By Samuel SAM
The formal Northern Sector Agriculture Investment Coordinating Unit (NSAICU) has been revived as the Northern Regional Agriculture Investment Coordinating Unit (NRAICU) to unlock the regions full potential and enhance food security.
It aims to improve coordination and collaboration within the Northern Region’s agriculture sector, providing accurate data on crop production and addressing poverty.
At the launch of NRAICU in Tamale, Northern Region, Northern Regional Crop Officer Mr. Dauda Abdul Salam, representing Regional Director of Agriculture Hajia Hawa Musah, announced the revival.
The event, organised by the Regional Agriculture Department (RAD) with financial and technical support from Policy LINK of Feed the Future, focuses on increasing household income and boosting agriculture’s contribution to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The programme also seeks to harness the region’s potential in producing maize, soybeans and advancing fisheries, agriculture and livestock production.
To accelerate economic growth, NRAICU will provide a platform for all agriculture sector actors to enhance stakeholder coordination and communication. The unit will be led by the Northern Regional Agriculture Department in collaboration with public institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), private sector actors, academia and research organisations, all with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Glenn Lines, Country Representative and Chief of Party at ACDI/VOCA-USAID, highlighted the sector’s challenges – from climate change to global market fluctuations. He stressed the importance of building a resilient agriculture sector for food security and economic stability in Northern Ghana. “Leveraging our collective expertise and resources is crucial to creating a productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture sector,” he said.
Lines called for enhanced collaboration, streamlined investments and the promotion of best practices to strengthen the agricultural marketing system.
Raymond Avatim-Wekem, Agriculture and Food Systems Lead at Feed the Future Ghana Policy Activity, noted that revitalising the agricultural coordinating unit was successful due to stakeholder consultations and hard work of the regional core team, which developed the operational manual guiding the unit. He emphasised the potential of NRAICU to coordinate agriculture investments, promote synergy and boost crop production in Ghana.
Francis Essuman, Country Project Manager-GROW2 project, expressed support for the new platform, stating: “Collaborating and partnering will help us gather resources to maximise our impact. We are committed to supporting this platform”.
Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer-RAD, Felix Oteng Dwaah, added that the unit’s expertise will provide leadership in developing effective agricultural strategies and programmes to optimise regional resources and improve farmer productivity and livelihoods.
