MiDA & YALI Alumni Hold Dialogue And A Review Tour Of MCA - Compact I In Ghana

The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) in collaboration with the alumni of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) and the US Embassy held a dialogue on Monday around the challenges, successes, and lessons experienced by MiDA when implementing the first Compact of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). The event also covered a tour of the N1 Highway in Accra and a visit to the Post-Harvest Handling and Value Chain located at Akorley Pack House.

United States Ambassador to Ghana Robert P. Jackson delivered the welcome address during the first session which was held at the US Embassy on Monday emphasizing the importance of Ghana-United States relationship and also the importance MCA Compact 2 to the development of the energy sector in Ghana.

The Regional Coordinating Director Deidra Fair James (Ghana Compact II) and MiDA CEO Ing. Owura Sarfo (Ghana Compact II) also provided a brief history of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Ghana and an overview of their current programs.

They stressed that the MCC is to manage and implement the programs under the Millennium Challenge Account for poverty reduction through economic growth as set out in each agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

The second session involved a study tour of some of the projects undertaken under the MCA Compact I to review at first hand the returns on investments in the agricultural sector, its effects on the rural economy and the incidence of poverty among smallholder farmers.

The first place of visit was the Post-Harvest Handling and Value Chain located at Akorley Pack House. Mr. Davies Narh Korboe, the Managing Director of Cotton Weblink Portfolio Ltd, received the participants and guided them through the facility. Mr. Korboe who was adjudged National Best Farmer in 2009 revealed that during the peak season of their operations, the facility is able to employ over 120 workers who engage all mango farmers within their catchment area to assist in the post-harvest processing and export of fruits. He also noted that demand for fresh fruits in the world market is very huge and encouraged the youth to take advantage of the processing facility provided through the MCA Compact I by going into fruit farming.

Dr. Bernard Koranteng-Yorke, MiDA Infrastructure Director for Compact I led the final tour of the N1 Highway.

He revealed that design works have been completed for five additional interchanges to be constructed on the N1 Highway.

“These interchanges have already been designed and are awaiting funds from GoG. These did not form part of the works completed under Phase I of the MCA Program.”

He also maintained that the already designed interchanges will be at Abeka Lapaz, Dzorwulu, Kwashieman, Nyamekye and Awoshie intersections.

The YALI team expressed their appreciation to MIDA, MCC and the US Ambassador for the dialogue and tour of the project sites and encouraged continuous engagement with the young people of Ghana.