United States Provides $3 Million to Support Ghanaian Farmers Affected by Dry Spell and Improve Healthcare Delivery in the North

Tamale, Ghana – The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $3 million (over 48 million Ghanaian Cedis) to support farmers affected by the dry spell and improve healthcare delivery in the north.  The funds will be disbursed under the Feed the Future Resilience in Northern Ghana Systems Strengthening Activity for selected civil society organizations to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Ghana Health Service.

“This is an important step in ensuring that communities not only have access to nutritious food but also good health and social services,” said Maureen Malavé, USAID/Ghana Nutrition and Social Protection Lead, while announcing the grant in Tamale.

From the $3 million provided, $1.7 million will be used for smallholder farmers impacted by months of little to no rain in the north.  USAID and partners will train over 10,000 farmers in climate-smart agriculture including dry season farming, give them inputs to cultivate nutritious crops such as cowpea, yellow maize, soybean, sesame, and moringa, and introduce the rearing of guinea fowls, roosters, and rabbits, as supplemental livelihood sources. 

The funds will also facilitate the transport of surplus produce to areas facing food shortages.  This will complement a recent donation by USAID of $1.7 million through the World Food Program to communities affected by the drought.

The remaining $1.3 million will be used to improve nutrition, maternal and child health services, early childhood development, and social protection in the north. This will be done by establishing and strengthening community-based health and social protection platforms and ‘pregnancy schools’ where expectant parents are educated on how to maintain healthy pregnancies and prevent malnutrition.

The United States is Ghana’s largest development partner.  In the past year, bilateral support from USAID totaled over $150 million dedicated to health, economic growth and agriculture, education, governance, and more. 

About USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID’s work advances an integrated approach to development. It promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.