“Ghana’s Agriculture Is Starving – While We Import What We Could Grow!”
Reviving Ghana’s Agriculture: A Call for Urgent Action and Attention
By Alhassan Abdul-Mumin (Mr. Kpeewa)
Post-harvest Engineer | Researcher | Radio Journalist
Agriculture has historically been the backbone of Ghana’s economy. With over 80% of the population engaged in some form of farming, it is disheartening to see the sector suffer from years of neglect and underinvestment. Meanwhile, countries like Rwanda, Ethiopia, Brazil, and even India are making massive economic gains by investing strategically in agriculture, transforming rural economies, creating jobs, and reducing food imports through innovation and mechanization. In recent times, Ghana imports not less than $264.03K worth of fresh vegetables, especially onions. This is not a development we should be proud of as a country but rather a question we must answer: What are they doing right and differently from us in the agriculture sector?
In Ghana, however, agriculture has not been given the national priority it truly deserves. Despite its potential to drive industrialization, reduce unemployment, and ensure food security, the sector continues to face structural challenges that hinder growth. We must ask ourselves: Are we really serious as a nation?
The Disconnect Between Agricultural Education and Employment
Each year, thousands of graduates from agricultural universities and colleges across Ghana are left unemployed. The few who dare to venture into farming or any agricultural value chain are often left to their own fate, unlike their counterparts in other sectors. They face hostile environments, limited or no access to land, finance, inputs, mechanization, or market support.
One may ask why allowances are consistently paid to students in nursing and teaching training colleges, but agricultural students are completely left out. Are they not equally important to the economic growth of this nation?
Are we motivating the youth to enter the agriculture sector, or are we silently killing the love and passion of young people who are dreaming of joining it?
Institutional Challenges: Agriculture Under Local Government Ministry?
It is shocking and unacceptable that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the body responsible for Ghana’s food systems and farmer welfare, is still under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development when it comes to recruitment, logistics, and even program execution. For example, Farmers’ Day celebrations at the district level are organized by Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), not directly by MoFA officials.
This fragmentation has made the agricultural sector weak, inefficient, and vulnerable to political manipulation. Many MMDAs have fewer than five permanent staff at their agricultural departments. Some have no official vehicles, no field officers, and no operational funds. How can we develop the sector this way?
The Missed Opportunities: Ghana’s Untapped Agricultural Power
With fertile lands, diverse ecological zones, and a youthful population, Ghana has everything it takes to become West Africa’s food basket. But without deliberate investment, agriculture remains an underperforming sector.
• We cannot talk about food security without securing the welfare of the farmer.
• We cannot achieve economic growth without empowering the youth to go into agribusiness.
• Industrial growth is impossible without a stable and reliable supply of raw materials from agriculture.
Commending Government’s Feed Ghana Initiative
It is, however, worth acknowledging the Government of Ghana’s “Feed Ghana” initiative. This initiative aims to ensure food self-sufficiency through the provision of inputs, extension services, and modern farming technologies. It is a step in the right direction, but it must go beyond launching policies on paper. Implementation, funding, and monitoring are key.
The Way Forward: My Call to Action
The time is now. Agriculture needs to be revamped and repositioned as the central pillar of Ghana’s development agenda. Here are some steps for government and other development stakeholders:
1. Make MoFA a Standalone Ministry – Give it full autonomy to plan, recruit, and implement without interference.
2. Recruit and Train Agricultural Graduates – Empower them to serve as change agents in rural communities.
3. Introduce Agricultural Trainee Allowances – At par with nursing and teacher trainees to motivate youth.
4. Invest in Mechanization and Post-Harvest Management – To reduce food losses and boost productivity.
5. Create Dedicated Agribusiness Zones and Support Hubs – With access to land, finance, storage, and markets.
6. Strengthen Extension Services and Research Institutions – To promote innovation and climate-smart agriculture.
7. Revise Exchange Programs – Ensure scholarship students study in countries with the agricultural expertise we need, and create incentives for them to return and serve Ghana.
An Open Invitation to Stakeholders
As a post-harvest engineer, agricultural technologist, researcher, and journalist, I am looking for an opportunity to meet relevant stakeholders in the agriculture sector, policymakers, private investors, development partners, and farmer associations to discuss sustainable initiatives and contribute to national strategies like Feed Ghana.
Let us rise to make agriculture the pride of this nation. We cannot be suffering with all these fertile lands and manpower at our disposal. True independence and self-reliance begin with feeding ourselves.
Be Part of the Change. Join the Conversation. Share the Vision.
Thank you for reading and sharing.
Alhassan Abdul-Mumin (Mr. Kpeewa)
Post-harvest Engineer | Researcher | Radio Journalist
📞 Tel: 0248736090 | 📧 Email: [email protected] | 📍 Tamale, Ghana
