The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has elected new National leaders to steer the affairs of the association for the next four (4) years.
The elections which took place during the association’s Annual General Meeting held at the TUC Conference Hall in Kumasi, Ashanti region last week under the theme: “Building Back Better, Consolidating the Gains of Smallholder Farmers for Improved Food Systems,” saw Mr. Wepia Addo Awal Adugwala, the elected Representative for the Central, Western and Western North Regions being elected as the Board Chairman and National President.
Other executives elected include Latifu Afushetu, the Regional Representative of the Northern, North East and Savannah Regions and Vice President, Isaac Pabia, Representative of the Upper East Region and Board Secretary. The rest are Mugiss Badgamsi Abdulai as the Youth Organizer, Fati Ali as the Women Organizer, Regina Daberin as the Representative for Bono, Bono East, Ahafo and Ashanti Regions, Richard Deku as the Representative for Greater and Eastern Regions, Raymond Duncan Amoah as the Representative for Volta and Oti Regions, and Salifu Amadu as the Representative for Upper West Region.
The association also used the event which was attended by over 150 delegates to honour and acknowledge the work of its past executives for their various roles in sustaining the growth and relevance of PFAG in national level discourse.
Delivering his acceptance speech, Mr Adugwala mentioned that PFAG has just developed its 2022 to 2025 strategic plan which will be the foundation for strengthening of the association – through social enterprises, advocacy, capacity building and offering agribusiness opportunities with the aim of lifting members from peasantry to prosperity.
He acknowledged that, indeed the association has become the focal point for agricultural policy advocacy in Ghana and therefore there was the need to constantly undertake activities and innovations that will enable it continue to be relevant to agricultural transformation in Ghana, especially in these trying moments for agricultural and small holder farming in Ghana.
Mr. Adugwala expressed worry over the implementation of some of government projects noting that they are not yielding the expected impact. He stated that “Unfortunately, hopes and expectations are beginning to fade and we hope that government will take a step back and introduce some reforms to give more hope to small holder farmers.”
He added that, the association will continue to support government in its effort to make Ghana food secure and therefore called on the new executives and all small holder farmers at the community, district, and regional levels to put their hands to the wheel to propel the Agriculture sector to greater heights.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in a speech read on his behalf called on government to, as a matter of urgency, promote and strengthen Ghanaian farmers’ use of organic fertilizer as access to chemical fertilizer was increasingly becoming very difficult and expensive as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu also called on government to venture into the irrigation of more dams across the country to ensure all-year-round food production.
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), said government was working to address the challenges confronting peasant farmers in Ghana.
leave a comment