The Volta Development Forum (VDF), a non-political organization of people of Ewe descent, has plans to establish farms in all districts in the Volta Region as part of its agro-development agenda.
The Executive Director of the VDF, Mr Daniel Dzegede has intimated that his outfit intends to cultivate 100-acre farms in each District and Municipality for local processing and export, as agro- industrialization forms part of VDF’s key initiatives, adding that the attention would be on the cultivation of rice and cassava. He said irrigation would also be highly considered for year-round cultivation.
According to Mr. Dzegede, the processing of the food crops would be explored to help meet food and nutrition needs. He said some individuals and entities, including expatriates, had expressed interest in adding value to the agricultural products. He mentioned that his outfit had attracted an investor, who is ready to inject more than one million dollars into the agro-industry and to also train hundreds of out-growers in the Region.
Mr Dzegede said agro investment in the Region was set for a boost, adding however, that concerns over access to the agricultural land remained a major impediment to the pursuance of the enterprise. He, therefore, appealed to chiefs and other local authorities to relax their grip on land resources for the benefit of all.
The Executive Director also noted that the Forum, as part of its development strategies, would encourage investors to establish agro-processing facilities in the Region to serve the West African Sub-Region and beyond. He added that the VDF was targeting one billion dollars to help speed up the development of the Region.
He said the VDF was engaging communities in the diaspora to “sensitize them on the mission and to get them to buy into it.”
“The forum already is attracting people who see it as an opportunity to contribute their quota,” he said, adding that the Forum had chosen a bottom-up approach to development, and must, therefore, be supported by all.
“We must all work together to develop this Region. The current generation must sacrifice for the others. America is what it is because their forbearers paid the price.”
Mr. Daniel Dzegede
In Jan 2021, the VDF announced a $1 billion financial package meant to support the development of the Volta Region during the inauguration of its Executive Council in Ho. The President of the organization, Dr. Prince Kofi Kludjeson, who made the announcement said the VDF was for the self-mobilization of human, material and financial resources for the development of the Region, and would enhance growth in agriculture, education, tourism and arts, and ICT.
The VDF, formed in September 2020, has 18 working committees covering all sectors of the economy. The committees are being headed by renowned personalities, all indigenes of the Volta Region. The birth of the VDF was influenced by former Minister for Transport, Madam Dzifa Ativor, and was driven to its current stage through the support of Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister and the Regional Coordinating council.
