The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong has lamented the unregulated activities of transhumance, and describing it as a cause to worry following increase in violent activities in the West African subregion.

"There is a cause to worry on the threat to the general peace and security emanating from the unregulated activities of the actors in the space of cross-border transhumance," he said.

He said this in a speech delivered on his behalf by the Director of Crop Services at Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Dr. Solomon Ansah, at the second edition of the Regional Meeting of Institutional Frame Works for Transhumance Management in Sahel and Coastal Countries organized by Livestock and Pastoralists Organization Network in Africa (RBM) in collaboration with the MoFA last Tuesday (March 12).

The regional meeting which brought together about 100 officials in the transhumance activities in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) aimed at establishing concrete frameworks to resolve issues of conflicts in the subregion between armed groups and security forces as well as farmer-herder conflicts in the ECOWAS subregion.

He noted that there has been several reported cases on conflicts as well as the loss of life and property which cannot be over-looked as recent publication by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), pointed to a surge in the number of violent incidents and the loss of life is surely a cause for alarm.

The data projected that violent incidents including armed attacks and clashes between terrorists groups and security forces) increased by nine per cent, and the loss of life by two per cent compared to the previous year. 

Contribution 

He lauded the contribution of the activities of cross-border transhumance to the socio-economic development of the ECOWAS member States stating that the cross-border transhumance is invaluable to food and nutrition security and the provision of employment and wealth to the people in the subregion.

He said government through its proactive measures to find lasting solution farmer-herder conflicts established the Ghana Cattle Ranching and Transhumance Committee (GCRTC) in 2017. This according to him, has provided a platform to discuss good practices, financial resource mobilization strategies as well as regional initiatives and perspectives for peaceful pastoralism and cross-border transhumance. 

He entreated the stakeholders at the workshop to three-day workshop to make inputs that would help protect the lives and livelihoods of people in the subregion. Meanwhile, he also called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and development partners to support in the development of adequate infrastructure to aid the practice of peaceful transhumance in our subregion. 

Commendation 

For his part, the National President of Ghana Cattle Ranching and Transhumance, Imam Hanafi Sonde said though there are numerous challenges related to the transhumance activities that require maximum attention for a holistic solution, efforts of various governments, the ECOWAS Commission, the regional livestock and pastoralists organisations such as the RBM, civil society organisations must be commended for their commitments in resolving the challenges at hand.

He added that though the financial and technical supports granted over the years has promoted livestock development and a peaceful transhumance activities in the subregion, continuous engagements must take place to achieve peaceful and productive internal and transhumance.