2006 ANNUAL REPORT & PROGRAMME REPORT ... - Prolinnova

In December 2006, a workshop was held in Ambo to develop a longer term strategic plan for
PROFIEET. The purpose of this strategic planning workshop was to review the functioning
and achievements of the network and, on the basis of this joint analysis, to devise a strategic
plan for the coming four years. Participants came from the federal level as well as from the
regional PROFIEET platforms. There was a good balance of representatives from state and
non-state agencies of research, extension, development and education, as well as one
international research centre (IFPRI-ISNAR). A total of 22 participants attended the meeting
of which two were woman.
1.4 Ghana
Institutional set-up
A nine-member National Coordinating Committee (NCC) provides oversight in Ghana,
chaired by the former Director of Agricultural Extension of the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (MoFA). Members are Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Roots and
Tubers Improvement Programme (an IFAD project), FONG (NGO network), VEPEAG, GOAN
(Ghana Organic Agriculture Network), ACDEP (Association of Church Development
Projects), and ECASARD (Ecumenical Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural
Development).
PROLINNOVA Ghana was initially organised in three zones: the Southern, Middle Belt and
Northern Zone. Each had a working group or team, responsible for day-to-day operations.
The overall coordination of the programme at the national level was the responsibility of
ECASARD, which also coordinated the activities in the Southern Zone, while those in the
North were coordinated by ACDEP and in the Middle Belt by GOAN.
In 2005, on account of problems in communication between the different zones and with the
PROLINNOVA Secretariat, resulting in a temporary slowdown of activities, the Ghana
programme was reorganised under guidance of the Chair of the PROLINNOVA Ghana NCC. A
short transition contract was drafted to enable the NCC to act in this matter and to
consolidate a few selected activities in 2005. Ghana now has two sub-programmes, Ghana
North and Ghana South, each with a direct contract with ETC, with the NCC providing
oversight to both. The Northern zone is coordinated by ACDEP, the Southern zone by
ECASARD. This allows the two zones to work more effectively, with greater differences in
terms of progress and strategies followed. In 2006, ETC signed a separate MoU with ACDEP
for the implementations of activities in the North and continued consultations with ECASARD
in preparing for a new agreement in 2007.
Achievements in 2006
As mentioned above, these achievements refer only to the Northern Ghana programme in
2006. In order to organise its work, planning meetings were held in February and May,
involving six participants of the existing Northern Ghana LEISA Working Group (NGLWG).
This included representatives of partner institutions: ACDEP, Animal Research Institute
(ARI), Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), the University for Development
Studies and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
In its first year, Ghana North decided to focus on two innovations identified by partners in
previous work: a local mineral lick called “Siella” and a cereal locally called “fonio”. The work
to promote and further develop Siella was led by the ARI and conducted in two communities
in the Saboba-Chereponi District. It included interaction with the communities to review local
knowledge and uses of Siella, and a three-day participatory training-cum documentation of
farmers’ innovations on Siella. Fifteen farmers and three extension staff of MoFA participated
33196 PROLINNOVA Annual Report 2006 13