He said construction works could go ahead, which would provide all-year round water for irrigation and enhance agriculture productivity and net export of foodstuffs.  The Government has earmarked GHc94.5 million in the 2018 Budget for the implementation of the project in the three regions of the north.

Vice President Bawumia, who said this at the opening of the Regional Ministers’ Conference in Kumasi, at the weekend, noted that it was the Government’s fervent desire to roll out the project not for political convenience but due to its critical role in the development of agriculture.

He said the agriculture sector was key to national development because “it is the engine of growth to move our economy beyond aid.”  Vice President Bawumia said it was fundamental to boost agriculture productivity so as to achieve sustainable industrial and agribusiness growth and as basis for wealth and job creation.

“Government has placed renewed emphasis on the agriculture sector, pumping in much resource to facilitate rapid integration to global and regional value chains,” he said.  The Vice President said the Akufo-Addo led Administration had worked assiduously to lay a solid foundation for rapid development of the country.

He mentioned programmes such as the Digital Property Addressing System, E-registration of drivers’ licence and vehicles, and plans for the issuance of National Identity cards to Ghanaians, which would formalise the economy and create avenues for revenue generation.  Land title registration would also be digitised next year to enhance the registration of lands and avert protracted land litigations, Vice President Bawumia said.

He said since the country’s independence there had been tremendous efforts by successive governments to develop the nation, therefore, the current administration would consolidate the gains made so far.  Ghana is currently classified as a middle income country based on certain economic indicators such as the Country’s per capita income, Gross Domestic Product, and Gross National Income.

However, the Vice President said, all those economic indicators would remain meaningless if it did not reflect in the lives of the people. It was against this backdrop that the Government was striving hard to lay a solid foundation for rapid development, he said.  “It is the vision of the Akufo-Addo led Government to develop Ghana beyond aid by galvanising stakeholders including regional ministers, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, and coordinating councils to build the necessary infrastructure that would sustain economic growth and reduce poverty,” Vice President Bawumia said.