A new irrigation dam with water holding capacity of one million cubic meters (1,000,000m3) is set to be constructed in Kperisi to aid all year-round farming in the community and its environs.
The Wa Municipal Chief Executive, Issahaku Tahiru Moomin, on Tuesday, April 30, introduced the contractor, Mok-Lamn Ghana Ltd, to the elders and people of Kperisi, where the site for the dam was also handed over to the contractor for the construction.
At a brief ceremony to mark the occasion, the Hon MCE indicated that the dam is part of the enhanced Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) programme which will ensure that farmers, especially in the north, are not limited to one farming season.
He said following a review of the successes and drawbacks of Phase 1 of the PFJ, government “realised that augmenting the Phase 2 with the availability of water in various communities is key for the success of the [programme].”
He noted that the decision to situate the dam in the area was taken after needs assessment revealed that the major occupation of the people is farming. This led government to execute the project in the area.
Alhaji Issahaku also underscored the role of Hajia Humu Awudu, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate for Wa Central, in siting the dam at Kperisi. “There was an election [in 2020] and we have a candidate in the person of Hajia Humu who represented the party. From her alanysis after the elections, what the people like [to have] here is water for irrigation” he noted, adding that Hajia Humu’s recommendation to build a dam in the Kperisi Electoral Area partly influenced the decision.
According to Mr. Tahiru Moomin, the dam, when completed, will provide jobs to over 5,000 people in the Kperisi Electoral area. He urged residents in the area to be in readiness for the dam and not allow it to go waste once completed.
He was optimistic that the dam will not suffer the same fate as others that have been abandoned by residents in various communities. He said the design of the dam which comes with irrigable area for gardens and farmlands will entice people to make use of the facility when completed. The sensitization component of the project will also get people to understand the benefits and potentials of the dam and embrace it, he added.
Mr. Tahiru Moomin disclosed that the project is a big one with a contract sum of 19 million cedis already sourced from the World Bank. “Everything is ready; the funds are already secured. So, everything is there for the contractor [to execute the project]. Money is not a problem as far as this project is concerned.”
The contractor is required to deliver the dam in 18 months.
The MCE posited that if Mok-Lamn Ghana Ltd is able to execute the project before time, they will get their paycheque since the money is already available.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Mok-Lamn Ghana Ltd, Shamsudeen Shafikdeen assured the MCE and the people of Kperisi that he will deliver a quality job within the timelines provided in the contract. In addition, he pledged to engage local people in the execution of the work where necessary, thus, creating jobs even before the completion of the dam.
Mr. Shamsudeen however appealed to community members to help the company by avoiding interferences that are capable of derailing the progress of work.
The project will be supervised by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA)
Filed by: Hafiz Timbile
