Drought in Ghana: UK govt announces £1.5m support

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced at least £1 million to support Ghana’s drought response. In addition, it would provide £500,000 worth of food fortification programme for the northern part of the country which has been hardest hit by the dry weather spell.

The Food Fortification Programme will support rice millers to incorporate fortification into their business.

The programme will run until March, next year, and fortify over eight million school meals with iron, zinc and vitamin B, the British High Commission in Accra, said in a statement in Accra yesterday. 

Implementation

The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations is implementing the programme.  

The WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and an important partner for the UK.

The UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, who arrived in Ghana yesterday, is expected to formally communicate the support to Ghanaians.

During the visit he would also announce a £3.8 million partnership with Shell Foundation to make green energy more accessible to Ghanaians.  

The visit, his first to West Africa, will reinforce the enduring partnership between UK and Ghana.  

During his visit, Mr Collins will meet stakeholders, including government ministers, leaders in Ghana's technology, innovation sector and food security agencies.

Civil society

Among other things, the UK minister would meet civil society organisations that work on issues of importance to both UK and Ghana.

“The UK and Ghana are close friends, and my visit is all about deepening our partnership for closer, stronger collaboration across various sectors, from green growth to food security,” Mr Collins said ahead of the visit.

“Working together, we can address shared challenges and unlock new opportunities for both our nations,” he added.

For his part, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Lord Collins to Ghana, where he will witness first-hand the breadth and depth of our partnership”.

The minister's choice of Ghana for his first West African visit, she said, spoke volumes about the importance of the UK-Ghana relationship to “our new government”.

The visit, the UK envoy said, would reinforce the shared commitment of both countries to a prosperous and sustainable future.

Appointment

Mr Collins of Highbury was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords on July 9, 2024.  

Before joining the government, Mr Collins was Co-Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Nutrition for Growth.

In Accra, the minister will visit an HMG-supported energy (battery) company called Kofa to announce further funding for the company, and launch a call for proposals called “Sankore” during a short press conference.

The Sankore Call for Proposals aims to strengthen innovation and technology across West Africa.

The project is designed to enhance collaboration between universities and the private sector.

It would also support the delivery of the UK-Ghana Strategy on Science, Technology and Innovation which was launched in 2023.

Dry spell

A severe drought has gripped many parts of Ghana, particularly the transitional zone and the northern part of the country, thereby threatening the country's food security.

About 1.86 million hectares of crops cultivated by approximately 928,523 farmers are at risk and those farmers could lose an estimated investment of GH¢7.4 billion, should there be total crop failure.

The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Dr Bryan Acheampong, stated that farmers in the affected areas had lost investments of approximately GH¢3.5 billion, risking a potential revenue loss of GH¢10.4 billion.

Farmers totalling 435,872, cultivating an estimated area of 871,745 hectares, are those that have been directly affected by the dry spell.

Maize, rice, groundnut, soybean, sorghum, millet and yam are the most widely affected crops across the Northern, Upper East, North East, Savannah, Upper West, Bono, Bono East and Oti regions.

The government subsequently outlined an estimated GH¢8 billion ($500 million) plan on various interventions, mainly to support farmers affected by dry weather to ensure food security in the country.