Government inaugurates new ICOUR Board to strengthen irrigation and boost food security
New ICOUR Board tasked to strengthen the Tono and Vea Irrigation Schemes, enhance climate resilience and support government's food security agenda.
Government has inaugurated a new nine-member Board of Directors for the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR), charging members to provide strategic leadership to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and advance food security in northern Ghana.
The swearing-in ceremony took place on Tuesday, July 14, at the Office of the Upper East Regional Minister in Bolgatanga.
The North East Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia, performed the inauguration on behalf of the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku.
Addressing the newly constituted board, Ibrahim Tia described ICOUR as one of Ghana’s most strategic agricultural investments, noting that the company is assuming greater importance as government intensifies efforts to build climate resilience and achieve national food security.
He said the board assumes office at a critical time when irrigation has become essential to sustaining agricultural production amid changing rainfall patterns.
He tasked members to improve the sustainability, operational efficiency and capacity of the Tono and Vea Irrigation Schemes, which have supported thousands of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana for more than four decades.
“ICOUR is one of the strategic agricultural investments in Ghana, and we are blessed to have such a facility in the northern part of this country. We must make very good use of it and leave lasting legacies for our people and future generations,” Ibrahim Tia stated.
The Minister further underscored the need for close collaboration with the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) to reinforce the structural integrity of the Tono and Vea dams, stressing that stronger irrigation infrastructure is key to mitigating the effects of climate change.
He also urged the board to uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability and good governance while delivering on government’s expectations for increased agricultural productivity.
In his acceptance speech, the newly appointed Board Chairman and Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Food and Agriculture for the confidence reposed in him.
He described irrigation as more than an agricultural intervention, saying it is a catalyst for rural transformation, job creation and inclusive economic growth.
Atanga pledged to lead a transparent and accountable board that would transform ICOUR into a centre of excellence in irrigation development. He noted that climate change has made the expansion and modernisation of the Tono and Vea Irrigation Schemes an urgent national priority.
The Board Chairman assured that the board’s work would align with the government’s Feed Ghana Programme and 24-Hour Economy Policy, with the aim of increasing crop production, creating employment opportunities and improving the incomes of farming households across northern Ghana.
The newly inaugurated board is expected to spearhead reforms that will enhance the long-term sustainability and efficiency of ICOUR while supporting government’s broader agenda of agricultural transformation and national food security.
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