News
“Support women farmers in Northern Ghana to access fertile land”
The Upper West Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid, a non-governmental organization (NGO), Ms Terence Tienaah has called on traditional authorities and stakeholders to support women farmers in Northern Ghana to access fertile land for their vocation.
She said women farmers had limited access to land which according to her, limited their gains in agriculture hence the need for all to join hands to support women farmers to help boost agricultural production in this part of the country.
Ms Tienaah stated this on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting at Wa on the Northern Ghana Integrated Development Project (NGIDP) by ActionAid, Ghana and funded by the European Union (EU).
The engagement meeting brought together various partners at the grassroots level of implementation in the region and sought to discuss sustainability plans as the project was exiting, focused on; “promoting opportunities for sustainable agriculture, social protection and decent work in the agrarian sector”
The NGIDP sought to facilitate the reduction of rural poverty by promoting environmentally-sustainable agricultural practices that would contribute to the nation’s green economy as well as create opportunities for income generation within the agricultural value chain, among other goals.
Ms Tienaah said to be able to sustain the agricultural sector for women farmers, it was vital that women were granted the right to adequate farm lands as was possible for their male counterpart.
“We are appealing again to reduce the practice where the woman would have to support her husband on his farm before going to theirs as it affected planting and harvesting period”, she said.
She said the project since its inception had trained 240 leaders of women farmer groups on advocacy and campaigns as well as organizational development and also conducted 120 community awareness sessions on women rights to access land and other productive resources in the region.
A beneficiary of the project, Madam Bogkur Patience, leader of the Lawra Te-nyogtaa women’s group said the project had helped them to adopt environmental friendly practices in their vocation.
She however added her voice to the call on Landlords and traditional authorities to make fertile lands available to women farmers in the various communities
She enumerated that difficulty in accessing fertile land and credit facilities were some of the challenges women in agriculture in the region were faced with.
FROM RAFIA ABDUL RAZAK, WA
Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng, has toured a leading solar energy facility in Canada following the submission of a Letter of Intent and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for a proposed 270MW solar power project in his constituency.
The MP was invited to Canada to inspect the operations and technology behind AKA Energy Systems, the company partnering with the Gomoa Special Economic Zone to develop the landmark renewable energy facility.
During the tour, Mr. Obeng was taken through the company’s advanced solar infrastructure, engineering processes, and long-term energy management systems.
Senior officials of AKA Energy Systems provided insights into how the technology can be adapted to meet Ghana’s power needs while reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
“This project is not just about megawatts. It’s about energy security, industrialization, and jobs for the people of Gomoa Central,” Mr. Obeng said after the facility visit.
He added that “Seeing the technology firsthand confirms that solar can be a real solution for powering factories and homes reliably.”
The 270MW solar plant forms the energy backbone of the Gomoa Special Economic Zone, a project the MP says will position the area as a competitive hub for manufacturing and exports under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
According to Mr. Obeng, Africa’s industrial future hinges on solving the power problem first.
“Too many countries try to attract factories before fixing energy. We are determined not to put the cart before the horse. Before industries arrive, the power must already be here,” he explained.
He noted that the partnership with AKA Energy Systems reflects a deliberate shift toward clean, affordable, and sustainable energy to drive Ghana’s next phase of growth.
The MP added that the project will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs during construction and operation, while also lowering electricity costs for businesses within the zone.
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it. With abundant, reliable, and affordable energy, Gomoa Central can become one of the most attractive industrial destinations in West Africa,” he concluded.
Negotiations on the final investment and implementation timeline for the 270MW facility are expected to continue in the coming months.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Elikplim Akurugu, in partnership with the Ga East Municipal Assembly, has begun rehabilitation works on the road leading to the Ga East Municipal Hospital to improve access and ease movement for residents and patients.
Speaking on the project, the DRIP Coordinator for the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Seth Agboyie, said the team had already worked on the Kwabenya stretch and part of Ablaje under its road reshaping programme.
He explained that although work had to be paused at Ablaje due to pressure, the team returned to complete the current stretch.
He noted that last year, the assembly implemented a programme where teams moved into each electoral area for about ten days to reshape major roads before moving to other communities.
According to him, the current works are a special intervention targeting roads that have become severely damaged due to the rains.
Mr. Agboyie added that the project had faced some delays due to heavy rainfall but resumed when the weather improved.
He said the team is working on a 1.2-kilometre stretch, with about 720 to 730 metres already completed.
He revealed that the intervention was partly supported by a GHS 14,000 contribution from the health workers at the Ga East hospital, which helped facilitate the works.
Residents of Dome-Kwabenya welcomed the project and praised the MP for initiating the road rehabilitation.
They said the intervention was timely and would ease movement, especially for patients and residents who rely on the road to access the hospital.
They noted that the road leading to the hospital had been in a poor state for several years, making it difficult and uncomfortable for patients, drivers, and residents who use the facility.
They explained that the situation often caused delays in accessing healthcare and increased transport difficulties, especially during the rainy season.
Some residents, however, urged contractors to ensure quality work, warning that poorly executed roads often deteriorate quickly.
They called for durability in the construction to prevent a return to bad conditions.
Others also appealed for more development projects across the constituency, saying additional road improvements would further enhance living conditions and demonstrate continued commitment to the area.
By: Jacob Aggrey
