Mr. Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for Equity, a human rights organization, has called for rekindling Ghana’s ‘Operation Feed Yourself,’ and Export as food has become a weapon of war.
Mr. Prince Bagnaba Mba revealed that the present global economic crisis can not be solved by quotations from several years of auditing reports but by a collective commitment and resolve to harness the best human ability and natural resources, adding that city and urban dwellers should engage in backyard gardening. The national food stock companies should also reach out to rural areas, where storage continues to be a problem, he advised.
“There comes a time that we must all come together to find realistic solutions to a national crisis and stop the blame game. Self-sufficiency in food protection and security is non-negotiable for sustainable democracy and development. The Operation Feed Ourselves and Export spirit must be rekindled by planting available food crops. Food has become a weapon of war, more deadly than any ballistic missile.”
Mr. Prince Bagnaba Mba
Hunger does not wear political party colours
He added that Ghanaians should unite to solve national challenges, especially food management.
“We must be honest enough to accept our pitfalls in searching for sustainable food production and researching fast and efficient scientific farming methods. Hunger does not wear political party colors and urged all Ghanaians, irrespective of their geographical location, religion, ethnic groups, political parties, and occupation, to wage total resistance against the food war. Africa has no excuse. The land is good for various crops and only needs the human factor.”
Mr. Prince Bagnaba Mba
Adding to the discussion, Professor Eric Danquah, Founding Director of the West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI), disclosed that a food-secured and healthy Ghana couldn’t be attained without investing in science, technology, and innovation (STI).
Ghana needs political will from its leaders and investments
Ghana needs a comprehensive science policy that puts science on the top of the agricultural transformation agenda, Prof. Eric Danquah stressed.
“A food secure and healthy Ghana, ‘a Ghana Beyond Aid,’ can never be attained without investments in science, technology, and innovation (STI). If we fail to prioritize investments in STI in the agricultural development space, we shall continue to battle with the challenges of food and nutrition security.”
Prof. Eric Danquah
He interrogated why the government has not fully set up a fund to support science and technology research in the country and added that Ghana has some excellent agricultural research institutions, including WACCI, which he founded about 15 years ago, that deserve more support.
“How long shall it take our Government to operationalize the National Research Fund Act, 2019, passed in Parliament and has received Presidential assent? At present, WACCI is one of the finest institutions in the world for training plant breeders at the Ph.D. level. Our past, present, and plans for the future provide compelling evidence that Ghana needs more agricultural Centres of Excellence. We need political will from our leaders and investments in first-class Centres of Excellence.”
Prof. Eric Danquah
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