Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
Dr. Kwabena Duffuor
By
William Yaw Owusu
Accra, Thursday September 27, 2012.
The Minister of Finance and
Economic Planning, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor has signed three World Bank projects
totaling $210 million on behalf of government to sustain economic growth and
consolidate the country’s middle income status.
The projects include $100 million
Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project, $60 million West African Agriculture
Productivity Programme (WAAPP) and $50 million Urban Water project.
According to the World Bank, the Commercial Agriculture Project is seeking to promote
public-private partnerships in the Accra Plains and the SADA Zone.
“The Government of Ghana is
currently implementing a nation-wide Food and Agriculture Sector Development
Policy focusing on six priority themes: Food Security and Emergency
Preparedness; Increased Growth in Incomes; Increased Competitiveness and
Enhanced Integration into Domestic and International Markets; Sustainable
Management of Land and Environment; Science and Technology Applied in Food and
Agriculture Development; Improved Institutional Coordination.”
It said the Commercial Agricultural Project, which is designed to support the implementation of above priorities, is made up of components including strengthening investment promotion infrastructure and facilitating secure access to land, securing Public Private Partnerships (PPPS) and small-holder linkages in the Accra Plains (US$45.4 million), securing PPPs and small-holder linkages in the SADA Zone (US$29.3 million; to be complemented by USAID co-financing of US$35.0 million), as well as project management including M&E (US$14.3 million; to be complemented by USAID co-financing US$7.2 million).
On the WAAPP, the World Bank said it
seeks to “scale-up the use of improved technologies in Ghana’s priority agricultural
commodity areas aligned with that of the sub-region.”
The WAAPP, according the World Bank,
is a “regional project designed to scale-up the generation, dissemination and
adoption of improved technologies in Ghana's priority agricultural commodity
areas aligned with the sub-regions top agricultural commodity priorities.”
“In order to reach this objective,
the project will strengthen regional cooperation in the generation of
technology and scale-up dissemination and training programs focused on regional
and national priority commodities.
“It is made up of four components realigned to support the implementation of country-specific Agricultural Investment Programs such as Ghana's Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Program (METASIP). Urban Water Project (Additional Financing US$50 million).
“It will allow the completion of the original project activities that have suffered from unanticipated cost overruns and financing gap (US$42 million) and implement additional activities that would scale up the project’s impact (US$8 million).
“The additional funds will be allocated for the expansion and improvement in the Central region to the Winneba water distribution network that serves several surrounding communities, including Apam, Ankamu, Mprumem, Mankoadze, Ankaful, Pomadze and Okyereko.
The additional works will consist of the rehabilitation and extension of water distribution pipes and the construction of a new elevated water tank and a booster pump station.
“While significant efforts have been made over the past decade to make potable water more accessible and affordable to Ghana’s ever growing urban centers, much more remains to be done to provide water to people, particularly those in low income areas, who usually buy it from vendors at a very high price,” it said.
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