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Developmental initiatives in Ghana supported by France and their intended impact are a reflection of France’s decision to undertake development partnerships differently.
The interventions, mainly in the agriculture, infrastructure development and technology, are aimed at improving the agric business sector, supporting steady development and progress of northern Ghana.
A former French Ambassador to Ghana, Jules Armand Aniambossou, sharing these laudable initiatives with the Daily Graphic, said with those interventions rolled out, the beneficiaries, who included farmers and residents in the northern part of Ghana, would directly feel the impact the transformation would bring on their lives.
"In all, France, through its agency, the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) and in collaboration with the European Union, has invested about €90 million in grants to improve access to power, building capacity for waste management, the agro-business chain and roads.”
"It has taken some time, but the projects have taken off, and soon, the impact will be felt.
“We have also put in the mechanism to monitor and evaluate the success of these initiatives as part of the efforts to do development differently," Mr Aniambossou said in his final interview with the Daily Graphic before ending his duty tour.
He assumed office as the Ambassador in 2022, but ended his duty tour earlier this month and has since returned to France.
Key among the initiatives are the solar irrigation infrastructure in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions, as well as the Northern Volta area, where the AFD, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, has invested in the irrigation system to boost rice and other grain crop production.
Specifically, the initiative is aimed at improving rice yields, adding an estimated number of metric tonnes of milled rice yearly.
Also, there has been investment in waste management projects intended to support the beneficiary communities to effectively manage their waste, power supply and some road construction.
Mr Aniambossou said the investment was crucial, not only for growing more food, but also for ensuring that communities benefited throughout the year, with the focus on empowering smallholder farmers and strengthening food security.
"Where the Agence France de Development is supporting irrigation infrastructure in the North, we have seen significant investment.
A major programme co-financed by France and the EU allocated a significant amount of money to build irrigation systems.
This infrastructure is crucial for both growing more food and ensuring that communities benefit throughout the year.
"Beyond the figures, what matters most is seeing lives changed. During my tour of the regions, I met farmers using solar-powered irrigation pumps, youth in agro processing ventures, women's cooperatives adopting improved seeds and entire communities gaining resilience.”
"There is a tangible shift in confidence, dignity and economic possibility, powered by both local leadership and committed support," he explained.
Also, as part of promoting inter-university collaborations, the French Embassy in Ghana succeeded in collaborating with Ghana to set up an Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme to create jobs in that area.
He said in partnership with Paris Saclay, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has developed an app for agriculture and health systems that was intended to support farmers by making the health system accessible and affordable.
"One of the key things we did and which I am extremely proud of, is investing €2m Euro and linking up the KNUST with France's premier university, Université Paris-Saclay, to collaborate to create an app that would help farmers in their day-to-day farming activities and also on how to access health care, given that many of them are in remote areas.”
"By the end of September, the app will be launched and it will help the beneficiaries a lot," he stressed.
Mr Aniambossou also expressed pride in the relationship between his country and Ghana, describing it as one that has been strengthened on "mutual respect, reciprocity and consensus building.
"Apart from language, France and Ghana share many common values, particularly in democracy, multi-nationalism, liberty, dignity of their people and the ambition of our youth," he observed.
While expressing appreciation for the warmth, candour and partnership he enjoyed during his tour, the former Ambassador was also happy that the relationship between the two countries had grown even stronger, stating: "I'm proud to note that the relationship between the two countries have further deepened and growing from strength to strength and it is one built with less talk and fanfare, but more action."
