The World Food Programme (WFP) through its Food for Work project, has supported five communities in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region, with food items to rehabilitate their dams and dugouts with local labour.
The food package for the whole project which weighed at 98 metric tonnes comprises maize, beans, vegetable oil and salt.
The five beneficiary communities are; Boli, Sagu, Charingu, Kpongu and Yibile.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), the Ghana Irrigation Authority (GIDA) and the Wa Municipal Assembly are collaborating to give technical support to the communities.
Mr Yakubu Duogu, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), addressing members of the Boli community at the site of their dams on Tuesday, commended WFP for the initiative and the community members for accepting to use their own labour to rehabilitate their dams.
The MCE noted that the dams when rehabilitated would undoubtedly boost agricultural production and ultimately promote food security in the rural areas.
He said the initiative had the potential to increase the water holding capacity of the dams which would promote small-scale irrigation and livestock production in the communities.
Duogu said the Assembly would not relent in its efforts to support the project noting that currently, the intervention had the potential to change the fortunes of more that 3,000 people in each area of operation.
Mr Eric Adu-Amankwa, GIDA Regional Manager, commended the community members for their hard work noting that each of the dams could have cost not less than GH¢50,000 to rehabilitate.
Mr Francis Nuotaba, the Municipal Director of MOFA, said the food was meant only for those who actively took part in the work and urged the chiefs to make sure that objective was met.
He urged the community members to put the dams to good use after the rehabilitation in order to reap its full benefits.
Members of the communities who expressed appreciation to all who have contributed towards the rehabilitation of the dams, said they would undertake dry season farming to supplement in their income.