Government will spend GH¢2.5 million on the construction of the smallest dam under its One-Village, One-Dam (1V1D) policy.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who made the disclosure in parliament yesterday, said the 1V1D policy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is to ensure that Ghana becomes self-sufficient in food production.
“I have said here that the smallest dam will cost GH¢2.5 million,” Dr Akoto reiterated.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture disclosed this while answering questions posed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole/Bamboi, Yusif Sulemana on the proposed dams under the 1V1D policy.
According to the minister, out of the 560 locations identified for the construction of the dams, 311 have been selected for the project mostly taking place in the northern part of the country where rainfall is erratic.
He said the project is to boost agriculture in the northern part of the country by ensuring that there is an all-year farming activities.
He indicated that the government’s ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ policy to help revamp the flagging agricultural sector has recorded massive impact in the sector and the economy in general.
“The impressive growth rate of 6.1% posted by agriculture in 2018 and its overall contribution to Ghana’s economy bears ample testimony to the overwhelming success of the programme,” he said.
He, therefore, asked all Members of Parliament to be part of the programme and also assist the Ministry to execute the programme to ensure food security in the country.
Meanwhile, the debate on the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) started in earnest yesterday in parliament, with the focus on the president’s call for an end to vigilantism as a result of the violence that characterised the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections.
The Minority, led by the ranking member of Defence and Interior, NDC MP for Builsa North, James Agalga, chastised the president for comparing the violence that occurred during Ayawaso by-election with that of Chereponi, Talensi, Atiwa and Amenfi West, saying that in the case of the Ayawaso West by-election, it was personnel of security agencies that visited violence on innocent Ghanaians while in the other by-elections it was just ordinary violence involving followers of the two biggest parties.
He said the Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election would not lead to anything and that at the end of the day, those found culpable will not be prosecuted.
The NPP Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Mercer, on his part, commended the president for setting up the Emile Short Commission immediately after the incident to look into the matter.
According to him, when the president set up the commission, the Minority NDC criticised the government and said it would not allow any of its members to appear before the commission, but now having realised the wisdom in setting the commission, NDC members have decided to appear before the commission.
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