The General-Secretary of General Agriculture Workers’ Union( GAWU), Mr. Edward Kareweh has called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to establish strong linkages with stakeholders to fast track the implementation of the Government’s agro-based policies in the country.
He added that “the Ministry ought to be more comprehensive in its consultations with stakeholders so that policies affecting the sustainable development of agriculture are implemented to the letter”.
According to him, an effective liaison could not be ignored, if the various actors along the agricultural value chain were to be responsive to their core duties for increased productivity and economic growth.
Mr. Kareweh, disclosed while addressing the National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of the GAWU, in Kumasi, said achieving food sufficiency was a shared responsibility.
The GAWU, he said, was concerned about the outcomes of the implementation of certain policies such as the Planting for Food and Jobs (PfJ), amongst others.
“We believe the active involvement of all identifiable stakeholders was needed to realize the intended objectives of these policies, especially their focus on ensuring the availability of food products and creating jobs for the people,” the General Secretary observed.
He urged members of the GAWU to be more involved in the activities of the Union for its growth. Mr. Faisal Mukailla, Assistant Director for MOFA, who took the GAWU executives through the ‘Ghana New Food Agricultural Policy’, said it had been the main driving policy for the agricultural sector since 2002.
The policy, he said, needed to be renewed to reflect the global, continental, regional, and national developmental framework.
Mr. Andrew Taigoe, the Deputy General-Secretary of GAWU, said the Union would not relent in using all available systems and policies to ensure that agriculture without child labor became possible in the country.