The President of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama has assured the government’s full support to churches who would like to venture into agriculture and agribusinesses.
Mr. President made this statement during his meeting with the clergy to worship with the clergy on Sunday 2nd March 2025 at KNUST Great Hall, Kumasi.
In his speech during the meeting, he mentioned that agriculture is a viable economic activity that could transform the lives of the church members and Ghanaians as a whole.
Agriculture is a tool to resetting the country’s economy as the new government’s agenda is concern. It is the mandate to provide the necessary support to any church that would like to venture into the agric sector for economic transformation.
He called all the churches to prioritise agriculture as a means to an end.
As part of the government’s policy to transform the agriculture sector for self-sufficiency, the Minister convened the stakeholders to discuss the issues that affect the sector and to reset it. Setting the ball rolling at the meeting at the ministry’s conference room, Davies Korboe, the Chairman of the National Farmers and
Fishermen Award Winners Association (NFFAWAG) stated that the Farmers’ Day celebration is always overtaken by politicians. The parade is made up of politicians wading off the farmers to have a feel of the activities.
Gone are the days when it was said that farmers are illiterate, Chairman said, today, there are a lot of professionals who have ventured into farming and contributing meaningfully into the national discourse.
He further said there is low investment in the agricultural sector, however, called on the government to giving funds to the farmers. He explained that farmers do not use the funds for their intended purposes but to invest and produce for the people in the country. He called for encouragement and support for the tree diversification project.
To end his submission, he said galamsey, estate developers and sand wining activities are wrecking the sector. He urged the ministry to actively make it a great concern to curb these challenges to avail the lands for production.
Discussing the issue of irrigation and seeds as one of the core pillars of production, Dr. Felix Kamassa, the CEO of Maphlix Trust Farms said good seeds and irrigation are problematic to farmers that hinders food security in the country.
According to him, viable seeds determine the yields of a farmer, therefore, the Seed Council at the ministry should be accessible to farmers on the right and improved seeds to plant during the planting season.
“Ghana has about 500 irrigation projects, some of which World Bank started and were abandoned in the bush, can we visit those places, rehabilitate those facilities than looking for another avenue to create new site for irrigation sector?”, he quizzed.
He concluded that irrigation is very vital to all the crops in the production, being mango, cocoa, banana, maize not only to vegetables.
In the rice sector, Nana Adjei Ayeh II, the President of Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body issued that rice is a viable commodity that forms about 80% of our cuisine, yet nobody cares about it.
He said the Interprofessional Body wants market availability for the local rice production in the sense that the government institutions like the schools, prison services, hospitals should patronise the made in Ghana rice.
Adding her voice to the issues concerning the rice sector, Madam Mabel Akoto-Kwudzo of Okata Farms stated that Ghana spends millions of dollars importing rice. She mentioned that she alone manages 300 acres of rice and employs 300 women to work on the farm.
In concur with the President in the sense of government’s patronage in the locally produced rice, she noted that the local rice contains all the nutritional values than the imported ones.
She, therefore, urged the government to patronise the locally produce rice for the state institutions to address importation gap and to reduce dependency.
Delving into the livestock sector, the President of the Cattle Farmers Association, Imam Hanafi Sunde raised concerns of the livestock sector being left out in the agricultural sector.
He stated that the government should resolve the farmer-herder conflict which is causing human lives in the country. He mentioned issues related to livestock data, animal health, and the movement of animals from neighbouring countries and called for solutions.
In responds to the plight of the stakeholders to reset the agriculture sector to revamp the country’s economy, the Deputy Agric Minister-designate, John Setor Dumelo, speaking on behalf of the Minister Hon. Eric Opoku, Hon. Dumelo assured the farmers of their challenges being addressed.
He underscored the government’s commitment to working hard to resetting the economy as agriculture is the backbone to the economic recovery. He noted that the challenges are much concern and priority to the Ministry.
Speaking to Agric Today in an interview, he outlined how the government has plan to support and aid the sector to thrive, pointing to a number of policy initiatives and strategies that would be implemented in the coming months and years.
He emphasized that addressing the challenges would take time, but the government would focus on resolving as many as possible, particularly the key and most urgent issues that are threatening the sector’s sustainability.
Officers of the Ghana Immigration Service stationed at the Akanu Sector Command with the support of some officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority-Customs Division have intercepted a truck loaded with smuggled cocoa beans.
