AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINISTER OF FOOD AND

UNCLAS ACCRA 002583 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAGR GH AGRICULTURE MCA SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH MINISTER OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ¶1. Summary: Ambassador Bridgewater made a courtesy call on Minister for Food and Agriculture Ernest Debrah December 6. The Ambassador focused on Post's efforts to promote biotechnology, a revised agriculture strategy, and Ghana's agriculture-focused Millennium Challenge Account Compact Proposal. End Summary. Biotechnology -------------- ¶2. The Ambassador outlined USAID's assistance with drafting bio-safety regulations and inquired about the status of the proposed bio-safety bill. Minister Debrah said the bill had been submitted to Parliament and should be passed in the Spring 2006 session. Debrah commented that biotechnology was key to the future of agriculture-based economies like Ghana's and therefore a proper regulatory framework was essential. Revised Agriculture Strategy -------------- ¶3. The Ambassador asked about progress on revising Ghana's overall agriculture structure, which is being assisted by USAID and the Department for International Development (DfID). The Minister said he was happy with the progress, but that implementation would not be possible without more resources. Ghana's current strategy, which is focused on mechanization, was formulated twenty years ago, when the population was less than half of the current 20 million estimated to live in Ghana. The new strategy will take on the tougher issues of land and water, which will make donor coordination more complex and require greater resources. Millennium Challenge Account -------------- ¶4. The Ambassador asked about the Ministry of Agriculture's involvement in the development and proposed implementation of Ghana's agriculture-focused Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) proposal. Minster Debrah said he and his Ministry had had a good deal of input in the initial proposal. He said he attended a "Mini-Cabinet" meeting December 5 with the President and other relevant Ministers focused entirely on the proposal. He added that the President planned to hold these meetings weekly until the compact was signed. These meetings will focus on assigning responsibility for implementation in the coming weeks and work towards signing a compact in March 2006. The Ambassador said that the due diligence required by the complex proposal could delay signing until June or July of 2006. Comment -------------- ¶5. Debrah was well informed on all the issues raised by the Ambassador. His obvious willingness to engage and cooperate with other Ministries could set an example for working-level officials that must cooperate with colleagues in the Ministries of Finance, Health, Environment, and Lands if Ghana's bold plans for agricultural development are going to be achieved. Post sees the institution of weekly cabinet-level meeting on Ghana's MCA proposal as a positive sign that the GoG is working towards completing a compact and implementing it quickly after signing. End Comment. BRIDGEWATER