Introduction /Project Basic Data:
The Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP) is a project of the Government of Ghana being implemented under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to “To improve agricultural productivity and production of both smallholder and nucleus farms in selected project intervention areas of the Recipient’s territory.”
The Ghana Commercial Agriculture Project was approved by the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank on March 22, 2012 and by Ghana’s Parliament on August 16, 2012, and it became effective on April 8, 2013. GCAP is a private sector oriented and demand driven project financed initially by a loan of US$100 million from the World Bank and a grant of US$16.95 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project was restructured in November 2015 to include the reformation and strengthening of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) and the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR), and the rehabilitation and modernization of four major irrigation schemes and six smaller scale schemes. The closing date was also extended from September 2017 to September 2019.
The project was restructured for a second time in May 2018, requesting (and receiving) and additional financing of US$50 million, and extension of the closing date to December 2020.
Project Objectives/ Components
The Project Development Objective (PDO) of GCAP is to improve agricultural productivity of both small-holder and nucleus farms in selected project intervention areas through increased access to reliable water, land, finance and agricultural input and output markets.
The project is organized under seven (7) components:
Component 1: Strengthening investment promotion infrastructure, facilitating secure access to land.
Component 2: Securing PPPs and small-holder linkages in the Accra Plains.
Component 3: Securing PPPs and small-holder linkages in the SADA Zone.
Component 4: Project Implementation, including Monitoring and Evaluation.
Component 5: Investments in physical rehabilitation and modernization of selected public irrigation and drainage infrastructure.
Component 6: Restructuring and strengthening of public irrigation and drainage institutions.
Component 7: Development of Water Users’ Associations and private scheme management.
Geographical Information/ Commodities/ Beneficiaries
Geographical Coverage: GCAP is being implemented primarily in the Accra Plains and the SADA Zones. In the Accra Plains, GCAP is currently supporting nine (9) nucleus farmers and their small-holders in the Volta Region. In the SADA Zone, GCAP is supporting 6 investors, 22 nucleus farmers and their outgrowers in the Brong Ahafo Region, Upper West, Upper East and the Northern Region.
Commodities: GCAP is supporting the production of food security crops. For the Accra Plains, GCAP supports the production of rice, maize and horticulture crops, and in the SADA zone, maize, rice and soyabean.
Beneficiaries: Currently, GCAP directly supports six (6) investors, 31 nucleus farmers and 6,480 beneficiaries (outgrowers).
Status of Implementation /Achievement
Rehabilitation and modernization of irrigation schemes and reforming of irrigation institutions and management;
Sub-component 3.1: Rehabilitation/modernization of Irrigation and Drainage Infrastructure
- Handing over of first 40% (800Ha) under KLBIP: 600Ha had been completed and handed over to the project. A total of 42.5km of canals (26.5km being newly constructed) had been completed, and 111.6km of farm roads had been completed. Progress of physical works stood at 52%.
- Commenced civil works on Tono Irrigation Scheme: Progress of work of the physical rehabilitation of the Tono Irrigation Scheme as at the end of March 2020 stood at 72%. 1,200ha of land with improved irrigation has been handed over, of which 720Ha has been cropped. Preparations are underway to get the remaining completed areas cropped.
- Sign contract and commence civil works for Kpong Irrigation Scheme: GCAP engaged a consulting firm – BRL Inginierie – to undertake studies and prepare designs and bidding documents for the rehabilitation of the Kpong Irrigation Scheme (KIS). The Kpong Irrigation Scheme covers an area of 2,200 hectares under gravity and an additional 1,000 hectares under pump irrigation. The contractor is currently working in section B, which is over 1,000Ha, and plans to complete and hand over for cropping by June, 2020.