance to witness the validation of a Community Action Plan (CAP) at Loho in the Nadowli-Kaleo District.

CAP is a decision-making process where the members of communities prioritise their needs and improve on land management practices to enhance resource utilisation.

The delegation also inspected some of the 670km feeder roads that were funded by the EU to improve farmers’ access to market and local communities’ access to healthcare facilities in the region.