General News
PFJ 2 has a clear plan to achieve food security in five years – Agriculture Minister
Dr Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, has assured Ghanaians that his ministry is capable of meeting the country’s food security demands.
Dr Bryan made the remarks while speaking to farmers and financial institutions at the Accra Presidential Breakfast Meeting on Agriculture and Agribusiness Financing.
According to the Minister, Ghana can boldly claim and boast that it will be food secure and resilient within five years.
However, he bemoaned the inconvenient and humiliating stories about importing onions and tomatoes from Sahelian countries. He reaffirmed his determination to reverse this trend as quickly as feasible.
“The enormity of leading the charge to transform Ghana’s agriculture through the new strategy has never been lost on me, right from the inception of my stewardship,” he added.
The minister expressed confidence in the agriculture sector’s current potential, which he claimed might turn Ghana’s fortunes around if fully realised.
“These include abundant arable land for crop production, especially the virgin valleys suitable for rice production, good soils for the production of a variety of crops across the country, water resources for irrigation, favourable weather, and a diversity of food commodities that provide numerous avenues for job creation along the agriculture value chain, to mention a few,” he said.
The Minister further stated that PFJ 2.0 will function as a viable intervention.
According to Dr Bryan, figures reveal that Ghana consumes a total of 324,000 metric tonnes (MT) of poultry but can only generate roughly 15,000 MT, representing a terrible self-sufficiency of less than 5%.
“In the five-year plan of PFJ 2.0, Ghana is expected to move its self-sufficiency from 5% to 7% by the end of 2023, and to 13% in 2024, and progressively attain full self-sufficiency of 110.6% by 2028. Specific steps have been taken in this regard,” he said.
In this regard, Dr. Bryan said that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) is distributing 4.5 million day-old chicks, vaccinations, and starter-pack feed to anchor farmers and their out-growers in the short term (October to December 2023).
This intervention will result in the production of an extra 13,200 MT of chicken meat by the end of this year, increasing Ghana’s self-sufficiency to 7%.
The Ministry stated that by 2024, it will boost the poultry sector with support for 18 million day-old chicks, vaccinations, and starter-pack feed, resulting in the production of 42,600 MT of meat and increasing Ghana’s self-sufficiency to 13%. This trend will continue until Ghana achieves complete self-sufficiency.
“Plans are also advanced to revive the poultry industry this year through the rehabilitation of 300 outgrown poultry farms across the country over the next 12 months. Each of these farms can be scaled to produce 200,000 birds within each poultry cycle of 4 months,” he said.
General News
Power interruptions damage our enterprises; release dumsor schedule – GUTA
The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) has joined demands for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to produce a load-shedding schedule, citing the persistent power outages that are badly impacting companies and livelihoods across the nation.
GUTA issued a statement emphasising the considerable impact of the power outages on many sectors, including agriculture, trade, and industry.
According to them, firms are struggling to meet production schedules and prepare for their personnel as a result of the irregular power supply, which raises production costs and degrades living conditions.
Traders, store owners, wholesalers, tailors, dressmakers, electricians, and other artists are also suffering business losses as a result of the “Dumsor phenomenon.”
GUTA is asking for answers from ECG about the true reasons of the unpredictable power outages, measures to resolve the issue, and a deadline for resolution.
They also requested ECG to publish a timeframe for load-shedding so that companies may organise their activities appropriately.
Because of the unpredictability of power outages, many shop owners have turned to generators, which has resulted in rising fuel costs to keep them operating during outages.
General News
The Foreign Affairs Ministry cautions against travelling to Northern Mali
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has advised Ghanaians not to travel to certain areas of Northern Mali.
In an official statement, the Ministry underlined recent security concerns along critical routes connecting Mali and Niger, notably in the Gao and Ansongo regions of Northern Mali.
The Ministry mentioned incidents of terrorist activity targeting travellers along these routes.
“The Ministry remains committed to the safety of Ghanaians and will provide updates on the security situation in the region under reference in due course,” the statement went on to say.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry reminded the people to always prioritise their safety when travelling.
Find the statement below:
General News
Gov’t settles on blue and white as new paint for basic schools
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, has declared that the government intends to repaint all public basic schools in blue and white, replacing the present brown and yellow.
This programme is part of a rebranding campaign to improve the appearance of the institutions.
Dr Adutwum went on to say that this is only one of several initiatives targeted at revitalising and improving basic education in the country.
“We’re moving to blue and white. We are painting all of the schools to give them an appealing appearance. This is the revolution Ghana deserves, and it is on its way,” the minister said at a “The free SHS tale” discussion in Accra on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
He also announced the replacement of the brown and yellow outfits.
“We are modifying the uniforms of public elementary schools across the country. The yellow and brown that you see now will go. Reformation is coming to a community near you, and you will witness it.”
The education minister expanded, saying that this project is part of the government’s attempts to demonstrate to critics that its concentration is not exclusively on secondary education.
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