Ghana Country Platform
This overview includes the activities of the three zones (Southern, Middle-Belt and Northern).
National Co-ordinating Committee
The nine-member National Co-ordinating Committee (NCC) was inaugurated, with the Director of Agricultural Extension of MOFA, Mr. A. A. Osei-Frimpong, as Chairman. The NCC deliberated on the Terms of Reference of the Committee as well as the roles / functions of the NCC. Members are representatives from: CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), RTIP (IFAD project), FONG (NGO network), VEPEAG, GOAN (NGO coordinator in the Centre), ACDEP (Coordinating NGO for the North), ECASARD (NGO coordinator in the South and overall coordinator) and MOFA (Ministry of Food and Agriculture).
Formation of zonal teams
- The Southern Zonal Team was established during the period under review. Members are 3 NGOs, 3 MOFA representatives, 3 staff from research Institutions, and 3 representatives from farmer organisations. The team deliberated and approved the zonal programme of activities.
- A seven-member “maiden” local working group for the Middle-Belt zone has been established with representatives from MOFA, CSIR institutes, Soil Research Institute (SRI) and Crop Research Institutes (CRI), farmers from the forest zone and transitional zone and a representative from GOAN (Middle-Belt zone Coordinator).
- Two planning meetings were held to prepare the input of the Northern zone into the national action plan. Two meetings were also held in May and July to receive feedback from the Ethiopia international planning workshop and from the training workshop in the Philippines, respectively. The Northern zone is contemplating the engagement of a permanent PROLINNOVA facilitator. The zone has operated without any budget and thanks ACDEP for financing some of the meeting costs.
Strengthening farmer groups
The Middle-Belt zone has conducted two separate zonal farmer workshops in the Sekeyere West District and Jaman District in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, respectively (May 2003). The topics discussed were: utilisation of plants and botanicals to control insect pest and disease on crop fields, utilisation of household-generated waste to produce compost, and group dynamics in cooperative development. In total, approximately 200 farmers were trained, 30% of these are women. These activities have resulted in the identification of new farmer groups in the Sekeyere West and Jaman Districts (Middle-Belt zone).
In the Middle-Belt zone, farmers received training in: i) promoting innovation through PTD/PID methodologies, and ii) group dynamics and leadership tools.
Communication and information
One meeting was held between the zonal coordinators to discuss the problems of communication and information, coordination and programme implementation. There are decided inefficiencies that are leading to frustration among the members. These were discussed and steps taken to improve the situation. The meeting also reviewed the budget and workplan in the light of comments from the International Support Team.
PID training of facilitators
Two persons, one co-ordinator from an IFAD project in the North and another from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture from the South participated in a two-week training of facilitators in Participatory Innovation Development held at IIRR in the Philippines.
