The European Union (EU) has launched a 2 million Euro Jatropha project in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region of Ghana, intended to improve upon sustainable renewable energy resource development that would mitigate the effects of environmental degradation in rural areas of the region.
The five year project also aims at creating income generating-activities as an integrated approach towards ensuring sustainable livelihood of indigenes of the identified deprived communities in the area.
Besides, some selected Farmer Based Organizations (FBOs) from seven farming settlements including Janga, Yaama, Wungu and Yagaba-Kubori all in the West Mamprusi area are to benefit financially in addition to seed support from the EU to undertake the project.
Launching the project in Walewale, Edward Awafo of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), explained that the goal of the project was to give funds to rural communities in the area to access modern and renewable energy resources.
Professor Giuseppe Enner, the Project Coordinator hinted that the European Union in collaboration with New Energy would setup 14 Jatropha contact groups in the villages which would consist of 30 members, each drawn from respective households in the beneficiary communities.
According to him, the project among other interventions was expected to increase the financial and educational status of impoverished women and other marginalized groups.
He added that the project would develop and construct appropriate cost-effective machine for Jatropha oil extraction in the selected beneficiary communities.
Professor Giuseppe outlined seven phases as the work plan for the five years period among which included the participatory approach and implementation techniques, Jatropha plants transplantation and plantation management activities, training and capacity building and Jatropha processing, quality improvement and testing for different use.
San Nasaamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister described the project as a fundamental key to reducing poverty in rural communities of the Northern Region since it was in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
He believed that the project would constitute a new integrated and innovative approach to Ghana’s sustainable energy management of renewable resources.
The local implementing partners of the Jatropha project in Ghana are the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, New Energy and the Technology Consultancy Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
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