Wednesday, November 22, 2017- Accra – The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) has donated an amount of Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC 10,000) to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in support of the 33rd edition of National Farmers Day.
Mr Samson Konlan, New Business Development Specialist and Mrs Judith Fagbegnon-Kodjo, Acting Country Representative and National Administration and Finance Officer (NAFO) of IFDC Ghana presented the cheque on behalf of IFDC at the premises of MoFA.
In a brief statement, Mr Konlan mentioned that IFDC works with regional and national organizations on integrated soil fertility management, food security and productivity enhancement, agro-input and output market development and input policies at regional and national levels as well as on value chain strengthening. He added that IFDC is supporting the National Farmers’ Day in recognition of the Government of Ghana’s increased commitment to improving productivity at the farmer level through its Planting for Food and Jobs program.
Honorable Dr Sagre Bambangi, Deputy Minister (Annual Crops) received the donation on behalf of the government and people of Ghana and appealed for more support in order to help make this year’s farmers’ day a success.
The Mission of IFDC is to enable farmers in developing countries to increase agriculture productivity, generate economic growth, and practice environmental stewardship by enhancing their ability to manage mineral and organic fertilizers responsibly and participate profitably in markets.
IFDC is headquartered in Muscle Shoals, Alabama (USA) and works in many countries in Asia, East and Southern Africa, as well as in North and West Africa with regional offices in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Nairobi (Kenya) and Accra (Ghana), respectively.
In Ghana, IFDC is working closely with local institutions on projects such as the Feed the Future USAID Ghana Agriculture Technology Transfer (ATT), Towards Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship (2SCALE), Ghana Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Ghana WASH) and the Commercial Vegetable Sector Development in Ghana (GhanaVeg) as well as the Africafertilizer.org initiative.
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The Feed the Future USAID Ghana Agricultural Technology Transfer (ATT) Project is increasing the availability of appropriate and affordable agriculture-related technologies to sustainably improve the competitiveness of the maize, rice, and soybean value chains in northern Ghana with funding from USAID/Ghana. ATT is improving Ghana’s agricultural
research and extension systems by creating a private sector-led agricultural technology transfer mechanism, linking research, extension systems, and producers in a market driven approach to seed variety development and dissemination.
2SCALE seeks to improve rural livelihoods and food security in Africa, by being an inclusive agribusiness incubator based on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). Implemented in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda, the 2SCALE project is funded by the Dutch government and jointly implemented by IFDC, ICRA and BoP Innovation Center as well as partners such as the private sector, government agencies, research centers, development organizations, universities and especially small female producers to create agribusiness clusters for competitive value chains.
Ghana Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Ghana WASH) is working to push the frontiers of innovation in the area of waste treatment and reuse (waste-to-energy and fertilizer) in Ghana. The project is funded by Rijksdienst Voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) and the African Development Bank. Partners and collaborators include Safi Sana Ghana Ltd, Royal Haskoning DHV, Wereld Waternet, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), Hasal Babs Enterprise, the Waste Foundation and the Ashaiman Municipality Assembly. Safi Sana, a Ghanaian company, subcontracted IFDC to demonstrate and roll out Safi Sana’s bio-fertilizer and seedling products in the horticultural partnerships supported by 2SCALE in Ghana.
GhanaVeg is an initiative of The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented by IFDC, Wageningen University Research-Center for Development Innovation (CDI) and the Netherlands-Ghana Business Chamber (NABC) with the mission to establish a sustainable and internationally competitive vegetable sector that contributes to inclusive economic growth and has the capacity to continuously innovate in terms of products and services. GhanaVeg is driven by a strong belief in healthy and quality vegetables from Ghana through new ways of doing business. The Initiative targets the high-end domestic and international markets (high end supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and exports).
AfricaFertilizer.org is an IFDC initiative, led in partnership with the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), the United Nations United Nations for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the African Union Commission (AUC). Its objective is to contribute to the development of a sustainable and profitable agriculture sector in Africa by providing clear and timely information on fertilizers to the public and private sectors.
Contacts:
Daniel Nana Sei Mensah, Bilingual Communication Specialist 024 605 9120 dmensah@ifdc.org
Judith Fagbegnon-Kodjo, Ag. Country Representative and NAFO 026 473 5557 jfagbegnon@ifdc.org
