The Acting Managing Director of the Irrigation Company of Upper Region (ICOUR) Limited, Dominic Atogumsekiya Anarigide, has expressed deep concern over the persistent challenges hindering the company’s operations despite its enormous potential to transform the agricultural landscape of the Upper East Region.
Speaking at the 62nd Consultative Committee Meeting held on November 13, 2025, at the Navrongo Health Research Centre Conference Hall, Mr. Anarigide said he inherited a company with great promise but burdened by long-standing operational difficulties that must be addressed collaboratively.
According to him, ICOUR Ltd. has the potential to create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs through year-round farming, as well as an additional 6,000 jobs in agro-processing, aggregation, and input supply.
“The company can significantly boost food security in the region and contribute to national agricultural growth and productivity,” he emphasized.
However, he outlined several challenges impeding this vision. These include poor access roads within project areas, which hinder the transportation of farm inputs and produce—resulting in post-harvest losses—poor market access for farmers’ produce, difficulty channeling water to the tail ends of canals (worsened by illegal pumping outside irrigation zones), and widespread land encroachment within the Tono and Vea irrigation schemes.
Mr. Anarigide also lamented issues such as buffer-zone cropping, land disputes, staffing shortages, and the low payment of Irrigation Service Charges (ISC) by some farmers, which he said threaten the company’s financial sustainability. He revealed that the most recent audit report indicated a staggering 147% loss, describing it as “unsustainable and alarming.”
He assured stakeholders of his commitment to restoring ICOUR’s image through integrity, transparency, rebranding, and improved performance. He also called for collective efforts to reposition the company as a key driver of agricultural transformation in northern Ghana.
Source: a1radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Moses Apiah|Navrongo
