EU Ambassador Inspects EU-funded Mango Farms in Ghana to Assess WACOMP Impact

 

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Irchad Razaaly, visited mango farms in Ghana supported by the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), funded by the EU. The purpose of the visit was to assess the impact of the program and its interventions. Accompanied by a delegation, the Ambassador toured Hendy Farms, Akorley packhouse, and a mango nursery in Dodowa.

Mr. Razaaly expressed his satisfaction with the project's progress, emphasizing the goal of helping Ghanaian farmers meet certification requirements and gain access to the EU market. The WACOMP program has provided various forms of support, including training, branding, marketing programs, and certification processes, to enhance the competitiveness of mango farming in Ghana.

Dr. Charles Kwame Sackey, Chief Technical Advisor for WACOMP-Ghana at UNIDO, highlighted that WACOMP aligns with the government's industrial agenda and has trained over 30,000 individuals, with a focus on good agricultural practices, certification processes, and decent work.

WACOMP is a partnership between the EU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aimed at enhancing trade competitiveness in West Africa and integrating the region into the global trading system. With an overall objective of increasing production, value addition, and export capacities, the program supports private sector development and aligns with regional and national industrial strategies. In Ghana, the EU is contributing €6.2 million, and with additional funding from UNIDO, a total of €6.35 million has been allocated to support value-addition, sustainable production, and access to regional and international markets. WACOMP Ghana, launched in 2019 and scheduled to conclude in 2024, is in line with the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III) vision and UNIDO's mission to foster inclusive and sustainable industrial development.