Mr Noah Dogah, a former Assembly Member of Tamatoku in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region, has appealed for the proritisation of agriculture in the area to drive economic growth.
He called on the Paramount Chief, Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, to lead the advocacy to promote agriculture among the youth, stressing the sector’s potential to drive national development.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, he expressed concern over the neglect of neglect of agriculture in the area, which was the foundation for development.
He bemoaned farmers’ struggles to produce food crops in Ada despite its proximity to the Volta Lake, which he believed should be a source of livelihood rather than a flood risk.
Mr Dogah, also the Public Relations Officer for Dan’ Ma Aqua Culture Company, emphasised the need to harness the lake’s potential and urged traditional authorities to petition the government for support.
He said the youth could be encouraged to engage in farming to ensure food security and reduce imports through the provision of an enabling environment for production to thrive.
“Assuming the population of Ada is 20,000 and we have 1,000 rearing 500 poultry each, do you think we will dream of importing chicken into Ghana?” he asked.
“Just look at how we have channelled our focus as a country from agriculture to importation; look at the cost of tomatoes when we have a lot of people in agriculture that sit idle in the dry season.”