Samatigu Community Embraces ActionAid Ghana’s Irrigation Project for Climate Smart Farming

Residents of Samatigu in the Nadowli/Kaleo District are poised to embrace dry season farming, thanks to a transformative irrigation dam project spearheaded by ActionAid Ghana.

The initiative, aimed at boosting sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, was announced during a durbar at Samatigu. The project, under the auspices of ActionAid Ghana, seeks to fence a one-hectare irrigable area with canals, with portions allocated to interested community members for dry season farming.

Speaking to Info Radio, Mr. Sebastian Alesane, Project Officer for ActionAid Ghana in the Upper West Region, said, the effort forms part of a broader series of 141 interventions currently underway across ten districts in the Upper West and Savannah Regions.

The program focuses on Sustainable Water Management, Agro-Forestry Development, Climate Change Mitigation and Compost Management. He said the initiative not only aims to improve livelihoods but also signals a step forward in climate-conscious agricultural practices. 

The dam project is expected to provide an avenue for the production of vegetables during the dry seasons. He also cautioned against any form of abuse.

“We don’t want children under 18 years to come and work here that will be child labour. We also have a policy against sexual exploitation, and our contractor and his workers know that. Mr. Sebastian Alesane emphasized.

Speaking at a durbar to commemorate the launch of the project, Millicent Zuuri, Assemblywoman for the Samatigu Electoral Area, announced that the contractor would repair all broken canals associated with the irrigation system. She encouraged residents to fully utilize the dam, noting “One thing that is expected of beneficiary communities is taking good care of the facility. ActionAid Ghana has assured us of another intervention if, in due course, their inspections show we are making good use of what we have been given,” she told the gathering.

Mr. Kwesi Ofori Atta, who represents F PLUS GHANA LIMITED, contractors for the project, announced that the project will rely heavily on labor-intensive methods; hence, there would be jobs for community members to do when work starts on the site. 

“We are supposed to do an irrigable area of one hectare. It is going to be labor-intensive. We don’t want to use those who are already engaged, but those who are vulnerable, especially those without any work doing”, the contractor stressed.

The residents, in turn, expressed heartfelt gratitude to ActionAid Ghana and declared their commitment to supporting the project as they are happy to have this opportunity and will play a crucial role in seeing the project succeed.