The Officers acted on intelligence waylaid the truck with registration number AS 2103 -W driven by one Ibrahim Fatawu.
There were 1115 gallons stuffed with cocoa beans found in the truck at the Ave-Havi border post to be smuggled to Togo
This was contained in a press release issued and signed by Michael Amoako-Atta, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration in charge of Public Relations and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Sunday in Accra.
It said the 1115 gallons of cocoa beans had been handed over to officials of COCOBOD while the truck had been impounded and the driver assisting in further investigations.
“The Ghana Immigration Service is hereby issuing a caution to all would-be smugglers to desist from such activity since it negatively affects Ghana’s economy and also loss of revenue to the Government,” it added.
The Service commended members of the border community for their collaboration and support in protecting Ghana’s borders.
The World Bank is projecting that nearly 50 million people in West and Central Africa including Ghana would face food insecurity during this year’s lean season from June to August 2025.
In its Food Security Update February 2025, the Bretton Woods institution said food security continues to be alarming in most low-income countries, particularly Africa.
It pointed out that conflicts and climate change continue to be the main drivers of food insecurity.
Since the last update, agricultural and export price indices have risen, closing at 3% and 6% higher, respectively. The cereal price index closed at the same level.
According to the February 2025 edition of the AMIS Market Monitor, international prices for crops (wheat, maize, rice, and soybeans) remain lower than a year ago, except for maize, which reached a 15-month high because of supply limitations.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Price Monitoring and Analysis, indicated that coarse grain prices exhibited mixed month-on-month trends in countries of the Sahel and along the Gulf of Guinea in December 2024 and January 2025, although in several countries in the subregion, coarse grain prices were higher than during the same period last year.
For example, in Mali, wholesale sorghum prices in January 2025 were generally 10 to 25% higher than year-earlier levels, and millet prices were 15 to 45% higher, mainly reflecting high transport costs, conflict-related market disruptions, and production shortfalls in the 2024 cereal harvest in several areas.
In Burkina Faso, wholesale sorghum and millet prices were up to 55% higher on a yearly basis in most monitored markets, except for a few markets where the year-on-year increase in millet prices was more pronounced.
281m Globally Experienced Acute Food Insecurity in 2023
While 281 million people globally experienced acute food insecurity in 2023, humanitarian aid to food sectors declined by 30% compared to 2022. That is despite a long-term trend in assistance which showed a 56% increase since 2016.
The World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report (January 2025) warns of prolonged economic stagnation, with global growth projected to remain at 2.7% through 2026.
Although this signals some stability, it falls short of driving meaningful poverty reduction or tackling rising food and nutrition insecurity in low-income countries.
The report underscored how persistent challenges—high inflation, mounting debt, and trade disruptions—are exacerbating food insecurity for the world’s most vulnerable.
Food security is about peace, stability, and human dignity, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, told G20 Foreign Ministers gathered in Johannesburg to discuss the global geopolitical situation.
According to the latest UN figures, 733 million people worldwide face chronic hunger, 2.3 billion are food insecure, and 2.8 billion lack access to healthy diets.
Conflict remains one of the greatest threats to food security, from the Sahel and Haiti to Ukraine and Gaza. At the same time, the continued neglect of agrifood systems in regions vulnerable to instability accelerates economic collapse and adds to conflict.
In Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan, for example, the degradation of agrifood systems – intensified by policy failures – has increased tensions between farmers and pastoralists competing for limited resources.
Beyond conflict and policy failures, the intensity and frequency of extreme climate events add to the challenges. Rising temperatures and extreme weather disrupt food production, increase risks for farmers, affect disease patterns, and accelerate migration, all of which undermine efforts to end hunger by 2030.
“These challenges threaten our ability to ensure stable agrifood systems and risk deepening global inequalities,” Qu told the meeting on Thursday.
The Director-General said addressing such inequalities is critical since many weaknesses in our agrifood systems arise from unequal access to innovation, technology, natural resources, and healthy diets.
In this context of risks and uncertainties, international trade plays a critical role in global food security by ensuring food moves efficiently from surplus to deficit regions.
This is why the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) – a G20 initiative hosted by FAO since 2011 – plays a key role in enhancing market transparency and policy coordination, Qu said.
Agrifood systems sustain natural resources, livelihoods, and economic development, employing over 1.2 billion people and supporting over 3.8 billion globally.
Crucially, “food security is not just about policy – it is about peace, stability, and human dignity,” Qu said. That is why “we must act now to ensure political commitment and the necessary investment for nutritious and healthy foods for all.”
FAO’s support for the G20
On Friday, FAO’s Director-General addressed the second day of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting focusing on the G20 objectives for 2025.
Qu started by commending South Africa’s G20 Presidency for prioritizing solidarity, equality, and sustainability, issues which he said are key to achieving the UN’s 2030 Agenda, especially SDG2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG1 (No Poverty).
The Director-General highlighted that gap increases among the poor and the rich, rural and urban areas, and women and men, have exacerbated the pressing situation of hunger and poverty “intensifying the impact of conflict, climate extremes, and economic crises.”
Qu noted that addressing the wealth gap and inequality requires more than economic development – it demands a deep transformation of global agrifood systems and rural prosperity, as outlined by the FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022-31.
The Director-General also reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which was launched under the Brazilian G20 Presidency and provides a coordinated mechanism to combat hunger and inequality. Qu reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to providing all the technical assistance needed to all members of the Global Alliance.
The Director-General also reaffirmed FAO’s support to the G20, noting that efficient, effective, and coherent collaboration was key to achieving food availability, accessibility and affordability “for a peaceful and prosperous future for all.”
The livelihoods of some 2,000 cocoa farmers in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa district is hanging in the balance as a private investor has purchased 50,000-acres of their farmland from the chiefs of Twifo Kayireku and Amampoma.
The Company, Arukah Global Ltd, a local investor is expected to cultivate a massive 1,446.18-hectare rubber plantation in place of the cocoa in the area.
But the chief of Agyempoma Nana Kwame Adunya III, speaking on behalf of the affected farmers, said they had spent their entire lives cultivating cocoa on the land in question.
However, some farmers from communities such as Agyempoma, Opong Valley, Akaase and Nkubem are concerned that the loss of their farms will lead to untimely deaths, as they rely heavily on cocoa farming for survival.
Nana Adunya , therefore appealed to the government through COCOBOD to quickly intervene to salvage the cocoa farms to save the farmers who are on the verge of losing their source of livelihood.
The queen mother of Agyempoma, Nana Akua Ayensua II, also expressed concern that the land had been sold to a private investor without their consent, saying they had farmed on it for more than 300 years.
It would be recalled that raditional leaders in Twifo Kayireku and Mampoma, a forthnight ago, announced their partnership with the company at a press briefing at Mampoma.
Nana Boakye Hene II, the Benkumhene of Twifo Traditional Area who doubles as the chief of Twifo Mampoma said that extensive consultations were held with all the chiefs and the farmers before reaching a consensus.
The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, has announced sweeping reforms to revamp Ghana’s inland fisheries sector and ensure fair distribution of pre-mix fuel profits for community development.
She made these declarations as the Guest of Honour at the commissioning of a newly built primary school with auxiliary facilities at CK Kope in the Biakoye District.
Ms. Arthur reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to balancing attention across all fisheries sectors, pledging to uplift inland fisheries and aquaculture, which have long been overshadowed by marine and coastal sectors.
“I stand here today as the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, saying to you inland fishers that we will improve the inland fisheries sub-sector,” she assured.
Addressing concerns raised by the President of the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council, about the need for more engagement with inland fisherfolk, Ms. Arthur clarified that although she was only three weeks into her role, she had already met with him in her office and spoken with him multiple times over the phone.
“If this is not engagement, then I don’t know what engagement is,” she stated.
In a bold move to restructure pre-mix fuel distribution, Ms. Arthur announced the abolition of regional, district, and zonal pre-mix coordinators, a decision aimed at eliminating middlemen and ensuring direct delivery of pre-mix fuel to fisherfolk.
“We have abolished and revoked the appointment of regional, district, and zonal pre-mix coordinators. Nothing like that will exist from henceforth,” she declared.
Under the new system, pre-mix fuel will be transported directly from the Tema Oil Refinery to landing beach committees without passing through intermediaries.
This, she explained, would prevent diversion, reduce corruption, and ensure that fisherfolk receive their subsidized fuel promptly.
The Minister outlined the new composition of inland landing beach committees, which will consist of eight members, including the headman (chairperson), a representative of transport owners, one fisher nominated by the ministry, a representative of fishers, a representative of fishmongers, the District Chief Executive’s representative, secretary, and a pump attendant.
She emphasised that these committees would be fully accountable to their respective fishing communities, as their members would represent the broader fisher groups.
“For inland landing beaches, there will be eight members, and for coastal, seven members. These committees will be responsible for selling the pre-mix and ensuring transparency in profit distribution,” she explained.
Ms. Arthur provided a clear breakdown of how profits from pre-mix sales would be shared, ensuring that communities directly benefit from the proceeds.
She noted that 47 per cent of the profit will go to the landing beach committee, representing the fishers’ collective interests, 53 per cent of the profit will be reserved for community development projects.
The Minister cited examples of how communities have used their 53 per cent share in the past to fund crucial projects such as schools, CHPS compounds, and scholarships for children.
She also announced that her ministry would audit pre-mix sales from the last eight years to ensure that communities had received their fair share of profits.
“In the last eight years, all pre-mix sold will be accounted for, and communities must explain how they used the 53% meant for development. Resetting Ghana also means resetting the fisheries sector,” she stressed.
In response to a petition from the National Inland Canoe Fishermen Council, Ms. Arthur announced plans for a dedicated fish market in Accra for inland fishmongers.
She acknowledged that many inland fisherwomen transport fish to Accra for sale but lack a centralized market for their business.
“The women have told me that they found a piece of land somewhere in Accra. I have engaged the Minister for Gender and the Greater Accra Regional Minister—both women—and they are ready to assist my ministry in securing this land to build a market,” she said.
The Fisheries Commission, together with the Greater Kumasi Fish Farmers Cooperative Union (GKFFCU) has acquired a space at the Kumasi Racecourse market to promote the sale of farmed fish.
This is to ensure that fish farmers gain the required profit from their investment since the farmed fish would be sold at standard prices at the market.
Mr. Gideon Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Fisheries Commission told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi that, the measure was to prevent cheating and help fish farmers obtain appropriate prices for their produce and thereby recoup their investment.
He said low and unfair prices made fish farmers hardly gain the needed profit from their investment, leading to losses and inability to expand investment in the aquaculture business.
“Fish farming is a very profitable business. However, fishmongers often purchase farmed fish cheaply from the farmers leaving them with less or no profit,” he noted.
Mr Boakye observed that due to the challenges in profit marginalization, some fish farmers had moved out of the business to other profitable ones, leaving the region with fewer fish farmers. This situation was affecting productivity in the sector.
The region in 2024, produced a total of 1,355 metric tons of farmed fish, which was a little above the 1,315 metric tons of farmed fish produced in 2023.
Another challenge Mr. Boakye noted was the high cost of fish feed and this also contributed to low production in the region.
He said the availability of farmed fish market, which would be regulated by the Fisheries Commission, would attract more investors and consumers of farmed fish in the region.
This would also improve productivity as fish farmers would be happy to continue to invest in aquaculture to contribute to protein food sustainability in the country.
Mr Boakye said the Fisheries Commission would ensure that quality and healthy farmed fish were sold in the market which would have all the standard equipment.
He noted that the formation of the Greater Kumasi Fish Farmers Cooperative Union (GKFFCU) was to make sure that all the fish farmers came together under the regulatory body.
The union would help maintain order among fish farmers and serve as a supporting body where farmers registered with them can benefit from.
Mr. Boakye called on other stakeholders to support the Fisheries Commission and the GKCU to realize its vision by providing a mini-farmed fish market in all the cities in the districts of the region.
The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, has announced that the government will offer cocoa farmers 70% of the world market price for their produce, exceeding the initially proposed 60%.
This decision is aimed at motivating farmers, increasing production, and strengthening Ghana’s position as the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa.
The announcement follows the Minister’s earlier remarks in Parliament, where he emphasised the need to incentivise cocoa farmers to enhance production and support the country’s economy.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Mr Opoku reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalising the sector, particularly in response to declining cocoa processing output.
“Since 2023, CPC’s production has been on a downward trend. Despite having a processing capacity of 64,500 tonnes, the company produced only 6,614 tonnes in 2023 and 2,886 tonnes in 2024. This decline is largely due to reduced cocoa bean production, which has affected supply to the processing company,” he stated.
“To address this challenge, I announced the government’s decision to exceed the initial 60% proposal and offer cocoa farmers 70% of the world market price. This increase is intended to motivate farmers, boost production, and further cement Ghana’s standing as the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa.”
Despite being a leading global producer, Ghana primarily exports raw cocoa beans due to limited local processing capacity, a situation that has sparked concerns over lost revenue.
The Minister assured stakeholders that the government is taking steps to enhance the value chain and maximise earnings from cocoa production.
This latest initiative is expected to provide much-needed relief to farmers and contribute to sustainable growth in Ghana’s cocoa industry.
To revive and revamp the country’s economy, the Government of Ghana together with its stakeholders have launched a project that would roll out the 24-hour for economic growth and development.
The project “Irrigation for Wealth Project” aimed at reducing dependency on seasonal rainfall, which is often unpredictable and negatively affects farmers’ yields and to boosting food production, feed the local industries and improving agricultural activities in the country.
During the launch at Accra on February 13, 2025, the Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Eric Opoku, explained that the project’s primary goal is to provide sustainable irrigation facilities to support Ghanaian farmers in overcoming seasonal challenges in agriculture.
This project is part of the government’s broader strategy to transform the agricultural sector, with a focus on ensuring food security and enhancing the economic benefits of farming.
The Irrigation for Wealth project is expected to be implemented over the next twelve months and will cover eight regions across Ghana. The designated regions include Volta, Oti, Central, North East, Northern, Savannah, Upper West, and Upper East.
In line with the government’s vision, the regional ministers from these areas have been assigned to spearhead the implementation of the initiative. They are expected to engage stakeholders in their respective regions to ensure smooth coordination and execution of the project.
At the meeting with the 8 regional ministers, Hon. Eric Opoku emphasized that Phase One of the project will require the allocation of ten thousand hectares of land for irrigation purposes.
The government’s vision for the initiative aligns with the Agric for Economic Transformation agenda, which aims to increase the resilience and productivity of the agriculture sector.
The Minister assures that the areas selected for the project have been identified as potential irrigation zones for a long time.
He further noted that the discussions with local chiefs have been finalized to ensure the initiative’s smooth rollout. However, he highlighted that the specific type of irrigation facilities to be installed in each region will be determined after a detailed field visit by experts who will assess the requirements for each area.
The nature and scale of the irrigation systems to be implemented will depend on the unique conditions of each region, as each one has specific land areas that need to be catered to under the Irrigation for Wealth Project.
The Minister elaborated on the current challenges that farmers face due to Ghana’s seasonal rainfall patterns, stating that “Farming in Ghana is seasonal. It’s seasonal because it is rainfall we depend solely on. The weather is not that favourable.”
He reiterated that farmers will be the primary beneficiaries of the investment, and the government intends to “reset their culture” to ensure consistent agricultural production.
According to Ministry records and reports from previous administrations, only 1.6% of the 1.9 million hectares of land in the country is currently irrigated. This is a stark contrast to the West African average, which stands at 13.9%.
Hon. Minister pointed out that Ghana is significantly lacking behind in terms of irrigation infrastructure, and urgent investments are needed to bridge the gap and boost agricultural productivity.
“We have to push a lot of resources into irrigation so that we can ensure all year production. Our concern is to increase food production so that everyone of you can be fed. We want to produce food to feed our country and the rest of West Africa. We can do it,” he stated confidently.
The minister also questioned why Ghana continues to import food at a cost exceeding $2 billion annually. This heavy reliance on food imports, he argued, places unnecessary strain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves and worsens the exchange rate challenges, further affecting businesses and increasing unemployment.
He stressed that with the right investment in irrigation and agricultural infrastructure, Ghana could reduce its reliance on food imports and improve its self-sufficiency.
Although the exact cost of the Irrigation for Wealth initiative has not yet been disclosed, Mr. Opoku assured the public that the financial details would be revealed during the 2025 budget statement.
He clarified that the project is still in its design phase, and the final cost will depend on the quantities and specifications determined after the field assessments by experts. “We have now commissioned the team to go to the field to finalize the designs. It would be premature for me to indicate the exact cost at this stage. However, once the designs are finalized and the budget approved, the contractors will be engaged to commence the project immediately,” Mr. Opoku stated
