Drought Threatens Famine, Cocoa Damage in Ghana

Ghana is taking steps to combat imminent famine in certain areas near its border with Togo following scant rainfall, Accra Radio reported today.

The Radio, monitored in Abidjan, said fishing and farming activities have been disrupted in certain districts around the Volta region near the eastern coast.

The report follows a period of unusually dry weather in both Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which trade sources in Abidjan said could pose problems for important developing cocoa crops.

The Accra Radio report said a Ghanaian government delegation, which visited the Anglo and Ketu districts last week to investigate reports of food shortages, promised the people a regular supply of maize, rice and sugar.

At Anglo, the delegation was told that the Keta Lagoon had dried up, halting fishing activities, while catches at sea were poor and crops had failed, all due to lack of rainfall.