Patriotism, our preparedness to sacrifice our energies, knowledge and political persuasions are most important in our drive to achieve a Ghana beyond aid, Chief Executive for the Kasena-Nankana Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region, William Aduum, has said.

He also said Ghana can move beyond aid when the country begins to add value to its primary and secondary agricultural produce and make them huge foreign exchange earners.

Mr. Aduum, who was speaking on the occasion of the 34th Edition of the National Farmers’ Day Celebration, which was marked by huge attendance from Chiefs, heads of departments, the security services and people of the Navrongo area, stated emphatically that it would take the combined mobilization of Ghana’s resources, the right attitude and a strong political will, as demonstrated by the Nana Addo government, to turn the fortunes of the country around and help “move Ghana beyond aid”

He said “Ghana has the comparative advantage in terms of natural resources such as arable land for agriculture and mineral resources such as bauxite, gold and oil in commercial quantities. The combined mobilization of these resources together with the political will, demonstrated by his Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo would certainly move Ghana beyond aid

“Again, for Ghana to go beyond aid there will be the need for us to add value to our agricultural produce, at least from primary to secondary, in order to bring in the required foreign exchange.

“And above all, for Ghana to move beyond aid, all of us must be patriotic and be prepared to sacrifice our energies, knowledge and our political persuasions to achieve this objective”. He continued.

The Municipal Chief Executive lauded farmers and fisher folks for their spirited efforts in ensuring food security and urged them to work continuously to help develop and grow the economy of the country. He said government is very much aware of some of the challenges facing the agricultural sector and will work closely with stakeholders to resolve them.

The political head of the municipality touched on the Planting for Food and Jobs policy and said it is one of the interventions put in place to curtail challenges in the sector and to also whip up the interest of the youth and encourage them into agriculture.

Mr. Aduum, who recalled the devastation the floods and fall army worm had on crop yield in the past years and government’s effort in fighting the voracious caterpillars with the distribution of pesticides and other agricultural inputs, assured the area of the assembly’s support to ensuring that policies rolled out by government “inure to the benefit of the rural poor”.

Owiredu Gideon is Municipal Director of Agriculture. He acknowledged the efforts of farmers in feeding the country and appealed to government to create an enabling environment for their operations through its agricultural initiatives.

He said farmers in the Kasena/Nankana Municipal Assembly are faced with an erratic rainfall pattern which has affected crop yield and has exposed those whose operations are rain-fed dependent to lots of risks.

The Director of Agric applauded government for strengthening the staff numbers at the Municipal Agric office with the recruitment of 49 personnel through the ‘Feed Ghana’ module under the Nation Builders Corps programme (NABCOB), saying it will enhance effective extension delivery to farmers and ultimately increase food security.

He expressed his gratitude to the network of collaborators and contributors through whose efforts the municipal Farmers’ Day event came off successfully. He urged farmers to use the awards to improve productivity.

In all, a total of ten farmers and fisher folks were awarded for their contribution to the growth of agriculture in the assembly. Mr. Gregory Atiyire was adjudged the Overall Best Farmer for the year. Mr. Adabre Sulemana and Ms. Rosina Talata took the first and second runner up categories respectively. Awardees were given items and certificates.

Aduni Achana, a 49 years old visually impaired man from Bonia took the award for Municipal Physically Challenged Best Farmer.

Full List of Award Winners.

1. Gregory Atiyire- Overall Municipal Best Farmer. 2. Adabre Sulemana- 1st Runner Up Municipal Best Farmer. 3. Rosina Talata- 2nd Runner Up Municipal Best Farmer. 4. Awe Naigia- Municipal Best Crop Farmer. 5. Pungugara Awetoga- Municipal Best Fish Farmer. 6. Abass Ayaga-Tia- Municipal Best Livestock Farmer. 7. Kasim Salifu- Municipal Best Extension Agent. 8. Aduni Achana- Municipal Physically Challenged Best Farmer. 9. Abena Asigitagwa- Municipal Best Female Farmer. 10. Ayampoka Ayalwaa- Municipal Shea Nut Picker.