The World Food Programme’s (WFP) Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Abdou Dieng, has commended the Ghana government for implementing pro-poor programmes geared towards alleviating poverty, and to address gender inequalities in the Northern Region.
He made reference to government’s flagship programmes such as the planting for food, one-district, one-factory as well as the one one-village, one-dam initiatives.
According to Abdou Dieng, the programmes if well implemented will improve the nation’s food security.
He was on a two-day working visit to the Northern Region through which he interacted with the Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed.
He was accompanied by Ms. Catherine Ndong, RBD Programme Policy Officer, and some officials at the WFP National and Tamale field offices.
He visited the Yapei Health Centre in the Central Gonja District, and the Nahdah Islamic Junior High School in the Tamale Metropolis.
Currently, the WFP is implementing two projects comprising the Local food based-approaches to improved nutrition (LoFAIN), and Breaking barriers to gender equality and school meals (take home rations) in the Northern Region.
The organization in a statement explained that, the nutrition sensitive interventions seek to improve dietary intake, and contribute to stunting reduction as well as improvement of infant and young child nutrition that forms part of the LoFAIN project.
A total of 408 basic school pupils in the three regions of the north, are benefiting from the breaking barriers to gender and school meals programme.
This is to increase enrollment in basic schools located in rural communities. The statement further stated that, 30,000 female students in Junior High Schools are also beneficiaries of the programme.
“The Northern Region has the highest number of schools, 276 schools. Each girl who attends school 80 percent of a term, is entitled to a ration of 12kg of beans, 6kg litres of vegetable oil and 3kg of iodized salt.”
The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, commended the WFP for its humanitarian services.
He appealed to the organization to help government build more warehouses to forestall the perennial harvest and post harvest losses.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana