World Vision Ghana a Christian humanitarian, relief, development, and advocacy organization joins United Nations and other organizations today 5th June to celebrate World Environment Day.
A day set aside annually to remind us to take care of the environment, create awareness and take action for protecting the environment.
Today marks the formal launch of UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, (2021–2030) which is essential in World Vision’s work to building the ecosystem.
This year’s observance of World Environment Day is on the theme; ‘Ecosystem restoration’ with a special focus on creating a good relationship with nature.
The Food Security & Resilience Technical Programme Manager, World Vision Ghana Mr. Maxwell Amedi called on all to help restore the ecosystem now. Currently, it’s estimated that 60% of global ecosystem services are degraded.
He explains that in ecology, a disturbance is a temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem.
“World Vision Ghana, as an organization having one of its core values to be ‘stewards,’ meaning we care about God’s creation hence we act in ways that restore and protect the environment,” he said.
Mr. Maxwell Amedi, in a statement to commemorate the day, on Saturday, said human activities, such as massive deforestation, land degradation must stop now to preserve the ecosystem for generations who are yet to be born.
“We cannot continue to sit back while people destroy the ecosystem build on wetlands, causing flooding leading to loss of lives and properties,” he said.
This means we all have roles to play being its organizations, the youth, religious leaders, traditional authorities towards ecosystem restoration.
“World Vision Ghana is celebrating its achievements as an organization in ecosystem restoration through our Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) project model over the past decade.
World Vision is advocating on behalf of most vulnerable children and their parents for a greener environment for sustainable livelihood and using the opportunity to renew our actions, commitments, and choices towards a better ecosystem restoration” he added.
New hybrid maize seeds with the magnitude of increasing the country’s food buffer stock with its maturity span of only 85 days are about to be introduced into the system.
Produced by Seed Co West & Central Africa, the SC419 certified hybrid maize seed is in the country, verified, tested and it is about to be demonstrated by the farmers to have alternative hybrid maize seed maturity periods.
Ghana’s maize supply falls below its demand. This creates shortage problems which lead to price hikes every year. Maize is one of the staple food crops in Ghana. To curb its regular shortage, the introduction of SC419 maize seed variety which takes 85 days for maturity would provide farmers the best options to determine which hybrid maize seeds to cultivate to save food security in the country.
“Seed Co is introducing new variety called SC419 and the advantage of this variety is that a short season variety, it takes only 85 days to maturity whiles the yield is relatively high, it gives up to 8 metric tonnes per hectare”, Dr. Takemore Chagomoka, the Regional Manager, West and Central Africa of Seed Co said.
Speaking to Agric Today Media, Dr. Takemore explained that the introduction of SC419 is to give farmers choices and opportunities in terms of maturities thus 85 days for early maturity.
Bridging the gap According to Dr. Takemore, the strategy of Seed Co is not to force seed varieties on farmers but to give the farmers the opportunity to grow the varieties, know the effect and make decisions.
Life is tough for farmers in Ghana specifically the smallholder farmers, many of whom live below the poverty line. To worsen the issue, climate change is creating havoc: maize farmers are experiencing unexpected weather patterns and hot humidity. As farmers battle for this challenge, the fall of armyworm continues to disrupt resulting to lower income and food insecurity in the country as was witnessed at the beginning of this year.
In order to improve the living standard of the farmers, it is the mandate of Seed Co to produce hybrid maize seed variety SC419 which takes less than 3months to mature to resolve maize shortage issues coupling with price hikes in the country. This has the tendencies of breaking monopolistic nature in the system as well as stopping the importation of maize, and increase the income level of the farmers.
As part of the efforts to ensure the success of the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, the Seed Production Division of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has raised 92 million hybrid cocoa seedlings for the rehabilitation of diseased and overage farms, establishment of new farms as well as filling of vacancies in existing young cocoa farms for the 2020/2021 Crop Season.
Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ahia Clottey, Executive Director of the Seed Production Division (SPD) of COCOBOD, who disclosed this to COCOBOD News, intimated that his outfit had steadily increased hybrid cocoa seedlings production from 60 million to 78 million for the two previous cocoa crop years.
He said 70% of 92 million seedlings for the current crop season were ready for transplanting and Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) was carting them to the farms under rehabilitation. Other farmers are also receiving their allocations for their new farms. “Our focus is to ensure a high survival rate of the transplanted seedlings for a successful programme” he said, adding that his outfit together with CHED is taking the necessary initiatives to monitor the progress being made on the farms.
According to Dr. Ahia Clottey, good farm maintenance is key to sustainable cocoa farming, increasing yield, and improving cocoa tree stock life span. He said good farm maintenance, which basically requires adherence to Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) ensures that the trees remain strong and continue to bear healthy pods even after decades of existence.
“When farmers brush, prune their farms and apply the recommended pesticides as well as manure and or fertilizers, they can be assured of a long and productive life span of the cocoa trees”, he said, adding that such practices will make the farms more productive and increase per hectare cocoa production volumes.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) hopes to ride on the back of success from its improved yields initiatives to attract the youth into cocoa farming. It believes interventions rolled out in the past few years are resulting in the reversal of cocoa farms depleting across the country.
Speaking at the maiden GIPC Cocoa Value Chain Investment Meeting, co-hosted by The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency Gauteng Growth, a Deputy Chief Executive Officer at COCOBOD, Dr. Emmanuel Opoku, said a lot of conscious effort is going into ensuring that improved yields are realised by farmers across the country; a situation that will make them richer.
He said the adoption of good agronomic practices – such as the application of fertilizers, shade management, mistletoe removal, weeding, and pest and disease control – is accounting for the yield increase.
“I was once transferred to manage our pre-harvest centres: the CEO called me one day and asked if we can do cocoa pollination across the country, and I said yes even though at the time we were only doing pollination in our seed gardens.
“But we started the pilot project, and we were very successful. We moved on to pruning, intensive fertilization, and irrigation, and the results have been successful. We have put in place effective measures to ensure consistent production of high yields.
“With these measures put in place, today a farmer can get 36 bags of cocoa on a one-acre land; so imagine the number of bags on five or more acres. With the price for a bag of cocoa, what business will give you this high a return on investment?” Dr. Opoku asked.
He added that all these are expected to culminate in assuring the consistent provision of the cocoa beans to support local investments that will go into processing and marketing the commodity.
Yields from cocoa have dwindled over the years due to a number of challenges, including, disease-attacks and illegal mining activities at cocoa farms in the Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions. Cashew and Rubber companies also offer cocoa farmers attractive incentives to go into cashew and rubber plantations, since they are mostly overburdened with huge operational costs.
Dr. Opoku believes that when the youth are exposed to the value of improved yields, a lot more of them will devote more attention to cocoa farming.
Investment Meeting The maiden GIPC cocoa value chain investment meeting, titled ‘Ghana’s Brown Gold: Sustaining Investments and Leveraging AfCFTA’, also focused on investment opportunities in the cocoa industry and its entire value chain. It also sensitized industry players to the valuable commercial opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
With leading stakeholders such as the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Cocoa Value Addition Artisans Association of Ghana (COVAAAGH), and Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd., the deliberations centred on policy interventions being rolled out by the government to foster growth in the sector, and how the cocoa business can be further enhanced.
Generating roughly US$2 billion annually in foreign exchange, cocoa continues to play an important role in Ghana’s economy as a major contributor to government revenue. The industry employs approximately 800,000 farming families and has exponentially expanded economic activities in the rural communities of Ghana.
The Market-Oriented Agriculture Programme in North-Western Ghana (MOAP NW) has organised the 2nd Agribusiness Fair and Conference in Wa under the theme, “Boosting the Agribusiness Potential of North-Western Ghana”.
MOAP NW is one of the key pillars of the EU Ghana Agriculture Programme (EU-GAP). The European Union supports the agriculture sector with over EUR 145 million, thus contributing to higher annual incomes of smallholder farmers’ households and secured permanent jobs along the supported value chains.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (UWRCC).
Welcoming both on-site and virtual participants at the event, the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, remarked that “the theme is apt and cannot be overemphasized as agriculture has over the years been the driving force behind the economic growth of Ghana and for the fact that there is a shift in focus from aid to trade to drive Ghana’s development agenda”.
In the keynote address delivered on behalf of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, the Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPMED), Mr Richard Twumasi-Ankrah, noted that “the agriculture sector of Ghana needs to be transformed to trigger the socio-economic development of the nation, to achieve the objective of providing a lifeline for millions of households in terms of food and jobs”. He also called for more investments through agribusiness in the northwest of Ghana. “Collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders are paramount in harnessing the agribusiness potential of the programme area. This will also require more investment facilitation through complementary roles and responsibilities of all partners in the sector”.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the European Union (EU), the EU Deputy of Delegation to Ghana, Mr Pieter Smidt Van Gelder, highlighted the role of the EU and its partners in the promotion of agricultural development in Ghana. “The conference of today provides a platform to exchange views and experience on the challenges and opportunities of the agriculture sector in Northern Ghana,” he said.
The GIZ Country Director emphasised the strong partnership between the Government of Ghana, the EU and the German Government. “This crucial cooperation will improve capacity development and thus income-generating opportunities for various groups, especially women and the youth.” So far, 1,536 jobs have been created since 2018 through MOAP NW’s interventions.
The two-day event also comprised a grand exhibition and fair of agribusiness products and services, as well as agrotechnology displayed by over 30 exhibitors. The participating businesses also established B2B contacts and network linkages to foster growth.
In attendance also were the Overlord of Wala Traditional Area, Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Upper West Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Emmanuel Sasu-Yeboah, Team Leader for MOAP NW, Dr Elke Stumpf, private and public agribusiness partners and virtual participants from all over Ghana.
Chief Cocoa farmer in Huni Valley in the Western Region, Nana Boakye has projected that the country’s cocoa-growing ability will reduce drastically if measures are not put in place to make cocoa farming attractive to the youth.
Including himself, most cocoa farmers have asserted that they will not allow their children to venture into cocoa farming whilst some of the children themselves upon seeing the suffering of their parents, have shied away from growing the cash crop.
To him, this will happen in 10 years if the government does not put in place a strategic plan to increase tonnage in the cocoa sector and also make the venture more attractive to farmers.
According to him, children of cocoa farmers have witnessed their parents toil for nothing, and comparing other jobs to farming, they would rather do the former than engage in the latter.
“I have 9 kids and none of them are getting involved in farming. They have seen the work I do and noticed my hard work doesn’t match up to the benefits I enjoy. They are all pursuing academics and other businesses and not cocoa farming.”
With his kids pursuing other careers, Nana Boakye fears his kids will sell his 42-acre cocoa farm upon his demise if cocoa farmers do not benefit from their labour. “None of my kids want to venture into cocoa farming and on the very day I die, my kids will sell my land and that is the case with other cocoa farmers as well.”
He made this prediction in an interview with Happy98.9FM’s Don Kwabena Prah on the Epa Hoa Daben political talk show.
The chief farmer proposing a solution to this possible collapse of Ghana’s cocoa sector said, “to make cocoa farming attractive, we need to look at the pricing of cocoa and make sure farming inputs and support from the government is consistent and timely.”
He also believes intensive education, development in cocoa-growing regions, and the provision of social amenities will also make the younger generation cherish cocoa farming. “This is what we need if we want to succeed as a cocoa-growing country.”
Stories on the plight of rural cocoa farmers have been shared on Happy98.9FM’s Epa Hoa Daben political show as part of a series dubbed, “Ghana’s Cocoa Sector, ‘The Inside Story’. This was prompted by the revelation of China actively participating in the growing of cocoa.
Farmers have been urged to proceed to their retail point of sales to purchase their subsidy seeds under the Planting for Food and Jobs for the 2021 farming season.
This was noted when the Directorate of Crop Services and Plant Protection Regulatory Directorate (PPRD) under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture inspected the seeds that the government contracted Seed Co West & Central Africa to provide for farmers under the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) flagship programme.
In an interview with Agric Today, Dr. Solomon Gyan Ansah, the Deputy Director of the Crop Services Directorate under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said it is the mandate of the Ministry to get the best hybrid seeds for the farmers to plant.
“When we talk of subsidy, it is you and me, Ghanaians, all of us, our tax money that the government uses to support our farmers, so if the farmers do not get the best from these subsidized seeds then it means the government has wasted our money”, Dr. Gyan Ansah said.
The farming season is here again and as the government contracted Seed Co West & Central Africa to supply 100 mt of hybrid maize seeds for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme last year, this year, the government entrusted the company to supply 100 mt based on the good report of yields from the farmers.
To ensure quality imported seeds for farmers from Seed Co West & Central Africa, the PPRD officials took samples of the seeds to check the germination percentage on arrival. This is to make sure the government does not provide bad seeds for the farmers.
“The variety which we are supplying under the Planting for Food and Jobs programme is called SC719 or ‘Gemedi’ in Ghanaian local dialect. This is high yield hybrid seed with drought-tolerant and stretch needs”, Dr. Takemore Chagomoka, the Regional Manager, West and Central Africa of Seed Co said.
The maize varieties catalog that was released in Ghana last year, the SC719 variety so far was the one with the highest yield of 10 to 12 mt per hectare and the response from the farmers indicates that they need the seeds for production this year.
Dr. Takemore explained that since the inspection has completed it is the mandate of the company and the distributor to deliver the seeds to every district under the Planting for Food and Export programme for farmers to have easy access to plant.
Talking about distributing the SC719 seeds to the various districts, Mr. George Ametepey Tozo, the Finance and Administrative Manager of Agriseed Limited said Agriseed has a distribution shop across 8 regions so far, mostly in the Northern part of the country where maize farming is predominant.
“The trucks would convey the seeds from the Central Region to the distribution shops across the 8 regions within 48 hours after the inspection”, George Tozo said.
Resolving the challenges in the distribution channel of subsidized seeds for the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, George Ametepey Tozo said with the determinant price by the government which is GHs 12 per 1kg, they would make sure each farmer does not pay above or below the price.
He assured of equal distribution of the seeds to the farmers. He urged the farmers to patronize Seed Co maize seed variety for a bumper harvest as the planting season is about to start.
The stakeholders of the Ghana beekeeping and honey production fraternity have slated the 20th of May, which is a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate Bees and other pollinators in the world, as a day to also create awareness for its beekeeping and honey industry. The maiden honey festival was celebrated under the theme: A Spotlight on Pollinators, Beekeeping and Honey Safety for Sustainable Livelihood and Biodiversity Conversation.
The event brought together stakeholders along the honey value chain on a single platform to share knowledge and deliberate on pertinent issues for promoting innovation and sustaining the honey industry in Ghana.
“The main purpose of the Ghana Honey Festival is to provide a single platform for producers, processors, consumers, and other relevant stakeholders to share knowledge and innovation for the growth of the industry, provide a national networking platform for the industry, and rally stakeholders to deliberate on bees and other pollinators and their critical role to society to enhance awareness and production”, Dr. Courage Adanu-Besah, the Coordinator Of The Ghana Apiculture Platform, GHANAP said.
He expressed that the purpose of the honey festival, is expected to generate the needed buzz to drive the industry and the energy generated would benefit all producers, processors, and consumers along the value chain.
The Director of CSIR-FORIG, Prof. Daniel A. Ofori, on behalf of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR-Ghana, hosted the maiden Honey Festival and International Bee Day Celebration, at the premises of CSIR-FORIG, Fumesua near Ejisu in Kumasi. In her welcoming address on behalf of the Director of CSIR-FORIG, Dr. Beatrice Darko Obiri said the full potential of the honey industry in Ghana is untapped and has remained hidden yet an important income and livelihood source for many actors in the value chain, especially rural producers across the country.
According to her, in 2019, global natural honey export was worth $1.99 billion with China leading while Africa’s share of the global honey trade was just 13% in 2016. She acknowledged the industry has been bedeviled with many challenges especially, quality standardized products with innovative packaging for both domestic and international markets. She entreated the stakeholders to pay particular attention to addressing the challenges in the industry to harness the potential of apiculture for both livelihood and environmental sustainability.
In a keynote address delivered at the festival, the Guest of Honor, Ps. Prof. Peter Kwapong of the University of Cape Coast, and the Founder and the Director of the International Stingless Bee Centre, recounted that honey is one of the main products utilized from beekeeping in Ghana.
He continued that the benefits of beekeeping were large to biodiversity sustainability, “the main benefit of beekeeping is not actually the honey, it is what we call ‘Pollination’ when you keep bees you are feeding the whole world. When you keep bees you are helping all flowering plants to survive or reproduce”, Prof said.
According to Prof, no matter what a farmer may do after land preparation, and planting and if there is no pollination, the farmer worked in vain and beekeeping is very important therefore, the country should do more to uphold it.
He opined that beekeeping is contributing immensely to the economic, social, and environmental life of people but it is bedeviled with a lot of skills like the improper way of harvesting honey by the farmers, mixing up bees grading honey by the farmers, and improper observation of hygienic protocols during processing and packaging by the farmers.
He urged the farmers, and the stakeholders to take advantage of the honey festival and international bee celebration to get the needed knowledge and skills to develop their honey and bee business.
“According to the various reports on the analysis of the Honey Market Size, Share and Trade, the global honey market size was valued at an estimated $9.21 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of between 5.2% to 8.2% by 2028 with a revenue forecast of around $17.34 billion”, Dr. Charles Dwamena, FMR Ambassador to Asia (China, North Korea, Mongolia, and Vietnam) expressed.
He explained that the major factor driving the market growth includes high demand for nutritious food products, such as honey, on account of rising awareness about the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Dr, Dwamena however said in order for Ghana to develop and grow the honey industry and benefit from the growing global market, the integrity of the product’s quality remains essential.
“It is paramount for the stakeholders in Ghana’s honey market to invest more in research that holistically determines the economic and social value of the sector to the extent where such data can influence and shape government’s policy positions”, he added.
He commended the organizers for making the Ghana Honey Festival and International Bee Day possible to educate, train and deliberate on the importance of honey and beekeeping to the ecosystem.
Speaking on behalf of the Ashanti Regional Director of Agriculture, Dr. David Anabam, the Ejisu District Director of Agriculture added that due to the increasing demand for honey and the traders’ intent to meet the huge demand for their selfish gains as a result of consumer taste for quality natural sweetness in place of the natural sugar, honey has become one of the adulterated food products on Ghanaian and global market.
He commended the organizers of the programme for introducing an alternative sustainable livelihood programme that will broaden the income-generating activity base for the farmers and alleviate poverty. “I hope that at the end of this maiden festival many of our farmers and teaming youth will get something to do to earn decent life”, he said.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Courage Besah-Adanu noted; “It is exciting that on this day and forward, the Ghana Honey production and beekeeping industry, all relevant stakeholders and interests working on the operations of Bees and other important pollinators, now have a day (20th May), we can now call OUR DAY!”, he gladly pronounced.
He called on all industry players to rally behind the flag of Ghana on the 20th of May each year to deliberate with reason, Network, Communicate, and project new innovations and frontiers for a common future in providing quality and safe honey products for Ghana and the World.
Finally, Dr. Besah-Adanu took the opportunity to thank the Danish Government, (DFC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the CSIR-FORIG for the various support in Kind and Cash for the Honey Festival and International Bee Day Celebration.
FAO launched its new Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy in a virtual event today.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched a new Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy that aims to reduce the Organization’s total Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) by 45 percent by 2030.
The ambitious new emissions reduction strategy focuses on improving the sustainability of daily operations, including the introduction of energy efficiency measures in facilities, updating travel policies to reduce travel-related emissions, and improving water use and recycling schemes.
“As we look at the current state of our planet, at the loss of biodiversity, rising sea levels, ecosystem degradation, and the negative effects of climate change, it is clear that the time for action is now,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, in his opening address at the launch event today. “FAO has decided to play its part and respond by developing an ambitious action plan to reduce emissions and foster the internal sustainability of its operations and programs”.
He added that the new Strategy “marks a turning point” for FAO and is an opportunity to lead by good example and show reverence to nature, allowing FAO to “continue to walk the talk”.
Concrete actions in the new Strategy include promoting the increased use of renewables and avoiding the use of diesel generators, increasing waste separation and improving recycling schemes, phasing out single-use plastics, and encouraging flexible working practices to reduce commuting.
Also speaking at today’s event, Ambassador Céline Jurgensen, Permanent Representative of France to FAO, Ambassador GUANG Defu, Permanent Representative of China, and Jennifer Harhigh, Charge d’Affaires of the United States, all praised FAO for adopting a new strategy and taking firm steps to reduce GHG emissions.
We have made progress, but we must do more FAO has had a Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy in place for its operations and facilities since 2016 and is one of the first UN entities to do so. Great efforts have already been made at FAO headquarters and main regional and country offices to improve environmental sustainability, and a solid trend of emissions reduction is already visible.
Solar energy systems have been installed at headquarters, at the FAO Regional Office for Africa in Accra, Ghana, and at FAO country offices in Djibouti, Mauritania, Nepal, and Uganda. All the travel- and building-related carbon dioxide emissions have been offset since 2014. Plastic is currently being phased out at headquarters and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. FAO projects must undergo mandatory environmental and social screening, including introducing certification for environmental and social risks into the FAO project approval process. Since 2008, FAO projects have resulted in a cumulative reduction of over 27 million kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, and cumulative savings of over USD 4 million.
However, up until now, there have been separate environmental sustainability processes for facilities and operations, and for FAO programmes and projects. The new Corporate Environmental Responsibility Strategy will boost environmental sustainability throughout the Organization’s entire programme of work, targeting all projects and offices across the world.
Call for action to FAO staff In the launch of the new strategy, the Director-General issued a global call for action to all FAO employees, encouraging them to think innovatively on how to make a difference through their actions, either in the office or at home.
It is imperative that we enact meaningful changes in behaviour and mindsets throughout the Organization to reach the ambitious goal, he stressed.
Participating in the virtual event were FAO employees from around the world. Deputy Directors-General Laurent Thomas and Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Regional Representatives and colleagues from headquarters offices, involved in developing and implementing the Strategy, also spoke at the event.
The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) today launched the Italy-Ghana Agribusiness Digital Lab project to bring together Italian and Ghanaian companies in the agribusiness sector to develop mutually beneficial business relationships.
The project will introduce Italian expertise and technology in the agribusiness value chain to the Ghanaian agribusiness market, with a focus on the following key areas: Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization; Logistics; Inputs and Agrochemicals; Irrigation; and Agro-Processing and Packaging. About 27 Italian companies with expertise in these areas will be presented to the Ghanaian market.
The project will also expose Ghanaian agribusiness entrepreneurs to Italian initiatives in agribusiness training and skills development.
The highlight of the project will be a series of virtual business-to-business (B2B) meetings to be held on June 22, 2021, between Italian agribusiness companies and their Ghanaian counterparts.
To facilitate the meetings, the ITA has established a portal, https://ghana-italy.digital.ice.it/, which offers detailed information on the participating Italian agribusiness companies and technologies, and where Ghanaian agro-related enterprises can register to participate in the virtual B2B meetings with the Italian companies.
“Italy is a global agribusiness industry leader and has a number of household names in the supply of agribusiness inputs, machinery, and technologies,” said Alessandro Gerbino, the ITA Director for West Africa. “The Digital Lab project, therefore, aims to connect these Italian companies with Ghanaian firms along the agribusiness value chain to facilitate commercial partnerships that will strengthen trade and investment between the two countries.”
The Digital Lab project is targeted at all Ghanaian enterprises operating along the agribusiness value chain, such as input suppliers, farmers/growers, agricultural trading companies, agro-processors, and retailers.
The Ghanaian entrepreneurs who participate in the B2B meetings will also be given the chance to compete for two scholarships for MBA in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The MBA is a degree programme offered by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and E4Impact Foundation,– Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan (Italy), starting in September 2021.
Italian Trade Agency is the governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy.
With a motivated and modern organization and a widespread network of overseas offices, ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses. Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy in the world.
