Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II, the Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area, has outlined the vast agricultural potential of the Savannah Region to the European Union, seeking collaborative support for a transformative farming initiative.
The Vice President of the National House of Chiefs led a high-powered delegation on a courtesy call on the new EU Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Rune Skinnebach, at the EU Delegation in Accra.
Buipewura Jinapor II, presented a three-point vision centred on promoting peace, achieving food security, and enhancing traditional governance.
He positioned agriculture as the critical engine for realizing these goals.
“The world is changing very fast. We have initiated some project and I felt that we must associate these projects to the European Union. Because we have been with them, we are here as partners, we are here as brothers,” he said.
He said the flagship project presented was the ‘Savannah Farmers’ Brigade’, which aims to harness the region’s abundant resources.
The Buipewura noted that through his technical advisor, Gbunepura Adam, the initiative aims to mobilize, mechanize, and modernize agriculture across the five regions of northern Ghana.
“Savannah region has a lot of land. Sixteen percent of the land area of Ghana is in the Savannah region. We have the White Volta River, the Black Volta River. These are resources that can bring food. These are resources that can give us economic justice. These are resources that can create peace in our land if we utilise them properly.,” he said.
The Buipewura lamented that poverty and lack of organisation persist despite the region’s fertility, had resulted in youth migration to southern Ghana and abroad.
The Farmers’ Brigade, he noted, was the solution to reverse the trend by creating wealth and jobs through structured, commercial agriculture.
The Paramount Chief formally invited the EU’s support, not just financially but as technical consultants, leveraging the Union’s vast experience across Africa.
He also announced plans to officially launch the Savannah Farmers’ Brigade on March 28 and requested the EU’s endorsement to gain wider international recognition.
Ambassador Rune Skinnebach acknowledged his pivotal dual role as a custodian of culture and a development visionary.
He highlighted that 60 per cent of the EU’s development cooperation in Ghana was delivered in the northern sector due to its needs.
“I was very pleased also to hear about this initiative of the Farmers’ Brigade, the vision of modernising and mechanising the agriculture sector, because this indeed is needed. It’s needed to feed the people. It’s needed to maintain peace,” Ambassador Skinnebachsaid.
He recognized northern Ghana’s strategic importance for conflict prevention and the fight against violent extremism, praising the Chief’s leadership in fostering intercommunal coexistence.
The Ambassador assured the delegation of the EU’s commitment to continued dialogue and exploration of common interests, hinting at a potential future visit to the Buipe Traditional Area to see the development vision first-hand.
The parties committed to strengthening partnerships aimed at unlocking the agricultural potential of the Savannah Region for sustainable development and peace.
Source: Access Agric
