|
African countries meet on School
Feeding Programme
Accra, Oct 4, Ghanadot/GNA - Twelve African countries are
meeting in Accra to discuss strategies, share experience and
draft a road map towards a successful implementation of the
New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) Home-Grown
School Feeding Programme in member states.
Over 70 participants from countries including Nigeria,
Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Malawi are attending the
two-day Consultative Meeting jointly.
It was organised by the World Food Programme (WFP) and NEPAD
to discuss ways of establishing new alliances and financial
partnership with development partners and donor agencies.
Opening the meeting in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Kwadwo
Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development
and Environment said it was unfortunate that Africa remained
under-developed despite the numerous natural resources.
He said to reverse the trend, the Government of Ghana had
identified education and human resource development as
crucial addressing economic challenges such as poverty,
ignorance and diseases.
Mr. Adjei-Darko said it was in that light that Ghana had
adopted the School Feeding Programme to encourage more
children to enroll in school and at the same time boost the
agriculture sector.
The Minister noted that using agriculture produce of local
farmers was, therefore, to ensure ready market for farmers
and to help improve their income to reduce household poverty
in rural communities was commendable.
He said the Programme would not be to the advantage of the
educational sector alone but in the promotion of child
health to reduce malnutrition, child mortality rates as well
as other diseases that retard the growth and development of
children.
He noted that supporting local farmers would also help avoid
post harvest losses to ensure food security, eradicate
hunger and poverty, which were threats to the attainment of
the Millennium Development Goals.
Mr. Adjei-Darko called for inter-sectoral collaboration
among all implementing agencies, adding, " We need to forge
ahead despite all threats, because the benefit of this
Programme was enormous".
Sharing Ghana's experience on the Programme, Dr. Kwame
Amoako Tuffour, Executive Chairman for the Ghana School
Feeding Programme, said Ghana was supporting some industries
to venture into the agro-processing industry to provide
ready market for locally produced food items and meet
demands of the Programme.
He said the country was also supporting rice farmers and
millers to enable them meet the demands and help cut down on
foreign exchange on the importation of rice.
He stated that the Secretariat in collaboration with the
Ministry of Health had also introduced a periodic deworming
exercise for children and provided mosquito nets to prevent
malaria.
The Executive Chairman said the Secretariat was also
ensuring the provision of portable water to rural
communities and encouraging school farming so that children
could plant their own fruits and vegetables to meet
nutritional requirements.
He said government also hoped to establish a Trust Fund to
provide the needed resources for the project.
Dr. Amoako called for direct assistance from donor agencies
and development partners in the area of research
development, finance and monitoring.
He stated that there was also the need for legislations,
plans and programmes to sensitize farmers on best practices
and to encourage the youth to develop interest in the
agriculture sector.
Mr. Roland Sibanda, Word Food Programme Liaison Director to
the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa, called
on governments to ensure full implementation of the
Programme.
He said governments should not only concentrate on funding
from international community but also rely on local
resources first.
Mr. Sibanda said Ghana was a leader in the African Unity and
should therefore, lead the campaign to ensure success.
The NEPAD Home Grown School Feeding Programme is an
initiative to provide meals to pupils to increase school
enrolment and promote child nutritional needs by purchasing
locally produced food to boost the African agriculture
sector as well.
GNA
|
