The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has cut the sod for the construction of the 175-hectare Anunuso Water Conservation Scheme (AWCS) project at Brofoyedu, near Asokore, in the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region. This project is part of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) – LOT 1, which aims to enhance agricultural resilience and food security in the region.
The West Africa Food System Resilience Program is a comprehensive initiative by the government of Ghana, developed in collaboration with ECOWAS and funded by the World Bank. The program is being implemented across eight West African nations and, in Ghana, spans 57 districts across ten regions, including the Upper East, North East, Northern, Bono East, Bono, Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Volta, and Greater Accra Regions.
Upon completion, the Brofoyedu project is expected to provide sustainable water resources, enabling year-round farming and benefiting 220 farmers in Brofoyedu and its surrounding communities. The project is an integral part of the government’s ‘Feed Ghana Program,’ specifically under the ‘Irrigation for Wealth Creation’ initiative, designed to ensure a more reliable water supply for rice farmers.
The Minister emphasized that irrigation is a crucial pillar within the ‘Feed Ghana Program,’ which recognizes enhanced irrigation access as fundamental to increasing crop productivity. The program aims to elevate domestic agricultural production, diminish import dependence, fortify food security, create employment opportunities, and generate wealth through the agricultural sector.
Rice is among the priority commodities targeted by the program, particularly in Anunuso. Other sites designated for similar development include Kpong, Tano, Bia, among others, as the government intensifies its efforts to expand the nation’s irrigated farming capacity. Recent data indicates a significant rise in Ghana’s rice self-sufficiency rate, climbing from 42% to 56% since the program’s introduction in April 2025.
Despite progress, officials acknowledge that challenges such as storage, transportation, processing, and market access continue to impede the initiative’s full potential. The Minister highlighted that the expansion of irrigation would not only boost agricultural output but also significantly enhance the resilience of farming communities by granting farmers greater control over their crops.
The Ministry will actively engage with farmer associations and coordinate the formation of a Water Users Association to ensure the facility’s proper maintenance and its sustained profitability for all users. The Minister was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, John Dumelo, and other officials from the Ministry and traditional stakeholders.
Key points
- The project aims to provide sustainable water resources for 220 farmers in Brofoyedu and its surrounding communities.
- The project is part of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program, which spans 57 districts across ten regions in Ghana.
- Ghana's rice self-sufficiency rate has risen from 42% to 56% since the introduction of the 'Feed Ghana Program' in April 2025.
