The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) is set to launch a Post-Flood Recovery Programme on Friday May 27, 2011, at Kogle, a village in the Lawra District, to support over 6,000 families who were adversely affected by the floods of 2010. It will be recalled that, in October 2010, the Office of the Vice-President in collaboration with SADA, the affected District Assemblies, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the UNDP, the World Food Programme (WFP) and other development partners, responded to the flood situation in the North by providing emergency food and material assistance for about 25,000 persons affected by the floods. Subsequently, SADA was charged, as part of its first set of mandates, with the responsibility of carrying out a Post-Flood Recovery Programme for the affected farmers in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone. This farmer support programme is, therefore, part of a comprehensive package approved by the SADA Board during its second meeting in Wa in April 2011. The initiative includes providing fertilizer and improved seeds as assistance to farmers who lost all or part of their livelihoods during the floods. A housing rehabilitation programme is also expected to be designed and implemented, through a collaboration between the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), the Department of Rural Housing and UNDP. Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Sulley Gariba, Policy Advisor on SADA re-affirmed the Authority’s commitment to address both the immediate and long-term needs for socio-economic transformation of the people of the affected areas. He indicated that this is only the beginning of a longer-term engagement, where farmers should soon be supported with improved techniques, technologies and market access for accelerated production of cereals and fruits year-round. In addition to beneficiary communities, the launching ceremony will be witnessed by a unique representation of MPs from both the Majority and Minority Parties, including Hon. Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra-Nandom, Hon. Mashood Baba, MP for Pru, Hon. Godfred Tangu, MP for Wa East, Hon. Pouza. Key Ministers of State to be present include the Regional Minister for Upper West, Hon. Issahaku Salia, Hon. Dr. Benjamine Kumbuour, Interior Minister, the Country Director of UNDP, Dr. K.K. Kamaludeen and a delegation from the donor community. Also to participate in the ceremony are traditional leaders, religious bodies, District Assemblies, the Northern Development Forum (to be represented by its President, Dr. Hakeem Wemah) and representatives from various CSOs and CBOs, including SEND Foundation-Ghana. The ceremony will be chaired by Dorimon-Naa, President of the Upper West House of Chiefs. The programme focuses on supporting about 6,000 families who lost crops and livelihoods during the recent floods of 2010. These comprise approximately 2,500 families in Northern Region, 1,200 in Upper East and Upper West Regions, 500 families each in the Northern Brong-Ahafo and Northern Volta Regions. The basic support package includes a fertilizer allocation to allow the farmers to cultivate at least 2 acres per family, plus improved maize seeds for at least 2 acres of farmland. SADA, through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture will provide technical guidance and training for the farmers to undertake their farming in a manner that will assure a reasonably good yield. NADMO, WFP and programme technical staff from the Regional Economic Planning Units will monitor implementation to ensure that farmers relocate to higher ground, to avoid the flooding calamities of 2010. The Flood Recovery Programme is a follow up to an initiative started by UNDP and the World Food Programme as far back as 2009. The programme has already supported several thousand farmers in the SADA area. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana