Yendi (NR), Nov. 19, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister, has reiterated government's committed to collaborate with development partners to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger in the country. He has therefore called on local partners in food production to work hard to increase food production and urged farmers to welcome any intervention that would boost productivity. Alhaji Idris said this in Yendi in a speech read for him at a stakeholders' durbar to share experience on food security at Yendi in the Northern Region on Wednesday.

The Community-Driven Initiatives for Food Security, Ghana (CIF) organized the two-day forum where participants review CIF's sponsored projects on sustainable increase in food security in the northern Ghana. Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is sponsoring the projects, which seek to promote and increase the effective use of existing local government structures and processes to respond to community-driven food security priorities. Alhaji Idris said food was a basic necessity, which when met, would motivate people to aspire to other levels of human needs until they reached their self actualisation. He, therefore, called on beneficiary communities to embrace the project and regard it as their own to enhance their living standards. The Regional Minister reminded the participating district assemblies that the programme was development-oriented so they should try to integrate it into their medium and long term development plans to derive benefits.

Alhaji .M.A. Azonko, Yendi Municipal Coordinating Director, said the project, which started two years ago in the Yendi Municipality, was now operating in 25 communities. Each community is receiving GH¢10,000 for the implementation of the project. He announced that CIDA was providing funds for capacity building to implement projects that would benefit the local communities. Ten bicycles were presented to 10 community members who had undergone training in animal health care. 20 Nov. 08