Three Rome-based
Institutions give thumps up to the Government
Accra, Dec. 4, GNA - The Executive Heads of
three Rome-based institutions have praised the
Government for its remarkable achievement at
reducing hunger in the country and enhance
growth of the economy.
Dr Jacques Diouf, Director General of the Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Mr Lennart
Bage, President, International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Mr James
Morris, Executive Director of the World Food
Programme (WFP), said they were impressed by the
Government's efforts and pledged to forge
stronger partnership with it.
This was when they paid a courtesy call of
President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu,
on Monday.
They were in Ghana to assess the impact of their
programmes on the lives of the people and
visited the Northern parts of the country.
Dr Diouf said the school-feeding programme
introduced by the Government and the irrigation
and animal production systems, it was pursuing
in the North were very laudable.
On his part, Mr Bage said the IFAD was strongly
committed to the country's development.
He said they would therefore work in partnership
with the Government in a way that would be most
useful and beneficial, adding that, agricultural
growth would be made the main focus of their
programme in the country in the coming year.
"The agricultural programme, Ghana is following
is truly dynamic", he declared.
Mr Morris noted that there could not be any
greater investment than to ensure the health of
mothers and children.
He said it was therefore gratifying that the
Government was powerfully addressing this
critical and important issue.
President Kufuor said the Government was
determined to meet the Millennium Development
Goals through modernisation and
commercialisation of its agriculture.
He said their mission was to take the country
out of poverty by the end of the decade and the
way to do this was to start by improving the
agricultural sector.
It was on the basis of this that on its own, it
was building small dams, providing improved
seedlings and giving out small loans to farmers.
President Kufuor said the country was looking to
its partners to help it to apply modern skills,
science and technology to its agriculture.
He said he was happy with plans by the three
institutions to set up a Humanitarian Response
Depot in Ghana, something he noted, should
convince anyone that the country was in indeed
on the right path.
The Executive Heads, who have been in the
country since last Thursday, leave for their
base on Tuesday.
GNA
