Aug 25, 2026
The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Department of Agriculture has taken delivery of 28 motorbikes under the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) to strengthen agricultural extension services and improve field monitoring across beneficiary districts.Geographic Reference
The motorbikes have been handed over to nine beneficiary districts and are expected to enhance the mobility of agricultural extension officers to enable them to reach farmers and support food production activities under the programme.
The beneficiary districts are Binduri, Bawku West, Nabdam, Talensi, Bongo, Kassena-Nankana Municipal, Builsa South, Builsa North and the Irrigation Company of the Upper Regions.
Mr Yakubu Mohammed Awal Meigoro, Upper East Regional Crops Officer of the Department of Agriculture, said the FSRP had been implemented in the region for some time and had expanded from an initial five districts to nine.
He said each of the nine beneficiary districts received three motorbikes, while the remaining units would support other programme activities.
Mr Meigoro said the FSRP was focused on strengthening food system resilience, with key commodities in the northern zone including tomatoes, soybeans, maize and rice.
He said the motorbikes were primarily intended to support field officers, including Agricultural Extension Agents and other technical officers, in their work with farmers.Motorcycles
Alhaji Zakaria Fuseini, Upper East Regional Director of Agriculture, urged beneficiary district directors and officers to properly manage and maintain the motorbikes to prolong their lifespan.
He cautioned beneficiaries against using the motorbikes for purposes unrelated to the programme.
“We want to plead with you. Let’s use it for the purpose for which they have brought them. We don’t want to hear that so-and-so motorbikes are found somewhere for a different business,” he said.
Alhaji Fuseini said ownership and maintenance arrangements would be addressed in accordance with the terms of the project, adding that beneficiaries who took good care of the motorbikes could benefit from future ownership arrangements.
Speaking on behalf of the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Chief Director of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, Alhaji Mohammed Issahaku, said beneficiaries had a responsibility to ensure the proper use of the motorbikes, whether they were managed as a pool or assigned to specific officers.Multilateral Organizations
He said proper management of the assets would help build confidence among development partners and encourage further investment in agriculture.
“We have been crying that funding to agriculture is a challenge. So if we don’t put up any conduct that will invite others or motivate others to come and support us, I think we will be shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.
Alhaji Issahaku said the motorbikes were intended to support food security activities and should therefore be made available to agricultural officers whenever they were required for field operations.
He urged beneficiaries to regard the motorbikes as important assets for improving agricultural extension delivery and strengthening food production in the region.
The FSRP is being implemented to strengthen food systems and resilience and support increased production of selected agricultural commodities in participating districts.
Source:https://www.citinewsroom.com
Aug 19, 2026
The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has inspected a nutrition training programme for caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) in Tamale.
The training, held during her working visit to the Northern and North East Regions from August 5 to 7, 2026, brought together caterers from six regions.
It was designed to improve their knowledge and practical skills in nutrition, food safety, hygiene and the preparation of healthy and balanced meals for schoolchildren.
During the visit, Dr Lartey interacted with the caterers and facilitators, observed practical sessions and assessed how the training could improve the quality of meals served under the School Feeding Programme.
She commended the GSFP for placing greater emphasis on the nutritional value of meals, saying the programme must go beyond simply providing food to ensuring that school meals contribute to children’s growth, health and ability to learn.
The Minister stressed the need for caterers to use locally available foods to prepare nutritious meals while maintaining high standards of hygiene and food safety.
She urged the caterers to apply the knowledge gained from the training and called for stronger collaboration between the Ministry, the School Feeding Programme, local authorities and technical institutions.
According to her, sustained capacity building and effective monitoring are essential to improving the quality of school meals across the country.
The training forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the School Feeding Programme, with a focus on nutrition, food safety and improved service delivery.
The ultimate goal, she said, is to ensure that children receive safe, nutritious and quality meals while at school.
The caterers expressed appreciation to the Minister for engaging with them and pledged to apply the skills acquired to improve the meals served to schoolchildren.
Aug 19, 2026
President John Dramani Mahama has announced a $10 billion investment into 7 key sectors of the economy over the next 4 years. 50% of the annual $2.5 Billion investment is to focus on Agriculture and Agro-processing.
