The beneficiaries are yam and groundnut farmers at Bui, a resettlement community in the Banda District in the Bono Region. The presentation formed part of the second phase of the BPA's Livelihood Enhancement Programme (LEP), which was instituted in 2019 to improve the quality of life of people affected by the construction of the Bui hydroelectric project.

The beneficiaries are part of the 815 eligible people expected to benefit from the second phase of the BPA’s LEP. So far, the first and second phases of the LEP have benefited about 660 persons affected by the dam construction out of the targeted 815 persons.

At the presentation of the financial support last Friday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BPA, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, said the authority was committed to improving the socio-economic livelihoods of the locals, particularly the Project Affected Persons (PAPs), to alleviate their plight.

He said farming remained a lucrative venture in the area and advised the farmers to be committed to their farming activities, as the BPA assisted them in maintaining and expanding their farms.

Mr Dzamesi urged the farmers to remain disciplined, work hard, become self-reliant and eliminate poverty.

Challenges

The Deputy Director, Human and Natural Resources at the BPA, Eric Acheampong, said the implementation of phase one encountered some challenges, which forced the authority to temporarily halt it, to undertake some assessments.

Mr Acheampong said the authority was on course to improve the socio-economic livelihoods of the people to live decent lives. Giving a brief background of the second phase of the LEP, he said the authority put the eligible PAPs into groups as either “standalone or service providers” and adequately resourced them with the required tools and equipment, including personal protection equipment to operate as independent entities.

With the Bui enclave being a predominantly farming area, the BPA constituted the Agricultural Modernisation Module, also known as the BPA LEP 2 Irrigation Farming Module, with the aim of strategically investing in the farming exploits of the PAPs.

Commendation

The Chief of Bui, Nana Kwadwo Wuo II, thanked the BPA for their commitment towards improving the lives of the people, which included investing in the areas of health, education and sports.

He said though residents were happy with the BPA contributions to their welfare, it was imperative for the authority to do more to ensure that the unemployed youth in the area were employed to enhance their living standards.

A groundnut farmer, Judith Nsiah, appealed to the BPA to intervene to get them ready market and good prices for their produce. A yam farmer, Maxwell Gbadagbo, who is also the spokesperson for the beneficiaries, thanked the BPA for the support and encouraged the farmers to invest the funds in their farming activities.