UG receives $2.9 million USAID support to improve agric training
The University of Ghana has signed a five year agreement with USAID-Ghana to improve higher education in agricultural research and innovation.
The $2.9 million will support higher education programmes at the School of Agriculture, College of Applied and Basic Sciences and the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement Scholarships for Masters and PhD programmes.
This will make it possible for young Ghanaian scientists to obtain world-class training in plant breeding, soil science, crops and agribusiness, as well an economic analysis and modeling in support of Ghana’s economic gross and transformation.
USAID will provide direct support to strengthen and maintain the University’s role as a leader in providing higher education training, particularly in agricultural research targeting food security crops such as rice, maize arid soybeans.
In partnership with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology arid Innovation, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Ministry of Education, USAID and the University of Ghana will ensure food security and reduce poverty among farmers. USAID-Ghana’s Acting Mission Director, Andrew Karas remarked that, “future innovations in agricultural research and growth will be led by Ghanaians who are trained right here in Ghana. This requires access to world-class education to accelerate efforts towards achieving food security arid prosperity in Africa for years to come,”
Prof. John Ofosu-Anim, Dean of the School of Agriculture, University of Ghana noted that ‘the funding will contribute immensely to building human capacity in agriculture for Ghana in line with the School’s vision of contributing to sustainable human development in agriculture.” “Under this project, the School of Agriculture in particular will offer training to extension officers of the Ministry of Food a.md Agriculture and farmers which will enable them contribute significantly to the attainment of food security in Clhana, ” Prof. Ofosu-Anim, added.