Speaking in the Upper East Region during his resetting Ghana tour today, Friday, August 14, 2026, President Mahama said the investment is aimed at creating jobs by boosting food production. Increasing food production requires rehabilitation of irrigation facilities to ensure all year round cultivation thereby reducing the country’s reliance on food imports.
The President noted that the Upper East Region has the potential to feed the whole country. Pointing to some existing irrigation facilities in the region, which could be revamped, the President expressed optimism that the Upper East region can reach its full potential in vegetable production.
“Agriculture and Agro-processing are going to take 50% of that ten Billion. And I can assure you, the Upper East region is going to get it’s fair share of that five billion Dollars.” adding that “Upper East can produce all the vegetables that we eat in this country”
He cited ongoing projects in the region. “We’ve started. We have the tomato revitalisation project that is taking place here, which is bringing 2,500 acres of land under tomato production,” noting that the Pwalugu tomato factory is to be rehabilitated to process the tomatoes that the Upper East Region produces so as to reduce the country’s dependence on imports.
On onion production, President Mahama said the government will complete the Tono irrigation project to support dry season farming in four districts in the Bawku area. He said increasing local onion production will help cut down imports from Niger.
Source: https://www.gbcghanaonline.com
Aug 14, 2026
Chief Executive Officer of NAFCO, George Abradu-Otoo received a delegation from the Ghana – Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber at our Head Office in Accra.
The delegation included Co-founders; Nana Akyaa Akosa and Senator Ken Schilz.
Discussions centered on partnerships aimed at reducing post-harvest losses and modernizing Ghana’s food storage infrastructure.
Mr. George Abradu-Otoo highlighted the importance of a sustained investment in strengthening NAFCO’s capacity to support local farmers and reduce post-harvest losses.
Mr. Abradu-Otoo added that the expansion of facilities and deployment of digital technology could open future opportunities for NAFCO in perishable goods storage.
Nana Akyaa Akosa, also highlighted the importance of knowledge sharing and the benefits of adapting Nebraska’s agricultural innovations to Ghana’s local context to directly support Ghanaian farmers.
Senator Schilz reaffirmed Nebraska’s commitment to knowledge and technology exchange, sharing lessons learned in food storage and safety practices, and to exploring potential business opportunities between Ghana and the State of Nebraska, USA.
Aug 14, 2026
President John Mahama has reiterated his government’s commitment to improving the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, dismissing claims that he intends to abolish the policy introduced by his predecessor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in 2017.
According to President Mahama, the decision by his government to retain and improve the programme demonstrates its commitment to ensuring that Ghanaian children have access to secondary education regardless of their financial circumstances.
He made the remarks during his ongoing tour of the Upper East Region, where he commissioned an E-Block school facility as part of efforts to expand educational infrastructure in the region.
President Mahama said claims that he would scrap the Free SHS policy if elected were part of what he described as propaganda by his political opponents during the 2024 election campaign.
He said his administration had no intention of abolishing the programme, but would rather implement measures to improve its delivery and address challenges that had emerged since its introduction.
“One of our major Resetting Ghana Agenda is that we will improve the quality and access of education at all levels, including secondary. And so we set out to resolve some of the challenges that had bedevilled especially secondary education since the beginning of the Free SHS.
I remember during the campaign (in 2024), there was a devious campaign going around that when Mahama comes to office, he is going to cancel Free SHS. I can believe now that you can all see that it was all propaganda,” he said.
“We are rather improving the Free SHS so that the learning outcomes and the quality of education are better. Before we came to office, there was a challenge of feeding Senior High School students; we have largely resolved that, and the quantity and quality of food have improved,” he noted.
The commissioning of the E-Block facility, he said, formed part of the government’s broader efforts to expand infrastructure and improve the quality of education across the country.
The Free SHS programme was introduced in 2017 under the Akufo-Addo administration, providing tuition-free secondary education in public senior high schools.
The policy has since significantly increased enrolment, although it has also faced challenges relating to infrastructure, feeding, overcrowding and other resources.
President Mahama said his administration would continue to address those challenges rather than reverse the policy, stressing that the objective was to make Free SHS more effective and sustainable.
Source: https://nafco.gov.gh
