The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, has outlined government’s renewed strategy to overhaul Ghana’s agricultural sector, describing the country’s current agricultural landscape as a “paradox” of great potential constrained by longstanding structural challenges.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at the Presidency on Monday, November 24, Mr. Opoku noted that Ghana is endowed with rich arable land, a youthful population, vast inland water bodies and strong access to regional and international markets, all assets that position the country for significant economic transformation.
However, he noted that despite this potential, the sector continues to struggle with longstanding structural problems.
He said the country is still grappling with persistent food insecurity, high post-harvest losses, climate-related threats limited mechanization and fragmented value chains that suppress growth and discourage investment.
“On one hand, these attributes give us immense opportunity for growth, on the other hand, our farmers and agribusinesses continue to battle persistent food insecurity, high post-harvest losses, climate-related threats, limited mechanization and fragmented value chains that hinder progress and discourage investment,” he said.
Mr. Opoku stressed that it is in response to these challenges that government, under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, has introduced the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), a comprehensive plan aimed at modernizing and restructuring the sector.
He described AETA as a bold, practical and forward-looking pathway that prioritizes productivity growth, agro-industrialization, climate resilience, youth employment and export diversification.
At the heart of the agenda is the Feed Ghana Programme, the flagship initiative being implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to translate policy direction into action.
The Minister explained that while AETA outlines the vision and objectives, Feed Ghana is the engine driving implementation on the ground.
“Simply put, AETA tells us what to do and why; Feed Ghana shows us how and where,” he said.
Feed Ghana focuses on delivering essential interventions including input distribution, irrigation development, farmer registration, support for value addition, and the rollout of digital agricultural systems.
These practical measures, the he noted, are designed to boost production, strengthen value chains and improve the livelihoods of farmers across the country.
Mr. Opoku reaffirmed government’s commitment to making agriculture a central pillar of national development, adding that the transformation agenda will ensure food security, stimulate rural economic growth and create sustainable jobs.
