Prime News Ghana

Akosombo dam spillage: Gov't supports farmers with $40m

By Vincent Ashitey
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Farmers affected by the devastation caused by the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams are to benefit from a $40 million food systems resilience programme funded by the World Bank.

This was announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong in Accra.

Mr. Acheampong says the funds will help restore the livelihood of farmers who are worst hit.

Speaking at the launch of the Youth in Agric initiative under the job module of the Youth Employment Agency, Mr. Acheampong said farmers would be well-taken care of.

“To our friends, brothers, and family on the Volta and eastern stretch of the Akosombo Dam’s path, we have all witnessed the devastation as a result of the necessary action the VRA had to take to save the Akosombo Dam. As a result, several farmers have been affected and a lot of them have had their crops completely wiped out.”

“I have directed that due to this emergency, $40 million of the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Programme be restructured to restore farmers whose farms have been wiped out due to the necessary action taken by the VRA to save us all.”

President Akufo-Addo on Monday, October 16 toured the flooded areas in the Volta Region and he announced that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) would work on a long-term relief programme for farmers affected by the floods.

The President said he was aware many farms along the Volta River had been destroyed by the floods, for which reason a relief programme needed to be set up to restore the livelihood of the people.