By: Rachel Quartey and Rukayatu Musah
Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has announced a renewed push for food production, with a strong focus on reviving tomato cultivation in Sankana in the Upper West Region.
Addressing chiefs, residents, and stakeholders at the 2026 Kalibi Ganlaa Festival, she stressed the need to restore the area’s once-thriving tomato industry.
She called for stronger collaboration between district authorities and farming communities to drive job creation, improve food security, and accelerate regional transformation.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang described the revival of tomato farming as a strategic pathway for local economic growth and agro-processing expansion.
The festival, held under the theme “From Survival to Sustainability: Celebrating Our Heritage, Building Our Future,” brought together Members of Parliament, MMDCES, parliamentary officials, and traditional leaders.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that government’s Big Push Infrastructural Programme is supporting agriculture through major road projects to improve market access and economic activity
Speaker of Parliament, Alban S. K. Bagbin, also highlighted the Shea Parkland Restoration and Resource Hub Initiative.
The project aims to restore 100,000 hectares of degraded land and plant 3.5 million shea seedlings to boost climate resilience and rural livelihoods with support from partners like UNDP and the Green Climate Fund.
He also assured government commitment to dredging the Sankana Dam to improve irrigation, water supply, and climate resilience in the area.
Paramount Chief of Sankana, Naa Pagraninge Sankoe Monah, outlined key challenges facing the area, including outdated farming practices, stalled irrigation projects, and the deteriorating state of the Sankana Dam. He appealed for modern agricultural interventions and the upgrade of the local clinic into a polyclinic to enhance healthcare delivery.
A major cultural highlight of the festival was the enskinment of Mr. Bagbin, who was conferred with the title Yeliminni Naa, Yelkaabaare, Kunkpewuoto, symbolising a truthful and just leader in recognition of his contributions to the Sankana Traditional Area.
Renowned Pan-Africanist scholar Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba was also enskinned as Tan-goh Naa.
The Sankana Kalibi Ganlaa Festival continues to serve as a key platform for promoting culture while advancing dialogue on development and sustainability in the Upper West Region.
