The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) has held a day’s workshop in Tamale for stakeholders in the livestock industry as part of efforts to stimulate investment into the sector within the SADA zone.

The workshop was in line with the country’s 2016 Livestock Development Policy and Strategy aimed at developing a competitive and more efficient livestock industry that increased domestic production and contributed to the improvement of the livelihoods of all livestock value chain actors.

Mr Charles Abugre, Chief Executive Officer of SADA, who spoke during the workshop in Tamale on Tuesday, said SADA was working on a proposed arrangement with a Chinese institution to develop a livestock park within the SADA zone.

Figures from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture reveals that the livestock sector contributed in direct products 1.7 and 8.8 per cent of national and agricultural gross domestic products in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and grew at a rate of 5.2 per cent in both years but the full potential of the sector has not been exploited.

This informed SADA’s decision to play its facilitation and coordination roles to stimulate investments into the livestock sector.

Mr Abugre said the project would lead to increased livestock production helping the country to export livestock and milk to the West Africa sub-region and beyond.

He said the project would also help to create jobs whiles earning the country foreign exchange.

Dr Kwame Oppong Anane, Technical Advisor on Livestock to the Minister for Food and Agriculture, said cattle ranching would amongst others help to improve the cattle industry as well as increase domestic cattle production.