Brong-Ahafo Region benefits from development projects in all sectors – Minister
The Brong-Ahafo Region has benefited from development projects with education, health and agriculture recording improvements over the past three years, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, has said.
He, however, expressed concern that as the food basket of the country, the region had in recent times experienced an erratic rainfall pattern that had affected food production.
Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo was delivering a state of the region address as part of the four-day regional policy fair underway at the Sunyani Polytechnic campus.
He said due to the unpredictable weather pattern, it was important for the Ministry of Agriculture to assist farmers with improved seeds to correspond with the climatic condition.
Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo said although nine agriculture mechanization centers had been established in the region and 45 tractors supplied on credit basis to these centres, food production continued to witness a downfall trend, a situation that could lead to national food insecurity.
He said cocoa output in the region stood at 59,337.75 tonnes as at 2008/2009 and currently the region is the third largest producer of cocoa in the country and produces about 120,000 tonnes per annum, an unprecedented increase of 102.23% within the last three years.
On education, he said 158 schools under trees had been eliminated in the region while 596 educational projects had also been undertaken over the past three years.
Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo said the construction of the Tain District Hospital under the Number Eight Hospital Project had started.
He said the road sector had also received attention, citing that between 2009 and 2011, the Ghana Highways Authority undertook a total length of 500.5 kilometers of road projects with some completed and others at various stages of completion.
Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo said several companies had expressed interest to invest in the region and added that a Chinese firm, Hualin International Company Limited, had begun building a cashew processing plant at Sampa in Jaman North District.
Source: GNA