Wa, April 1, GNA - Canada has made available 14 million dollars to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to help address food security challenges in the north. The project would support about 30 Ghanaian non-governmental organisations and each project would be provided with a minimum of 100,000 dollars while a high profile project would attract up to 1.5 million dollars. The higher values within this range are reserved for innovative projects that involve strategic partnerships between Ghana and Canada and other international organisations. Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa on Thursday. This was after he had met members of the Steering Committee of the project to approve agencies and non-governmental organisations that qualified under the Project.

He said the money would be channeled through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and would be released by installments that would assist improve food security in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo expressed concern about the poor participation of agencies and non-governmental organisations in the project. He said he was unhappy that only one project was approved for the Upper West Region even though the region was faced with huge food security challenges.

He appealed to Municipal and District Chief Executives to take interest and participate actively in the works and operations of non-governmental organisations.

"My appeal is that the Municipal and District Chief Executives must take interest in the capacity building of all civil society organisations in their districts to enable them to acquire the necessary skills and technical known how to benefit from the project to help alleviate poverty", the Minister said.

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo appealed to civil society organisations and agencies as well community based organisations to take advantage of the project to improve the economies and livelihoods of the people. The project would focus on irrigation and how it could be used to support food security and the adoption of aquaculture. Onion production would be encouraged under the project and families would be provided with seeds and techniques for storing them. Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo said his Ministry would collaborate with some government agencies and departments such as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Resource Commission for the successful implementation of the project.