The US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has announced a hefty provision of funds to aid agriculture in Ghana.

She said this was important to stem the consequences of the recent drought in northern Ghana.

Mrs Palmer spoke to the media on Friday, October 11, 2024, in Accra.

“The United States is going to deliver another US$1.7 million (close to GHS30 million) – mostly through the LEAP programme – to assist people affected by the drought,” she said.

“We’re very pleased that the rains have come and that livestock will be less affected but we know that corn and grain crops in particular have been badly affected, and that lots of northern families, and southern families, depending on those crops will be affected. So that money – through the LEAP programme – will help Ghana’s most vulnerable,” she explained.

“We’re very pleased to be able to do that.”

For months, northern Ghana has been experiencing a dry spell, ruining crops, impacting harvest and leading many to fear impending famine.

In August, the 2021 National Best Farmer Alhaji Mashoud Mohammed lamented to Channel One TV: “Possibly, we may be breaking even but we doubt we will make profits. We are dealing with about 1,333 acres of maize field, and almost 2,170 acres of rice, soya bean and sorghum. Looking at the impact of this drought, by now, we should have finished planting everything but we are still waiting for the rains to come so we can plant sorghum and cowpea.”

“If you look at the northern sector, for almost three weeks now, the place is cold and sunshine is not hitting the earth’s surface very well to cause transpiration and evaporation to form rain and this is where we are today with this drought,” he lamented.

Ambassador Palmer was excited to note “overdue” rains had returned “with a vengeance” to such an extent her journey with a US-Germany delegation to launch the Coastal States Stability Mechanism (CSSM), originally meant for Chereponi, North East region, had to be taken to Yendi, Northern region, since “the roads washed out”. 

Launched on Thursday, October 10, Ghana, Togo and Benin are the US$40 million CSSM's purview.

Read: Northern Ghana: US, Germany launch joint initiative to prevent conflict, strengthen communities

The flagship social protection and cash transfer programme Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) was designed to fight extreme poverty and was implemented under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with support from UNICEF and USAID.