Seminars pose a paradox

Accra, Aug. 5, GNA- The holding of numerous seminars and workshop poses inconsistency or contradiction for the nation's development agenda, Dr. Nii Okine Hammond, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in-charge of Special Projects said on Friday. He said it was not only the weariness of such meetings but also that resources for such specialised conferences, seminars and workshops could be used to contribute to the realisation of the very projects for which those meetings were held. "I'm already getting tired of conference and workshops," the Deputy Minister said, but added that, such meetings were all the same a necessary evil to discuss issues and take decisions on projects meant to improve the standard of living of the people. Dr Hammond therefore, charged participants attending irrigation awareness creation workshop where he spoke, to have concrete projects on the ground a year after the workshop. The workshop was organised by Irrigation Development Authority of the MOFA, the Ghana Society of Agricultural Engineers, and the Ghana Institution of Engineers, among other collaborators. Engineers, agriculturalists, irrigation practitioners, equipment manufacturers and researchers attended the workshop, which preludes an international conference on irrigation scheduled for December 6 to 10 2005 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. He mentioned 13 different irrigation projects to be completed by 2010, including collecting data to establish a database for all irrigations schemes developed by non-governmental organisations, other groups and individuals other than the Government. There would also be a development of the "Expanded Phase of the Special Programme of Food Security" to cover all regions in Ghana, as well as the development of the Kamba Irrigation Project in the Upper East Region, aimed at providing water to irrigate about 4,000 hectares of land. Feasibility studies for the Kamba Project had been completed, Dr Hammond said. Dr Hammond charged the workshop participants to be very pragmatic in their efforts to have concrete achievements in irrigation to show one year after the workshop.