Jirapa (U/W), April 23, GNA - The Dutch government is providing 100 billion dollars to support the NEPAD school feeding programme and is aimed at extending the facility to as many school pupils as possible. Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Regional Cooperation/NEPAD when he addressed the Peoples Assembly at Jirapa and Nadowli in the Upper West region, said this.

He said in the short term, about 200,000 people were to benefit from the programme.

Dr Apraku said the government would have to find counterpart funding for every dollar of the amount before it could be accessed. Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister, said the Regional Coordinating Council, in collaboration with the National Investment Bank (NIB), was to establish a quarry to provide chippings for road construction in the region.

Mr Clement Elledi, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said 204 million cedis had been allocated to each district for disbursement as micro credit to farmers. He said his Ministry has also set up agricultural mechanisation centres in each district from where farmers rent tractors and other implements for cultivation. 23 April, 06